I just got finished reading Lost and Found by Ed Stetzer and though I can easily recommend it, I found it to be a mixed bag. There are a lot of interesting findings from Lifeway’s research, and much of what is concluded from these findings is true, but I really didn’t learn anything new.
In the first part of the book the authors, Stetzer, Richie Stanley, and Jason Hayes set out by showing the reader the hard numbers from their research and looking at a few implications. They come up with four classifications for the “younger unchurched,” Always Unchurched, De-Churched, Friendly Unchurched, and Hostile Unchurched. Though there is some truth in these monikers and their descriptions in the book, I feel that this is too much over an oversimplification that might through off some of the people who are unfamiliar with people from this generation.
The most interesting part of this section was the comparison of the younger generation with the baby-boomer generation. I have often talked about how my generation seems more open to God than my parent’s and it was interesting to see this shown true through statistical research.
In the second section the authors use the research from the first to show in a very general way what young adults are looking for in a church. I agree with everything here but feel that as I stated earlier, there doesn’t seem to be much new. This may very well be because I saw myself and people I spend time with in this research, and saw repeated many of the same questions, musings, and complaints that I have heard over the years while working in restaurants and coffee shops, spending time with those not involved in the church. But, once again, this shows the value of the information.
I wish the third section had been more in-depth, it really could be its own book. In this section we see how churches across the country are implementing some of the ideas brought out in sections one and two. As I read each chapter in section 3, I kept finding myself wanting more. There seems to be a lot of hinting at what these churches are doing without much practical advice on how to implement these strategies in your own context. That being said the less is more approach is probably warranted as it motivates the reader to look into the churches, ministries, and leaders mentioned, possibly creating networking and learning opportunities. It may lead a reader to search out a church’s website or a pastor’s blog where they can see for themselves just what is going on.
The only truly negative thing I found in the book was the narrative sections featuring Mitch and his caricature friends. the story was not engaging in the least and I do not feel that giving the four “young unchurched” stereotypes names really led to a better understanding.
As I stated before, even though there are some definite flaws, I feel that I can recommend Lost and Found, though maybe not to those in the generation being looked at. If you are between 20 and 32 you will probably not learn anything groundbreaking, but if you are older, and have not spent much time with this generation, you will. If you are struggling with how to reach twenty-somethings and feel you don’t understand them Lost and Found is a must-read. Don’t stop there though, the book is a great place to start but it can’t be the end. Get online, read the blogs, get on Twitter, and you’ll find out even more.