E-book
Engaging Millennials: Who they are | Where they went | What will bring them back
A Church Executive Report
1 | Church executive | ENGAGING Millennials | 06/2013
contents Millennials losing their religion....................................................3 By Bob Allen According to the 2012 Millennial Values Survey, young adults are leaving the church in record numbers — and experts wonder how many of them are ever coming back. Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources, has done extensive research about church dropouts. He found a common theme running through the excuses why young adults stop attending church: “Stated simply, they just did not see that church was essential to their lives.”
10 things to know about leading young adults...................................6 By Sam S. Rainer III The younger generation is not the church of the future; they are the church of today. What are they looking for in a church leader? How can you equip them to lead today? Allow me to offer 10 insights.
How to reach and LEAD the Millennials......................................8 By Rez Gopez-Sindac Milliennials’ general indifference to organized religion is a serious concern for many church leaders today. What will it take for churches to not only reach this elusive generation, but to equip and empower them to make an eternal impact on others’ lives?
2 | Church executive | ENGAGING Millennials | 06/2013
religion
millennials losing their religion By Bob Allen
Young adults are leaving the church in
Nearly half of younger Millennials still
record numbers, and experts wonder how
live with their parents, but those who
many of them are ever coming back.
live at home are no more likely to attend
LifeWay Research found seven in 10 Protestants ages 18 to 30 who went to
church than those who do not. Experts say the trend away from orga-
church regularly in high school quit attend-
nized religion dates back to the early
ing by age 23. A third of those had not
1990s. While there’s nothing new about
returned by age 30. That means about
young adults drifting from the faith after
one-fourth of young Protestants have left
they leave home until they marry and have
the church.
children of their own, pollsters fear current
The Barna Group says six in 10 young people will leave the church permanently, or for an extended, period starting at 15. The 2012 Millennial Values Survey,
trends signal more than sowing wild oats. Millennials are leaving the faith at higher rates than ever before, and with many postponing life-changing events like
conducted jointly by the Public Religion
career and marriage to later ages, more
Research Institute and Georgetown
and more young adults are making choic-
University’s Berkley Center for Religion,
es with sometimes lifelong consequences
Peace and World Affairs, found college-age
largely devoid of religious influence.
Millennials are 30 percent more likely than
Experts point to various reasons for
the general population to be religiously
the exodus. Conventional wisdom attri-
unaffiliated.
butes the trend to moral compromise. Free
Millennials report lower levels of
from parental control, young adults adopt
religious engagement across the board.
lifestyles they were taught were sinful.
Just one in four says he or she attends reli-
Unwilling to change and desiring to avoid
gious services at least once a week, while
feelings of guilt, they drop their faith
43 percent say they seldom or never attend.
commitment.
06/2013 | ENGAGING Millennials | Church executive | 3
religion While that certainly is a factor,
believe present-day Christianity has
researchers suggest the picture is more
good values and principles and that it
complicated.
consistently shows love toward other
According to a 2010 Christianity Today
people. At the same time, majorities view
article by Drew Dyck, many young people
Christians as hypocritical, judgmental and
influenced by college professors and
anti-gay.
writings of the rash of New Atheist authors consider religion intellectually inferior to academic study. Others have postmodern misgivings about hyper-logical apologetics — such as C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity — that were persuasive to earlier generations of young skeptics. Some have been hurt by Christians, such as victims of sexual abuse by clergy, and then doubly victimized when other church members ostracize and judge them, unforgiving. Christa Brown, a victims’ advocate and author of This Little Light: Beyond
a Baptist Preacher Predator and His Gang, calls clergy sex abuse a “soul-murdering” offense, because it robs many formerly devout victims of the desire to have anything to do with the church. For most, however, research suggests
Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources, who has done exten-
the main reason for disengaging from
sive research about church dropouts, says
religion is far less dramatic. Their faith
contrary to what most people think, the
simply does not seem relevant or import-
unchurched aren’t bothered all that much
ant to their daily lives.
by some hypocrisy among Christians,
Studies find younger Millennials have mixed feelings about Christianity. Most 4 | Church executive | ENGAGING Millennials | 06/2013
because they recognize nobody is perfect. They are turned off, however, by Christians
who treat other Christians poorly, talk but
became more professionalized in the last
don’t listen, and harbor holier-than-thou
50 years, kids wound up being segregated
attitudes.
