THE CHURCH: WHAT MILLENNIALS WANT

Why Millennials Still Go To Church

Understanding what millennials want from the church is a must to keep them coming back. If millennials are going to go to church, it’s for these reasons. They want to grow spiritually. They want to find out more about God. Go ahead and preach sermons to connect with millennials or address taboo topics. They’re searching for truth, so they want to hear facts, reason, and evidence without people telling them what to think, but rather how to think. They want to hear how the Scripture applies to tough subjects; how it applies to their lives.

In addition, according to a study, United Methodist churches can benefit from the knowledge that 74 percent of all seekers surveyed (all ages) found the tagline “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors” appealing. Therefore, you may want to not only use that tagline but also think about how you can incorporate that message into your services, ministries, and worship.

Whether we like it or not, the current generation is visual, and this would also help with preaching as it would help transform the idea or abstract concepts into the mind. The use of visual elements and imagery will help millennials see what you say. Not only will you hold their attention, but you will help them understand how we have been conditioned by our culture to learn. One must always need to adapt to the current culture.

The Digital Advantage

The use of technology would also be very beneficial, even though sometimes we find technology working against us. But with proper moderation, technology can work wonders for a human being.

Authenticity is also essential for millennials, as mentioned quite a lot. You don’t always need to pretend like everything in life is rosy if they follow Jesus.

Authenticity is also crucial for millennials, as mentioned quite a lot. You don’t always need to pretend like everything in life is rosy if they follow Jesus. If you do, they would eventually know you are fake. Be open to the children more. Avoid talking to them as if they don’t know anything and you know it all. The vulnerability of your struggles as a preacher and how you still strive to keep your faith amidst all imperfections could entice the younger generations.

Also, the church doesn’t always have to follow the trend to appeal to the youth. Recent research found that 67% of millennials prefer a “classic” church over a “trendy” one, and 77% would choose a “sanctuary” over an “auditorium.” While we have yet to understand the word “traditional” (only 40 percent favor it over “modern”), millennials exhibit an increasing aversion to exclusive, closed-minded religious communities masquerading as the hip new places in town.

Millennials “are not disillusioned with tradition; they are frustrated with slick or shallow expressions of religion.”

How Do You Hold Their Attention?

For a generation bombarded with advertising and sales pitches, and for whom the charge of “inauthentic” is as cutting an insult as any, church rebranding efforts can work against the youth. This is especially true when young people sense that there is more emphasis on marketing Jesus than actually following him. Millennials “are not disillusioned with tradition; they are frustrated with slick or shallow expressions of religion.”

Contrary to how people usually perceive it, just because someone is relatively young does not expect the church to be some social club. Research indicates that most millennials like sanctuaries better than coffee shops or auditoriums. In addition, they don’t mind overtly Christian images in their places of worship. They think the imagery helps them feel closer to God.

In addition to the factors, a significant turn-off for millennials would be the church’s negative view of millennials. In pop culture, millennials are often referred to as negative examples—may be overtly or subtly. They are also being pessimistic about the world in general. Millennials or Gen Z see the problems of the world as things that can be changed or fixed.

Serve the Community

Churches that elevate community will do better with Millennials than churches that don’t.

Social media is also a considerable talk as millennials have grown up saturated with social media, and for the majority of the church members to go against it imposes a significant problem. In line with this are not very welcoming with the current rise and discovery of expressing one’s sexuality. What bothers these millennials is how the church directly or indirectly excludes those who live their lives differently with their sexuality. Prioritize chances to serve, connect, and grow together. A great small group strategy and operating strategy can help so much with this. Churches that elevate community will do better with Millennials than churches that don’t. We can’t stress that enough.

Check out: MINISTERING TO MILLENNIALS

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