Ministries The church gets hip
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
NCR Staff
Gen-Xers are hot. Like the Baby Boomers before them, the Xers have
hit those critical young adult years where their spending patterns and consumer
preferences form the Holy Grail of marketing research. Everybody wants to know
what makes this generation tick and then cater to it. The siren song of cash
registers lures them on.
Its no surprise, for example, that one of the early hits of
the new prime-time television season is likely to be Foxs That
70s Show, marking the definitive coming-of-age of the Xer crowd:
Their childhood is now the stuff of vapid TV nostalgia. The ubiquitous
70s Happy Face, now the shows signature image, will
take its place alongside the Boomers peace sign as a generational
icon.
The religious scene is no different. The questions of the hour
seem to be, What do Xers want? and How can we give it to them
in church? Wade Clark Roofs A Generation of Seekers (about
the Boomers) sparked a publishing frenzy; today, it seems anyone who can
combine Generation X and spirituality in a book title
is automatically entitled to a contract, a lecture tour and the cover of
Spin magazine.
Much of this is crass commercialism, of course, including the
religious sort. But some of it is also genuine pastoral concern. The questions
are real: How can the Word of God reach a generation so disillusioned with
authority, so cynical about the establishment -- any establishment --
and so inundated with competing cultural messages? How do you sell a generation
on community whose own experience of that concept, whether in family, school or
even church, has too often been disappointing?
Not surprisingly, perhaps, the answers seem fairly simple. How do
you gather people in? Invite them. How do you keep them involved? Involve
them.
That, at least, appears to be the early line emerging from
parishes where young adults flock in large numbers. In this special parish
ministries issue, we hear some of those stories. Tim Unsworth introduces us to
Old St. Patricks in Chicago, perhaps the nerve center for young adult
ministry in that archdiocese. Tim Johnston gives us an insiders
perspective on St. Monicas parish in Santa Monica, Calif., another mecca
for the Gen-X crowd.
Both places bustle with energetic liturgies, dozens of ministries
and coffeehouse-style opportunities to gather that allow friendships to emerge.
Arthur Jones looks at some of the work being done in singles
ministry around the country, another way of appealing to young adult
Catholics.
Tom Beaudoin, an adroit observer of the Gen-X spirituality scene,
reviews a new book on how this generations seekers might find God by
looking past religion, at least as its been conventionally
understood. The book offers helpful suggestions for anyone looking to minister
to this maddeningly elusive demographic cohort.
We also offer two provocative pieces on ministries most parishes
either struggle with or have never thought about. Beth Dotson reports on a
parish-based evangelization effort, while Sandy Carruba examines the efforts of
parishes in areas with migrant laborers to embrace these seasonal visitors and
to welcome them in the community.
May all who minister in these difficult days find reasons to wear
(genuine!) smiley faces of their own.
National Catholic Reporter, September 25,
1998
|