Millennials, the generation growing up with iPhones, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and every “connection gadget” you can imagine…and then some…..are difficult to define. Their perspectives, their larger “world views” are different, open, more engaged technologically, more desirous to connect with others. They are, in a sense, more “community minded.”
They don’t look at life or faith the same as their parents or grandparents, and much to the frustration and fear of church leaders, these millennials are leaving the church in droves. Consequently, one of the biggest questions a church must ask is: “Why are the millennials leaving?”
I don’t have the answers….maybe none of us know for sure, but one thing I do know….millennials expect connections. They expect online technology to be utilized in the places they worship. This means online member directories, online worship experiences, online connections to worship folders, online resources and access to church information and activities, and online church calendars. Everything that can be should be accessible via the web, through a church’s website…their Facebook pages and their Twitter feeds. These types of expected connections are simple communication issues easily resolved These are not moral or faith issues. Moral and faith issues are much larger issues, ones that should be considered heavily when assessing the “reach” of the church.
Rachel Held Evans, a CNN contributor, has asked some of the tough questions about why millennials are leaving the church….and the answers are very enlightening. If you are asking the question, “Why are millennials leaving our church?” I suggest you read, ‘Why Millennials are leaving the Church.” I think you will find the answers enlightening too!