Who do you think is most likely to be the loneliest generation—millennials, gen X, baby boomers, or the Silent Generation? If you had asked me earlier this week, I would have been confident in my prediction that the older generations feel a greater sense of loneliness. And I would have been wrong.
Read MoreI’m a Young Adult Pastor for a large church. But I’ve worked for churches large and small all over the country, and there’s one thing I’ve done that has CONSISTENTLY gotten results.
Design.
I have the advantage of knowing my way around Photoshop and worked as a web designer before entering ministry. And I thank God every day for those years because design has absolutely impacted the reach of my ministry, time and again.
Read MoreI joined a gym called “CrossFit” a few years ago. Maybe you’ve heard of it. In 2005, there were 15 locations. By 2015, there were over 10,000. It got so popular that you could start a “box” (lingo for “gym”) in your garage and people would sign up. I literally have friends who paid $100+ a month to go workout in someone’s garage.
Read MoreHere’s a question: What transitional moments do you designate within your church year where members of younger generations can experience an expanded role of leadership as part of your congregation?
Read MoreDuring seminary I worked for a traditional mainline church who had a vision of reaching young adults. They had a brilliant pastor, young staff, and had just completed a multi-million dollar building expansion. If there was a checklist of helpful qualities to reach millennials, they had a lot of the right boxes.
But young adults and young families didn’t come.
Why?
It isn’t news to report that millennials are leaving organized religion in significant numbers. Church leaders are right to be concerned. A decrease in church participation will not only have implications for congregations but for the social fabric as a whole.
Read MoreThe world is changing and the challenges before church leaders are immense, not only for evangelism, but in discipling our congregations concerning how best to navigate an increasingly contentious, and often vitriolic, national public discourse.
Read MoreBut I don’t think it’s church young adults are turning away from. Millennials aren’t quitting church—we’re remaking church.
Read MoreThere are all sorts of unspoken rules and techniques to be a good date. And the truth is, reaching millennials is a lot like dating. A young person walking through the doors of your church is trying to evaluate the question “is this place for me?”
Read MoreChurches differ from business and corporations (and so they should), but are at times guilty of using similar messaging approaches which present Christianity like a consumer product. The result is a distortion which could lead to disillusionment, and disillusionment could eventually yield disbelief.
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