Inspiring a New Generation of Worshippers

Getting young people in church pews has been an ongoing struggle for clergy in the Diocese of Long Island (which also serves Brooklyn), but one local church is trying out unconventional methods in the hopes of attracting the next generation of worshippers.

Noticing a separation between the demographic of people attending their services and the community at large, The Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew, an Episcopal church on Clinton Ave. between Fulton St. and Atlantic Ave., is using greenspace and booze, among other things, to try and draw in the surplus of young adults throughout the neighborhood.

“The people who attend my church are primarily a generation older than me, or in some cases two generations, but the neighborhood itself is filled with people my age,” said Rev. Michael Sniffen, 30, Priest-in-Charge at the Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew. “I wanted to see if there was a way we could help with that disconnect.”

Sniffen has started a grassroots campaign within the church to appeal to a younger generation of potential worshippers by using means that many other religious organizations have yet to try. Through future plans to create a community green space in front of the church and an artist-in-residency program inside, and even recently holding meetings at local pubs, Sniffen said he hopes to demonstrate that the church is more welcoming than people realize.

“I became friends with the bartender at Hot Bird,” said Sniffen with a laugh. “We want to show people that we’re not just trying to promote the events taking place at our church. I hope to be able to use my resources and the network I have to help bring awareness to community programs in the neighborhood that already exist.”

Sniffen said that many 20 and 30-somethings who attend his church for the first time often walk in expecting something completely different than what they actually offer.

The Episcopal church is often referred to as being among the most progressive of churches in the country, with many of their viewpoints in areas such as same-sex marriage and environmental sustainability falling in the socially liberal spectrum.

“You have old and young priests, gay and lesbian priests, people that were once stock brokers or in other completely different professions at one time,” said Sniffen. “It's folks from all different walks of life. A lot of young people have this perception that the views of the church are not relevant to their life or they wouldn’t be able to identify with it and that often ends up not being the case.”

Sniffen said this is perhaps reflected best in the plans for the green space in front of the church. While they already have a small garden, the church is hoping to expand it out to the sidewalk and create a pathway so people can walk through it as they pass through.

“The perception of people my age is that they’re selfish or completely career-focused, but that hasn’t been the experience I’ve had,” said Sniffen. “There are plenty of young people who are interested in their community or the environment. The church just isn’t the first place they would think to go in trying to bring about these positive changes.”

Sniffen said he has already experienced an increase in young people who are both attending services or visiting the church to find out if it’s for them, and hopes those numbers will continue to rise in the future.

“The biggest misconception is that it’s almost like an exclusive club, but when the church is at its best, it’s actually quite inclusive,” said Sniffen.