Non Attending Young People: Bridging the Gap for a More Inclusive Church

What is it about?

The Church is in transition, and the COVID-19 pandemic accentuates the fact. With already diminhsing numbers in Church attendance, the damage that Covid-19 caused is yet to be understood. Although, like with all crisis, this could also be seen as a time of opportunity for the church to refresh its pastoral outlook for attracting the young. This study set out to explore ways to do this, by listening to the voice of 6 young people that belong to the peripheries of a local parish in Malta, Europe. In this study, the participants are considered non-attending youth, not because they are deprived of any material goods, but more since they consider themselves Christian, yet do not find the Church environment to be one that draws them in. The study makes suggestions to revive this sentiment with a fresh pastoral approach.

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