from the rest of the church. While there is
Rainer found a common theme running
a place for age groups to be together with
through the excuses why young adults stop
their own kind, she said in a Relevant
attending church. “Stated simply, they just
Magazine interview, having intergenera-
did not see that church was essential to
tional relationships is vitally important in
their lives,” he concluded.
high school and college students’
Some observers say churches wringing their hands over young people leaving the fold have only themselves to blame. Dyck, author of Generation Ex-
development of a mature faith. “The original churches in the first century were multigenerational, were multi-ethnic,” she said. “We need to
Christian: Why Young Adults Are Leaving
provide space for folks in similar life spaces
the Faith and How to Bring Them Back,
to chat and share community, but balance
says over the last couple of decades the
is something we swing through on our way
focus in youth ministry has shifted from
to the other extreme.”
spiritual growth to attracting large numbers of kids and keeping them entertained. That, he says, has produced
Experts say even with today’s sobering numbers, the news isn’t all bad. Many formerly churched millennials say
unintended consequences. Many youth
they harbor no ill will toward Christianity
ministries have become largely devoid of
and see an open door for their possible
spiritual engagement.
return to the fold.
“Too many youth groups are holding
In Essential Church, Thom and Sam
tanks with pizza,” LifeWay Research
Rainer said the “dechurched” often need
director Ed Stetzer said in a 2007 interview
nothing more than a gentle nudge from
with USA Today. “There’s no life transfor-
family or friends to reconnect. Four in 10
mation taking place. People are looking
“rechurched” individuals in their study said
for a faith that can change them and to
parents or other family members were
be a part of changing the world.”
instrumental in their return to church.
Kara Powell, executive director of the
Another two out of 10 said they
Fuller Youth Institute and co-author of
returned to church with encouragement
Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting
from friends or acquaintances. CE
Faith in Your Kids, says as youth ministry 06/2013 | ENGAGING Millennials | Church executive | 5
leading
10 things to know about leading young adults By Sam S. Rainer III
The younger generation is not the
who stand firm and are people of principle.
church of the future. They are the church
2. They look for transparency in
of today. What are they looking for in a church
leaders. A lack of transparency at the top is frustrating to anyone who follows. The
leader? How can you equip them to lead
younger generation tends to follow
today? Allow me to offer 10 insights.
transparent leaders over distant, detached
1. They desire integrity among
leaders. And they want to know that they
leaders. Our research has shown that
are not alone in their struggles. They want
young adults don’t drop out of the church
to hear the leader’s story, valuing personal
because of large-scale moral failures of
impact over steps-to-success in a message.
leadership. But they’ve seen enough duplicity — they are attracted to leaders
6 | Church executive | ENGAGING Millennials | 06/2013
3. They want leaders to be mentors. Mentoring to the younger generation
comes in a more informal relationship.
hold no one accountable. Much of the
It’s not about the program or process;
younger generation has a desire for strong
it’s more about the relationship.
spiritual guidance and the corresponding
4. They crave opportunities from leaders. Most young adults do not want
discipline when they stray. 8. They seek examples in leader-
to sit on the sidelines. In fact, a growing
ship. Missional churches have missional
front door to the church is missions. A
pastors. Evangelistic churches have evan-
church without opportunity to serve is
gelistic church leaders. Churches that meet
boring at best, disobedient at worst. Give
the needs of the community have leaders
young adults an opportunity to serve and
who champion the cause.
watch them succeed with the mission.
9. They need to hear a message of
5. They need leaders to shoot
forgiveness from leaders. Many young-
straight. With life. With biblical depth.
er adults carry a burden of guilt. Many of
Young adults do not come to church to
them have no concept of true forgiveness.
wade in the shallows. They do not follow
They need to hear leaders tell them plainly
leaders who soft peddle. They desire lead-
what the atonement of Christ means. They
ers to shepherd them through the depths
need to hear how the debt of sin has been
of Scripture and the valleys of life.
cancelled.
6. They are attracted to team lead-
10. They look for joyful leaders.
ership. The younger generation deplores
Young adults gravitate towards a wor-
autocratic leaders. Leaders who attract the
ship experience that represents the joy
younger generation show everyone how
of Christ. They want to hear from leaders
their ministry link is a critical one. These
who live Philippians 4:4 — Rejoice in the
leaders reveal the big picture to everyone,
Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
rather than keeping the vision black
They quickly recognize manufactured
box-locked. They equip the saints and
joy, but they value leaders with true
empower the laity to join God on His
joy. CE
mission. 7. They want to be corrected by leaders. One way to confuse the younger generation is to set expectations and then
Sam S. Rainer III is president of Rainer Research and senior pastor of First Baptist Church Murray, Murray, KY. [www. rainerresearch.com] [www.fbcmurray.org].
