Presbyterian News Service

The theme of the conference, held here from Nov. 20-22, was “Blessings and Burdens: Where Technology and Church Life Converge.”

The church often asks itself how to reach young adults. To better reach any group of people, it’s important to understand the culture in which they live. Participants in their 80s, 70s, 60s, 50s, 40s and 30s described the events that shaped their generations – wars, music, civil rights and more.

Plenary speaker the Rev. Carol Howard Merritt, a pastor in Washington, D.C., then spoke about the top three issues forming the modern generation: employment, finances and connections.

Many young adults move away from family and friends to find education and careers, Merritt said. The median job tenure is now 2.7 years, meaning that young adults are more likely to move around because of work. They are also the first to get laid off and are more likely to work part-time or temporary jobs, meaning they lack insurance and benefits. This transitory lifestyle has effects seen in congregations – it’s hard for young people to become involved in church leadership when they’re not sure how long they’ll be around.

Finances are another big issue for the modern generation. Even with increasing student loan debts and rising housing prices, salaries have remained stagnant.

“It sounds like pocketbook issues, but it goes far beyond that,” Merritt said.

With the uncertainty surrounding employment and finances, it can be hard for young people to form relationships. In the United States, the age of first marriage has risen, and the marriage rate has lowered. People are also waiting longer to have children.

Although this generation has seen great technological advances, “many of us long very much for connection,” Merritt said.

In terms of technology, this generation has exhibited entrepreneurialism and innovation – moving from large stacks of records to an entire music library on a single iPod, for example. These qualities have also helped young adults find connections even in isolation, Merritt said.

“Social media is about that connection,” she said.

Through forums like Facebook, it’s possible to stay connected with friends even if they all move every two years. Friends can support each other and stay updated on each other’s lives.

Although social media isn’t perfect and doesn’t solve all problems, it is a real and important part of the modern generation.

“It’s easy to look at social media and just blow it off,” Merritt said.

Merritt chronicled the development of the Web. Its initial use was for the military. It later evolved into “signs and stores,” or Web sites that provided information and products. The next and current stage is interactive, complete with social media, blogs, customer reviews and comments sections.

This interactive and evaluative culture is present even offline. Merritt spoke of her 8-year-old daughter, whose third-grade teacher has students conduct weekly evaluations of themselves and of her.

“It’s the culture that we’re in. People are beginning to question, to talk back,” Merritt said.  

And they’re beginning to share their own stories. Before the age of television, friends and families often passed the time by talking to each other, telling stories about their lives. Now, with the prevalence of computers, the modern generation does much of its storytelling online. Television shows are nothing compared to the stories of high school classmates and neighbors who have reconnected via social media, Merritt said.

“There’s something about the mundane facts … that weave together to then make something beautiful. That’s how I see Twitter,” she said. “You may not be interested in what I had for breakfast, but I’m telling it anyways. Because that’s my story.”

The Rev. Melissa DeRosia, a pastor in Michigan and a member of the General Assembly Mission Council, then spoke further on the uses of Twitter. She asked audience members to raise their hands if they use Twitter. After the vast majority didn’t raise their hands, DeRosia asked them why they don’t use Twitter. The reasons ranged from not knowing how and not seeing the need to desiring privacy and choosing other social media networks instead.

But for DeRosia, using Twitter allows her to find connections. As a pastor, mother of two small children and moderator-elect of the Presbytery of Lake Huron, DeRosia is able to find support on Twitter.

“I can pray in 140 characters or less,” she said, referring to the space limits on Twitter’s status updates. “Prayers become part of our social media conversations.”

This use of social media was seen firsthand at the conference. The Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, moderator of the 218th General Assembly, was slated to speak at the conference. But – as many of his Twitter followers had been reading – his grandfather passed away and Reyes-Chow was unable to make the conference. In the days before his grandfather’s death, Reyes-Chow had been posting updates on his Twitter site, and many of his followers responded with prayers and expressions of sympathy and care.

“We call ourselves a connected denomination, a connected church,” DeRosia said.

Besides building or maintaining relationships, churches and presbyteries can use social media in practical ways. Church events and meetings can be advertised online, and Facebook pages allow for small groups discussions. In some far-spread presbyteries, conducting meetings via conference call is safer and more manageable. Pastors who are connected with their members online can find out about problems or life events that otherwise might go unexpressed. Bible study groups can blog about their meetings. Sessions or committees can live-edit documents online, saving time and paper.

“The computer is not the answer to everything. Of course it’s not. God is,” said the Rev. Byron Wade, vice moderator of the 218th GA. “I do believe that technology is very important to the life of our church. If it’s not important to us, it’s important to the people in the pews.

“Technology, whether we like it or not, is rampant in our society,” he said. “It is a way in which we can reach people, and we can’t be afraid of it.”