by Lex Thomas
Faced with an aging congregation and a dwindling number of younger parishioners joining the church, First Church in Sterling’s pastor, Reverend Robin Bartlett, decided she needed to find a way to make her faith community more attractive to younger people.
“I was thinking about simple ways to bring the church’s youngest adults together, and to attract more,” Bartlett says. “We were a “graying” congregation, and more and more young people are understandably mistrustful of church as an institution in our culture. And yet, young people still desire being in community, and to connect on a deeper level than they do in their workplaces or kids’ play groups.”
She contends that despite some cynicism among young adults about religious institutions, they still care about the big religious questions. “Why am I here? Why must I die? What is the meaning of life? Who or what is God? How do I live a life of purpose? These are questions that matter to people of all ages,” she says.
Reflecting on her own young adulthood spent in Boston, Bartlett recognized that her social life revolved around meeting up with friends and colleagues in bars. So she gathered her existing 20- and 30-something parishioners and invited them for an evening of socialization and discussion at Barbers Crossing. Eighteen people turned up at the first outing in October. Pub theology in Sterling was born.
“I think the church needs to stop waiting for people to come to church, and show up where they are,” Bartlett says.
The pub theology movement is gaining momentum throughout the country, based on a concept Bartlett says was originated by a Catholic priest called “theology on tap.”
The first pub theology session at Barbers Crossing enjoyed such success that older members of the congregation got wind of it, and insisted on a group of their own.
“Some of the older parishioners came to me and said, ‘We like beer and talking about God, too, you know,’ so I added a second monthly meeting for adults of all ages,” Bartlett says.
The group for all adults, which tends to attract anywhere from 10 to 40 participants, meets on the second Monday of the month, from 7 to 9 p.m. Pub theology for young adults, the original group, meets on the third Monday of the month, from 7 to 9 p.m., although Bartlett jokes that they sometimes linger a little longer. All gatherings take place at Barbers Crossing.
Although discussion is a major component of both groups, each has its own character.
“The young adults often just do a reading, and then spend a lot of time ‘checking in’ with each other,” Bartlett says. “They tend to share deeply on a topic. They love to talk to each other, and hear about each other’s struggles and triumphs.”
The group for adults of all ages is a larger gathering, and tends to tackle meatier topics. “We have readings and reflection questions. People break into small groups at booths and reflect together on the questions. They eat popcorn and drink wine or tea, it doesn’t matter. Sometimes people will go wild and order a quiche,” Bartlett quips.
In both groups, there’s a lot of laughter.
Bartlett, who took up her ministry at First Church in Sterling in September 2014, is delighted with the response to pub theology, which she calls a “low cost, low effort, high impact ministry.” She’s especially proud to have had the program featured in USA Today and the Christian Century. “We’ve been recognized for our innovative approach to re-inventing our church.”
Everyone is welcome to participate. For more information about pub theology and other programs, visit fcsterling.org.
Photo by Linda Davis: Pub theology adult group.