06/2013 | ENGAGING Millennials | Church executive | 7
reach&lead
How to reach and lead the millennials By Rez Gopez-Sindac
They want to change the world and will need intentional mentors to succeed. The Millennials — those born after 1980 — constitute the new mega generation. Right now there are about 80 million Millennials in America. This confident, connected and ethnically diverse generation is a major force to be reckoned with. They will be the dominant adult population for the first half of the 21st century and will be moving into positions of
Millennials at National Community Church in Washington, D.C., attend worship services in various venues.
power and influence, according to Thom
But a more serious concern for many
S. Rainer and Jess W.
church leaders today is the Millennial
Rainer, authors of
generation’s indifference to organized
The Millennials:
religion. According to the 2012 Millennial
Connecting to
Values Survey — conducted by Public
America’s Largest
Religion Research Institute and George-
Generation.
town University’s Berkley Center for
Yet the Millennials desperately need
Religion, Peace, and World Affairs —
guidance if they are to make a difference
college-age Millennials are more like-
in the world. A lack of patience and loy-
ly than the general population to be
alty, in addition to a strong feeling of
religiously unaffiliated. Another survey
entitlement, are some of the perceived
measuring religion among the millennials
weaknesses of this young generation.
(produced by the Pew Research Center’s
8 | Church executive | ENGAGING Millennials | 06/2013
Pastor Alex Bryant of First Assembly of God, Fort Myers, FL, poses with a team of young adults who did missionary work in Cullinan, South Africa.
Forum on Religion & Public Life), reveals
W. Rainer, who also is the administration
that 25 percent of adults under age 30
and outreach pastor at Grace Church in
are unaffiliated, describing their religion
Hendersonville, TN. He says Millennials like
as “atheist,” “agnostic” or “nothing in
him already have so much that complicates
particular.”
life; that’s why they are looking for simplic-
So, what will it take for churches to
ity. The simplest and most creative way to
reach the Millennials and lead them to
reach the Millennials, Rainer asserts, is to
become faithful followers of Christ —
“get to know them, invite them to church,
equipped and empowered to make an
and share the Gospel with them.”
eternal impact on the lives of others? Reaching the Millennials is not a complicated process, says 27-year-old author Jess
High-tech, high-touch For Cross Pointe Church in Duluth, GA, 06/2013 | ENGAGING Millennials | Church executive | 9
reach&lead one creative strategy is to take advantage of the Millennials’ strengths, which is they
Character transformation The Protégé Program is the brainchild
are technologically wired and relationally
of Steve Saccone, ministry development
connected.
pastor at the Highway Community, Moun-
“Our ministry strategy must be both
tain View, CA, and author of Protégé:
high-tech and high-touch,” says Eric Echols,
Developing Your Next Generation of
pastor of ministries at Cross Pointe Church.
Church Leaders. While serving on staff at
“Technology is a way of life for
Mosaic, a church in Los
Millennials. They don’t just appreciate the
Angeles, Saccone grew
use of technology in our ministries — they
passionate about investing
expect it. They also want relationships and
in the development of the
personal connection.”
next generation of leaders
The same holds true for National Community Church in Washington, D.C., where
that will lead the church into a better future.
about 60 percent of attendees are single and under the age of 35. “We meet in
The Protégé Program, a two-year customized develop-
movie theaters around the D.C. area, and
ment process for protégés
we utilize the movie theater screen much
(people who seek to learn and grow)
like modern-day stained glass to tell the
between 20 and 35 years of age, was
story of God in moving pictures,” says
launched at Mosaic in 2005. Since then,
Heather Zempel, discipleship pastor. NCC
churches from various denominations and
also communicates through Facebook and
faith traditions have adapted the program.
