At South Park Church in Park Ridge, the interdenominational evangelical church sponsors a study group that could make several other religious groups in the northwest suburbs envious.
On Thursday nights, a group of 20-somethings gathers at the second-floor cafe in South Park Church to talk and mostly giggle with each other over cookies before opening Bibles to study their scripture.
“This is a hard time for our age group,” said Hannah Schmitz, 25, who drove from Elmhurst to join the group in Park Ridge. “Our (millennial) generation gets forgotten. This is a place where we found community.”
Churches, synagogues, mosques and other congregations have struggled to attract younger adults to worship services, as religious organizations nationwide recently have reported sharper declines in attendance from young people. A 2015 survey from Pew Research Center found that 35 percent of millennials are religiously unaffiliated, doubling the group of Baby Boomers who identify the same way (17 percent).
Some local religious groups now are introducing new programs and services to attract younger members. In Long Grove, Congregation Beth Judea addressed the issue by reducing the cost of membership for families with young children.
“We were brainstorming, trying to come up with a way to do that and not let them wait until the kid’s ready for Hebrew school,” said Lisa Neiman, the congregation’s executive director.
The new Steps program reduces annual membership costs for parents with children too young for school and for singles under 40. Neiman said the congregation sees people of all ages during holidays, but she wanted to see more younger members throughout the year.
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“We want them to do it on their own,” she said.
Neiman said the cost ranges for yearlong memberships, depending on family size and other factors, but averages around $2,000. She said they most often take incoming families when their children reach third grade.
Other religious leaders throughout the suburbs have said they share similar problems with younger members. Dan Whiteside, pastor at St. Mary Parish in Buffalo Grove, said low turnout among younger worshippers partly is a result of their age. St. Mary Parish’s Catholic school has helped maintained its membership with younger people, he said.
“It’s not necessarily a recent phenomenon. It’s an age group that is unsettled,” Whiteside said. “That includes in their religion and their faith.”
In 2012, shrinking membership prompted Congregation Beth Am in Buffalo Grove to sell its facility at 225 McHenry Road to the Buffalo Grove Park District and move into smaller spaces. Rabbi Richard Prass, director of education at Congregation Beth Am, said his group hasn’t seen enough younger adults come through to replenish its membership.
“Every church, synagogue and mosque, if they’re being honest, they’re all nonprofits, and they need to find young members to replenish their membership,” Prass said.
At Kingswood United Methodist Church in Buffalo Grove, the Rev. James Preston said they’ve prioritized finding ways to attract 20- and 30-somethings, even starting a paid internship in September for a “millennial intern.”
“They tend to be very service-oriented,” Preston said, adding Kingswood is developing more volunteering programs to appeal to younger adults.
Kevin Smallacombe, the director of young adult ministry at South Park Church, said millennials “want something that’s authentic” and are attracted to deep, genuine relationships. His group tries to foster that attraction by making an effort to welcome newcomers, praying together and taking the scriptures seriously.
But not all local congregations have succeeded with attracting members. In 2011, Washburn Congregational Church in Lincolnshire disbanded after 150 years, and the Congregational Church in Deerfield worshipped together for the last time in December after nearly 60 years.
At Village Church of Lincolnshire, senior pastor Lee Eclov said its proximity to Trinity International University brought college students to them.
“We have an unfair advantage,” he said.
But area religious leaders agreed that it may take new steps, such as the Steps program at Beth Judea to bring in more millennials.
“With young people coming, it’s less than there were 20 years ago,” Prass said.
Twitter @RonnieAtPioneer