A recent research study included a survey of 406 young adults who stayed in church during the critical ages of 18 to 22, and who have remained in church since then. What are some of the primary reasons these young adults stayed in the church?

Church is a vital part of my relationship with God. Two-thirds of the respondents could not see themselves as vibrant Christians without being an active part of a local congregation.

I wanted the church to help guide my decisions in everyday life. A significant majority of the churched young adults indicated that the church was essential in the ongoing decisions of life. Church is not optional, auxiliary, or peripheral. Church is essential. It is a major part of the believer's life. And the Christian cannot imagine life without the support of a local congregation.

I was committed to the purpose and work of the church. The obvious reality is that church members must know their church's purpose before they can become committed to it. Unfortunately, in most American churches, the understood purpose of the church is vague if recollected at all. These churched young adults told us that they not only knew the purpose of the church, they embraced that purpose as well.

Keep in mind that most of these young adults are in churches that are making a difference in lives and in the community. These are not the churches they are simply going through the motions. These are not the churches that have meaningless meetings. These are not the churches that have little expectations of their members. No, these are essential churches with high expectations.

Three Basics of High Expectations

What does a high expectation church look like? On the one hand, such a question defies a simple answer. The high expectation church has some intangibles that are difficult to see in person. After all, what does an environment of expectation really look like?

On the other hand, there are certain manifestations of higher expectation that are common in many essential churches. Here are some traits high expectation churches have in common:

Implementing actionable mission statements. A mission statement alone is of little value unless it can be clearly understood by the congregation, and unless it leads to specific action.

Jennifer is a good example of how an actionable mission statement helps to attract and retain people. She had been at the church less than six months when we interviewed her for our book, Essential Church. When we asked her questions about her church, she quickly recited the mission statement: "Worship the One True God; Connect with Other Believers; Grow Deeper; and Reach Out to the World." How can a new member remember this statement with such precision? Jennifer and others in the church remember because the statement is also their discipleship process.

• "Worship the One True God."
Members are expected to attend worship services each week.
• "Connect with Other Believers."
Members attend an open Bible study on Sunday mornings.
• "Grow Deeper."
Those in the church are a part of a D-Group (discipleship group) at least twice a year. Most D-Groups are six weeks in length.
• "Reach Out to the World."
Members go on at least one international mission trip a year or they are involved in some type of community outreach or ministry.

Mission statements that are actionable—they are part of the activity of a church—are found in churches that attract people and have low dropout rates.

Leading members to small groups. One of the most common and clearest signs of a high expectation church is the encouragement of members to move into small groups. The small group connects people relationally, something that is difficult to achieve in a larger worship service. Once they build relationships in that small group, the likelihood of their departure drops significantly. In fact, those who were in a small group and attended worship service were five times more likely to be active in church than those who attended worship services alone.

Setting the tone through entry point classes. Where do expectations begin in an essential church? Certainly the leadership of the church plays a major role in the information they communicate and the manner in which they communicate expectations. But the formal beginning of expectations takes place in an entry point class or new members' class. They have many names: Beginnings; 101; Vision Class; Inquirers' Class; Purpose Class, to name a few. The name is not what's important, but rather the information and expectations that are communicated.

The informational aspect of the class may include a history of the church, the beliefs of the church, and the ministries of the church, to name a few. The expectation part of the class lets those present know how they can become members of the church, and what is expected of members. It is that latter aspect that is critical. Many of the dechurched today tell us that they never heard what was expected of them. They thus "fell through the cracks" without anyone noticing.

Entry classes help reduce the number of dechurched by establishing expectations early in the membership process. The most effective membership classes are brief, four or five hours, but they are sufficient to communicate both information and expectations.

Creating a culture of high expectations is, in many ways, an intangible process. There's many ways to do it. But churches that have this environment of high expectations attract people who are on board with the purpose and mission of the church. Additionally, these churches are more likely to retain those who know upfront that much is expected.