Twitter and podcasts its messages “so
“We longed to create a place where
Millennials can check us out online
protégés would experience the dynamics
before they visit us in person.”
of true character transformation as the
As a discipleship pastor, Zempel says
bedrock that would fuel their pursuit to
her job is to cultivate environments where
become world-class, successful, morally
growth can happen — “not to dream up
and spiritually grounded kingdom leaders,”
programs to disciple people, but to dream
Saccone explains.
about how God wants to use each and
Mentoring is about making time to be
every person at NCC to make disciples.”
with a young leader, says Saccone. “Young
Zempel also serves on the teaching team
leaders crave opportunity for someone to
and leads the church’s Protégé Program.
take a risk on them, believe in them, and
10 | Church executive | ENGAGING Millennials | 06/2013
to have a person who opens doors for
Scientology so young leaders can feel what
them and cheers them on in their growth
it’s like to be on “the other side of con-
journey as a leader.”
version.” A debriefing among participants
Saccone says one of the most effective
follows the tour to help them gain insight
and unconventional approaches he has
into how they ought to share the Gospel
used in mentoring the next generation
message. Another example is listening to
of church leaders involves what he calls
other communicators outside the church
“novel peer-to-peer learning experiences.”
and analyzing their communication styles.
For instance, Saccone has organized group tours through the Church of
Saccone says powerful learning happens when peers share with other peers what
National Community Church in Washington, D.C.
06/2013 | ENGAGING Millennials | Church executive | 11
reach&lead they are learning and how they are
Myers, FL, admits the biggest issue for him
processing and analyzing everything.
is that Millennials think they know pretty much everything. “I encounter a gener-
Critical challenges
ation that is extremely smart and knowl-
The Millennial generation has a lot
edgeable in so many areas,” says Bryant.
to offer. Millennials are optimistic about
“The challenge is to get them to remain
the future and see themselves as change
teachable.”
makers. But it can be easy to see that
At National Community Church, many of the young adults work jobs that are in
they’re not perfect. Alex Bryant, college and young adults pastor at First Assembly of God, Fort
some way influencing or influenced by the political world. Zempel describes them as
WHAT DO MILLENNIALS LOOK FOR IN A CHURCH LEADER? Eric Echols Cross Pointe Church Duluth, GA
Millennials are passionate about changing the world. They are open to change and will not settle for the status quo, thus they look for leaders who are willing to change and adapt to move the church forward.
Heather Zempel National Community Church, Washington, DC
I don’t need to be cool; they want me to be me. I don’t need to be an expert; I need to be a co-learner. Investing time with them sends a strong message of love and affirmation. Finally, they are drawn to humility.
Alex Bryant First Assembly of God, Fort Myers, FL
They want someone who will lead them with strength and integrity. They want a leader who is authentic and isn’t afraid to show his/her weaknesses but is strong enough to walk with integrity of heart and mind.
Jess Rainer Grace Church, Hendersonville, TN
Millennials want leaders who are sincerely interested in leading, not someone who wants the title of leader. They want someone who is willing to walk beside them, show them what truly matters in life, and become a friend.
12 | Church executive | ENGAGING Millennials | 06/2013
“a bit of a paradox.” She admits they are
sibility are key to making the Millennials
self-centered and consumeristic, but also
stay connected. “If they feel like they have
eager to contribute to something bigger
a community that cares about them and
than themselves. They are wary, untrusting
encourages them, they stick. If they feel
and even a bit cynical of authority,
like they have ownership of some project
but crave to be mentored.
and will be missed if they aren’t there,
Zempel says it’s hard to get the
they stick.”
Millennials to commit to faithful attendance of a once-a-week Bible study, but if you ask them to give two years of their lives to work with the poor in Sudan, they jump in without looking back.
Dream church So what kind of church do Millennials want? Here’s a short list: • They are looking for churches that
Engaging Millennials That’s why to keep the Millennials
have a strong vision.
• They are looking for diversity in
the church.
engaged and involved in church and God’s
• They are looking for a church that is
work, they have to be recruited to a cause,
not just a volunteer role in the church,
• They want a church that is out-
argues Eric Echols, pastor of ministries at
Cross Pointe Church. If they know they
• They are plugging into churches
are making a difference and changing
that don’t make them wait until
a small part of the world, Echols says the
Millennial generation is more likely to be
roles.
engaged in God’s work.
• They align more with community
built around community. wardly focused.
they are older to have leadership
The vision has to be big, says Bryant.
than denomination; with active
“When the vision is too small, complaining
vision than mission statements.
and self-focus happen.” For Zempel, it’s not about recruiting
More importantly, they need a place
Millennials to come to God’s work at the
where the word of God is preached
church; it’s about helping them discover
without apology, says Bryant. “This
how to be the church wherever God has
church is bigger than any denomination
positioned them.
and stronger than the force that stands
Zempel says community and respon-
against it.” CE 06/2013 | ENGAGING Millennials | Church executive | 13