We have an opportunity to reach a new generation – will we take it?

Photo credit: clearancejobs

There’s a new generation of parents coming to a church near you. Born between 1980 and 2000 Millennials are now coming into their own. Like every generation they tend to have a group persona, with definite characteristics. Obviously not all will share those traits and some will probably work very hard to resist them! However like it or not these traits will probably define a generation of individuals.

What has this got to do with Christian Education? Simply put, these are the people who will be coming to our youth and young adult groups; they are also becoming parents. If we are to welcome them into our congregations we need to understand what they are looking for and what is important to them.

I did a little research (the Internet is a wonderful thing) and discovered a very helpful site. Canadian Millennials  is a veritable gold mine of information. I downloaded their free research paper “R U Ready 4 Us? An Introduction to Canadian Millennials.” It is fascinating and I think it should be required reading for all Bishops and church leadership!

So who are this generation and what makes them tick? Below I have listed some of the characteristics. (Unless otherwise stated all the quotes are taken from “R U Ready 4 Us?”

Photo credit: dice.com

1. They are Connected and Tech Savvy

Consider these statistics

• 90% of Millennials have Facebook accounts
• 60% own smart phones
• 65%  are disconnected from the Internet for only one hour a day or less.

Whereas the telephone and email dominate communications with older generations, Facebook is the dominant communication tool for Canadian Millennials. This is often their main source of news and information. Further Millennials use technology and media to help inform and focus their lives.

• Does your church have a Facebook page and Twitter account?
• As a congregation have you made a point of creating an online presence and community?
• Do you regularly provide links to websites that offer good quality teaching about parenting, the Christian faith, and how it intersects with everyday life?

Photo credit: clearancejobs

2. They value community and are highly relational.

This is a generation that is constantly connected through Facebook, Twitter, email, and cell phones. They value relationships with family and friendship groups. They are looking for churches that will reach out to connect with them and then help them connect with one another.

3. They have deeply held concern for equity and justice

Millennials welcome diversity and have friends from wide variety of backgrounds and cultures. Perhaps more importantly they are increasingly frustrated by the perceived intolerance of many churches towards those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual or transgendered (LGBT). In her excellent post How to Win a Culture War and Loose a Generation  Rachel Held Evans explains that

” one of the top reasons 59 percent of young adults with a Christian background have left the church is because they perceive the church to be too exclusive, particularly regarding their LGBT friends.  Eight million twenty-somethings have left the church, and this is one reason why.”

This is also a generation that is  concerned about justice and environmental issues. Canadian Millennials think that everyone should have a decent standard of living and believe that the government can play a positive role in providing a basic level of support to people in need.  Their concern for justice is also reflected in the way they shop, looking for products and services that are made with minimal harm to, or exploitation of, humans, animals, or the environment. They are looking for churches that share the same values. I find this exciting and hopeful.

Photo credit: clearancejobs

4. They want to take action and make a difference

They will be looking for church communities that are involved in projects (locally and globally) that make a difference. They are looking for churches that invite them to get involved. Wow this could be really good news for churches!

5. They value community empowerment and self- determination

Millennials tend to be team oriented, consequently they do not respond well to any kind of hierarchy. They prefer to be part of a community where everyone is on an equal footing. This could be problematic for churches that have a controlling and closed leadership group. Here are some awkward questions

• Is your church (or diocese for that matter) controlled and run by a small group of people?
• Do new ideas and new people threaten your church leadership?
• Do you have focus groups and visioning meetings?
• Do you ask for input from young adults?

Photo credit: clearancejobs

6. They value authenticity

The paper I was reading did not specifically address the beliefs or faith practices of this age group. Still it became obvious that this is a generation that is looking for authenticity. Consider this quote

 “The challenge with marketing and selling to us is that we have instant access to information. We can find answers to questions and fact check claims far more quickly than other consumers. The moment we suspect that a brand’s claim is inauthentic, we can quickly verify the information and decide whether the brand is worthy of our business. For this reason, our generation is attracted to authentic brands – those that know who they are, are proud of who they are, and are not afraid to tell us how our values align.”

Now substitute the word church for brand. Does your church know who they are, are proud of who they are, and have values that align with this generation?

7. They emphasize relational experiences over material things.

“Jean Twenge, author of Generation Me, says the most prominent shift she has seen so far among young people in this economy is an apparent decrease in materialism.”

They put relationships before stuff, so they are not looking for  fancy buildings and impressive sound systems. In fact they seem to be drawn to buildings that are “churchy,” ancient, quiet. Hey we can do that! But regardless of architecture they are looking for churches where they can connect as young families and friends.

I recently read a very interesting post by Matt Marino about PhoenixOne. On Tuesday nights throughout the year, 700-1000 young professionals aged between 20-30 gather  to worship God in the heart of downtown Phoenix.  How do they attract such large numbers? (The following are quoted from Matt Marino)

1. They use technology – participants facebook and tweet the meeting.
2. They are relational, working hard to connect with people and help them connect with one another.
3. They meet in a 100 year-old church-ancient by Phoenix’ standards. It is quiet. Solid. It feels stable – like a church.
4. They bring in communicators who speak to their experience and emphasize high content/good presentation over low content/great presentation
5. They use technology, and experiment with ancient liturgical forms. Chant, candles, confession, contemplation are merged with slick graphics. Young adults are rediscovering mystery, symbol and narrative…
6. They get people to work in the world for good. Young adults actually do want to do things-just not like we do them. We want to make church like the world and work in our churches to avoid the world. They want to make church churchier and then work to take Jesus into the world.
7. They work to work together through difference rather than ignore difference.

YES!

It seems to me that the Anglican Church of Canada has a huge opportunity here. There is a whole generation of people searching for church communities who are willing to do what it takes to invite them in. It may mean huge changes in the way we do things, but we actually have the chance to be the church for this exciting new generation. Or we could simply sit back in our pews and write them off as materialistic, coddled, lazy, and entitled. What will you do?

“Are you noticing the relationship between the cultural realities of 25 year olds and how effectively reaching them includes both connecting them to one another and the world, and artfully adapting classic Christian worship practices and disciplines to connect them with God?” Matt Marino