Millennials in the Church

A few days ago, Rachel Held Evans wrote an article about why Millennials are leaving the church. This article has stirred up a lot of debate. I don't really wish to comment or or argue with either article, others have done enough of that. What I'd like to do is to say that this is something the church needs to be discussing. I think there are many things that Evans gets right, and think that there are some things that are probably overstated. Frankly, whether she is right or wrong is not nearly as important as the fact that Millennials are leaving the church.

In his book You Lost Me, David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, reveals research about how Millennials who grew up in the church are leaving the church. According to Barna's research, "Over half of Millennials with a Christian background (59%) have, at some point, dropped out of going to church after having gone regularly, and half have been significantly frustrated by their faith." There are many different reasons, but the reality is they are leaving. Kinnaman's book explores all the reasons why Millennials are say they are leaving, some of which Evans discusses in her article on CNN.

Whatever the reasons, this is a topic that needs to be discussed in the church. My generation is not satisfied with what they are finding. I don't think Millennials are right on every point, but good questions are being raised. If you are a church leader, please take some time to engage the Millennials in your church. If you don't, you may lose most of them for good.

Other posts to check out:
Why Millennials Are Leaving the Church: A Response to Rachel Held Evans
How to keep Millennials in the church? Let’s keep church un-cool.
The Church Failed Millennials, Just Not In the Way You Think It Did
Rearranging the Chairs and other wastes of time: A response to Rachel Held Evans
The Real Secret of Keeping Millennials in the Church
Young Evangelicals are switching to high churches
Three Spiritual Journeys of Millennials
More on millennials and the future of Christianity...(a list of resources & conversations)

Who are the Millennials?

Well, for starters I'm a millennial. So is my wife and so are all of my friends. Those of us born in the 80's and 90's are the Millennials. Most of us probably wouldn't take the time to figure out ourselves, and there really is no way to stereotype all of us. But, Thom and Jess Rainer have tried. While on vacation, my wife and I listened to the audio version of Thom and Jess Rainer's book The Millennials. It was a fantastic listen (and I'm not saying that in a self-centered it's all about me sort of way). I would recommend that you read/listen to it, too.

With almost 78 million, we are the largest generation in America. There are many of us who have graduated and are in the work force and still many left to go through college and enter the workforce. We are literally a force to be reckoned with since there are so many. There is good news, however. Most of us want to make a positive impact on the world. We care deeply about social justice and fairness. We care more about what we do with our lives than how much money we are making. If you are a leader of any type of business or even of a ministry, I would dare say you need to read this to understand the millions of us who will be applying for the job openings at your business and attending your church.

This book does a fantastic job of describing the millennials. There are a lot of us. We are wanting to make an impact on the world. We are very open to different viewpoints, while at the same time most of us are not very religious. We are highly connected to media. Most importantly, we are highly connected to people. We love our families and respect our elders. We love to communicate and build relationships. Thom and Jess (the authors of the Millennials) are very optimistic about us and think that we could make a large positive impact in the world.

Like I said, I think that you should read this book. Please don't read this post as self-serving or as a millennial simply wanting you to like his generation. Read it as a millennial asking you to take the time to understand all of us and as a millennial asking you to give his generation a chance.