Four Culture Shifts Millennials are Bringing to Churches

In a recent Entrepreneur article, author Danny Beckett Jr. writes of “The Millennial Takeover: How the Generation is Shaking up the Workplace.” By 2025, Millennials will make up 75% of the American workforce, and they will be bringing with them major cultural changes, such as a more flexible work/life balance and an increasingly globalized perspective. Some of those same Millennial cultural influences will have profound effects on churches as well.

Comfortable with Necessary Change

There is a saying among church folk about being wary of “sacrificing the sacred cows.” Many churches have long-held traditions or unspoken rules that cannot be bent or broken. For Millennials, however, change is a given as they have lived through constant technological advances in their own lifetimes. Because of this, they are comfortable with needed updates to church programs, technology, services, and buildings. As Beckett writes in the above-mentioned article, “Millennials understand that successful businesses need to be ready to adapt or die,” and the same is true for successful churches as well.

Appreciation for Flattened Leadership Models

Another trend among Millennials is their preference for flattened leadership structures. Rather than a top-down, traditional hierarchy system, they are comfortable with collaborative leadership models. What this means for churches is that instead of a single Lead or Senior Pastor making the most important decisions or acting as the face of the church, Millennial congregants would prefer seeing more pastoral teams or co-pastoring leadership structures. Perhaps the preaching duties could be split among a preaching rotation rather than assigned to a single voice. Flattened leadership also eliminates personality-driven church models and allows Millennials to feel like they have a real say in the direction of their church’s future.

Valuing Authenticity and Purpose

Beckett writes, “Millennials value brands that demonstrate authenticity, and that authenticity is shown by remaining true to a cause.” When choosing a church, Millennials will seek out congregations that remain authentic and true to themselves and yet are also outward focused on social causes and community involvement. If the worship feels forced or fake, or the sermon seems like a performance, or the finances are all funneled back into pastoral salaries or building projects, that is probably not a church where many Millennials’ personal values would align.

Viewed as a Whole Person

Just like Millennials want to work for a company that values them not only as an employee, but as a father/mother, son/daughter, wife/husband, and sister/brother, they want to be a part of a church that views them as a whole person with a full life outside the church walls. If they are only seen by the church for the volunteer work they contribute or the tithe check they put in the offering plate or their attendance number during Sunday worship, they will soon find another church home. Like a healthy employer, respect their boundaries, give them time off of volunteering, care for their whole selves and for their family. Millennials are likely to commit long-term to a church if they are viewed as more than a butt in the pew.