July 10, 2025

What Young Families Really Want in a Church

24 minutes

Most every church desires to grow with young families. But what do they look for in a church? Josh and Sam discuss a few key ways to attract and retain families with children.

An indicator of health: 25% of Sunday morning attendance should be 18 and under.

An indicator of investment: The children’s and student ministry budgets should be more than the worship ministry budget.

Clear policies and procedures that prioritize child safety.

Family-friendly service start times (9:30 or 10:00 a.m.) and service length (one hour).

Age-segmented discipleship programs for children, students, and adults.

Full programming for the entire family.

Worship styles, preaching philosophy, and specific programs can be important to some but are less important overall.

Resources:

The Revitalization at Shadowbrook Church

Doctor of Educational Ministry, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Churchteams

Church Answers Certifications

FREE Research Report! New Surprising Insights

Church Answers Central

The Hope Initiative

Episode Sponsors:

Shadowbrook Church members in Suwanee, Georgia, have rediscovered their first love–serving Christ and loving others.

But during Jerrod Rumley’s first two years as pastor, he was shepherding a divided congregation.

A small number of members seemed better suited for sharing gossip than the gospel.

Older and younger members had relegated the Great Commission to the church staff.

Gen-Xers were comfortable in a congregation that placed few demands upon them.

Others were busy meeting community needs–yet seldom shared the gospel.

Rumley needed guidance to unify his splintered congregation.

He knew exactly where to turn.

Go to SBTS.edu/Unified to read about the steps Shadowbrook’s pastor took to erase barriers and revive the church’s passion for evangelism and discipleship.

Those same steps are available to you, and it begins at SBTS.edu/Unified.

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Learn more at Churchteams.

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By Thom Rainer

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