Millennials, the Church, and a Yearning for Community
I grew up going to the same church. When I was in High School I was part of a thriving youth group. We served the community, went on prayer walks, missions trips, spiritual retreats, and had very inferential youth leaders to guide and direct us. The group had around 30 youth attending, many of which were fully committed. Fast-Forward 5 years and now I see that group of 30 dwindled, significantly, down to four. Going from our primary groups (being High School students) to merge with the secondary group (the Church) was one of the factors in many youth leaving. What other factors played into the drop in attendance? Throughout this post I hope to identify why Millennials are leaving the church, what they are seeking, and how the church can help bring them back.
It should not surprise us to see many millennials, who have previously attended church, are now leaving. Rachel Evans, a writer for the Washington Post, sates “In the United States, 59 percent of people ages 18 to 29 with a Christian background have, at some point, dropped out.” The Barna Group put together this demographic and the fact that more than half of Millennials are walking away from the church is staggering. Many factors such as college and full-time jobs could play into this; however I believe many of my peers are leaving the church because they never felt apart of the church. Earlier I mentioned my youth group which had 30 members. Even though they were fully committed to the group, they were not fully committed to the church. They never even felt as if they were apart of the church. The primary reason I stayed was because I was volunteering in the children’s ministry. I felt as if I had a role to play in the bigger picture of the church. Many of my peers did not have this opportunity. While in youth group they had a great community of people to help strengthen, encourage, and pray for them. When they graduated out of the program and had to be Adults, they started to rapidly depart from the building… and gave up on trying to rebuild community.
Rachel Evans goes on to state how churches tried to lure millennials back:
In response, many churches have sought to lure millennials back by focusing on style points: cooler bands, hipper worship, edgier programming, and impressive technology. Yet while these aren’t inherently bad ideas and might in some cases be effective, they are not the key to drawing millennials back to God in a lasting and meaningful way. Young people don’t simply want a better show. And trying to be cool might be making things worse.
My generation does not want the flashy lights or the latest technology; rather my generation desires and yearns for an authentic community who can help shape and mold them. Churches can not and will not win Millennials back if they try to make church ‘cool’ and ‘hip.’
Rather the church should be teaching faithfully from the Word of God and leading with humility. My generation does not want to be marketed to, like we have been all our lives. So what do we want? Take a look at more information put together by the Barna Group:
The fact remains that 8 out of 10 young adults say growing closer to or learning about God are the two most important reasons to attend church. And with all the other options open to Millennials, it’s safe to conclude that, when they show up at church for a worship or learning opportunity, they do so hoping there is someone present to worship or learn about.
My generation is constantly seeking out Truth. And in the Word of God we see Truth. And through Jesus we saw Truth. Jesus said “I Am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). That is an incredibly bold claim. The Church needs to be preaching the Word of God boldly and with conviction. The Church should not rely on flashy lights, the latest technology, or the coolest bands. Rather the church must provide a place where my generation can know God’s truth, grow in God’s truth, and apply God’s truth in their daily lives. Before the church can start to making a change in their approach with getting millennials back into the building; they must first understand who we are.
Here are six characteristics of millennials:
- Individualistic — We may be the largest generation on the planet, but we still want to be recognized as unique individuals. The church must realize that a one-size-fits-all approach to this generation isn’t going to work.
- Disruptive — You read that right. But trust me, it’s a good thing. Millennials love to disrupt the status quo. We invented social networking with Facebook, revolutionized family photos with Instagram, and re-imagined hotels with Airbnb. This generation wants to change how we participate in church.
- Skeptical — Millennials have been raised in the post-Christian era. Religious pluralism is everywhere: Declaring that there is only one way to God is considered hate speech. Pastors shouldn’t be discouraged, though. Millennials have the same faith capacity as other generations.
- Flexible — We move around… a lot. Whether it is changing jobs, apartments or cities, this generation gets bored sitting still. We want a church that allows us to maintain a dynamic lifestyle.
- Diverse — Millennials love diversity. I’m not simply talking about racial diversity either. We want to work, live, and participate in communities that have different ages, genders, and experiences. Millennials want to attend churches that embrace variety and won’t put up with judgment. We want places of worship that allow us to be ourselves. Churches that celebrate diversity in community rather than pressure conformity will keep more millennials.
- Authentic — Stop trying to sell to us! Millennials are tired of being sold. We have been marketed to since we were in utero. Flashy ads aren’t going to get us to come to your church. We don’t go to church expecting to be entertained, but educated and enlightened. Millennials want leaders that are open about their own brokenness to help us feel accepted for who we are.
Although many people from my generation will not agree with everything stated above, it does lay a good framework. The characteristic most of my peers will agree on is the idea of wanting authenticity. As Erin Lane, a writer for the Washington Post, puts it: “Those under 35 seem committed to at least one idea: authenticity.” This is a good thing to strive towards; however we need to realize that finding a truly authentic or perfect church is an unachievable goal. Erin goes on to say,
The problem with young people using authenticity as a precondition for commitment comes when it turns into a pursuit of perfection. When we’re always discerning whether a partner or a church could be “the one,” we find it difficult to commit ourselves for any solid period of time to the one we’re with. It often doesn’t feel right to commit when we can’t be sure we’ll be around in five years, let alone be the same person we are now.
Therefore churches should not try to market to us by promises flashy lights, loud music, and cool technology. Rather they need to provide a space that feels authentic. The leadership needs to lead humbly and with a servants heart. We can learn so much from the life of Jesus and how he was able to attract crowds. But then it also comes back to the individual. In the Gospel of John chapter six, we see Jesus performing a miracle where he took several loafs of bread and fed over 5,000 people. Later on in the chapter the crowd, after seeing this miracle, ask Jesus to show them a sign so that they would believe. When Jesus would not, many of his fans deserted him until only his 12 disciples were left. We can learn a thing or two from this story. My generation can learn a thing or two from this story. First of all we need to be willing to follow Jesus even when he does not give us what we want. And secondly we must be willing to remain with Jesus even if it goes against the popular crowd.
In closing the church does not need flashy lights and millennials do not need to be marketed. The church needs to provide a space where children, youth, young adults, and every other generation can experience God, grow in the knowledge of God, live faithful lives, and be God’s hands and feet.
~Scott Silva
References
