Millenials seek what we all seek in the Church

There was good news for more traditional congregations in a recent edition of Relevant Magazine. Relevant’s audience is the generation known as the Millenials. Researchers and commentators use birth years ranging from the early 1980s to the early 2000s to identify the Millenial generation…that is those who are teenagers now up to people in their mid-30s. That’s an important group to consider for churches who want grow and make a difference in the years to come.

Here’s the good news about millenials for us more traditional congregations. Recent research from the Barna Group and Cornerstone Knowledge Network has found that in reality, 67% of millienials say a quiet church is more ideal than a loud one; 67% say classic is more ideal than trendy; 77% would chose a sanctuary over an auditorium. As Dr. Clint Jenkin explained in the research, “Most millennials don’t look for a church facility that caters to the whims of pop culture. They want a community that calls them to deeper meaning.”

Rachel Held Evans, a theologian, church futurist, and a member of the Millenial generation, said this in her Relevant Magazine interview:

“But I think as soon as [church] crosses over into sort of this consumerism—like church is a show that we go to and either approve of or disapprove of and then leave—as soon as it becomes this show that we put on to try and keep people there instead of go out and make disciples and serve the community, that’s where I see it getting a little problematic.”

The Millenial Generation is looking for a church community that calls them to deeper meaning, to making disciples and to making the world different. The good news for more traditional congregations is that our sanctuary, our music, and our worship style aren’t really barriers to having Millenials as active participants in the life of our church. I think there is more good news here for us, because I believe deep down this is what we are all seeking…to discover deeper meaning in our lives, to love and serve God and our neighbors, and to make the world a different and better place.

I think that’s what we all want.