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HOW TO ENGAGE

MILLENNIALSBridging the gap to the

fastest growing segmentof your church

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a publication of

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brought to youby echurch

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS EBOOK - - 3About eChurch

About Jayson D. Bradley

WHAT IS ITWITH THESE MILLENNIALS? - 4

SAME DISCUSSION, DIFFERENT GENERATION - - - 5

CONSIDERING A CHURCH'S LIFE CYCLE - 6

THE FIVE STAGES IN A CHURCH'S LIFE CYCLE - 7Birth

Adolescence

Adulthood

Decline

Dea^

Prolonging the cycle bychallenging perceptions

WHOAREMILLENNIALS REALLY? - - — 9

WHY AREMILLENNIALS LEAVING THE CHURCH? 10Grovwng distrustand uncertaintyEntertf)emilennial generation

Millennials and the church

Dumpng the clichfe

HOW DO WE ENGAGE MILLENNIALS? - 13Creating authentic community

1Authority must be given

Cultivattng authentic leadership2. Community is an end in itself

Social media isa community-building tool

USE TECHNOLOGY TOMEET MILLENNIALS WHERE THEY ARE - 16The importance of rrxjbiie apps formillennialsEngaging millennids with churchapps

DEVELOP A WORLD-CHANGING VISION 18Focusing the church outward

Building bridgesand not walls

SERVING JESUSBY SERVING MILLENNIALS 20

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ABOUT THIS EBOOK

You knowit's importantforyour church to engage millennlals, but you're notsure where to start. We put together this resource to help you understandwhat'sspecialabout the millennial generation and start thinking about howyoucan makethem Important membersof yourcommunity.

It's notaboutmaking surface-level changesinyour church In order to appeal tomillennlals. It's about learning to see the world throughthe eyes of this newgeneration andpreparing yourchurch to do thesamew/ith thegenerations to come.

We'll show you how!

About echurch

Pushpay andechurch werecreatedIn response to well-documented declines Inboth tithing andchurch attendance. By simply making giving available onyourcongregation's smartphones (connected in real time to thechurch's websiteanddatabase),we helppastors address the disconnectbetweenthe churchand younger, tech-sawy generations.

This is the echurch and Pushpaymodel, and it's beingused bythousands ofchurches across the world to help drive sustainable Increases Inall giving,especially first-time,young, and recurring givers.

Read more about the heart behind our model at; flchurchgivinn.com/resources.

About Jayson D. Bradley

Jayson D. Bradley isa well-known writer and pastor In Belllngham, WA. He's aregular contributor to theechurch bloo and Relevant Magazine. His own blog,JaysonDBradley.com, hasbeen voted one ofthe25Christian blogs you shouldbe reading.

All the first-person pronouns in this book are his.

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WHAT IS IT WITH THESE

MILLENNIALS?

Unless you've been entirely Isolated with no web access for the last five years,you've seen thousands of articles about millennlais and their relationship tothe church. While some of the conversation has been extremely helpful andthought provoking, a lot of it has been absurd.

This generation has been called entitled, over-sensitive, self-absort>ed,shallow, and undisciplined, but the truth isthey were just unlucky enough tobe the generation that coincided with the rise of the internet. Can you imaginethe blogs, articles, and Facebook posts that would have been written duringthe sixties asthe "Greatest Generation" reacted toyoung, hippy boomers? Itwouldn't have been pretty.

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SAME DISCUSSION,

DIFFERENT GENERATION

The real reason churches need to wrestle with how to engage millennials isntbecause this generation Is so different from the generations that came before,it's because the church bears a responsibiiity to stay flexible and fluid inthe waythat it responds to everygeneration. This ebook isn't about justmillennials—it's about the how a local church can extend its life cycle.

Today's discussionsabout millennials inthe church mirror the discussionsgoing oninthe church during the latesixties andthroughout the seventies.Back then, it seemed that the fights were over acceptable church instruments,music, hairstyles, and dress. Butthe realquestion then was the same as itis today: is the churchwilling to rethink authenticity fora newgenerationof believers?

Wewant to lookat engaging miliennials not as an end Initself, but as a lessoninhowto engage culture in a waythat enlarges ratherthan diminishesthechurch's influence.

CONSIDERING ACHURCH'S LIFE CYCLE

Uke any biol<^ic^ organism, alocal church has a life cycle. When churches areaware thatthis existe and know where they are in thecycle, they cantake somecontrol. The truth isthat a church can fend off decay or, by exerting enoughfocused energy, even turn back theclock In thecycle.

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THE FIVE STEPS IN A

CHURCH'S LIFE CYCLE

Birth

Like any organism,a church is birthed intothe world. Maybe it's created byateam of church planters, or maybe it's birthed through mitosis.This can happenfalrfy quickly, but itgenerally wont be inthe birth stage morethan a yearor two.

Inmany ways, the general character of the church at this pointcan best bedescribed as a tabula rasa—a clean start. And dunng this season, the pastorand plantingleadershipteam playan integral roleinsetting the church'sdirection for years to come.

Adolescence

Here, a church Is moving away from being an infant and starting to grow intothe vision and mission that was set for it. This is the era where the church hasthe most vitality and opportunity for the greatest organic impact. Likeanyteenager, it's gangly and struggling to come into its own, but its incredibleenergy ^d enthusiasm tend to make up for its flaws.

The adolescence stage can last anywherefrom a year or two to an entire generation. This exciting time in the lifeof a church is entirelydependent upon thevision and drive of the leadership that birthed the church and tiiose who havetaken the reigns since.

Adulthood

Thisis where the church begins to settle intoa groove. Its identityis becomingfixed, and its particular traditions, practices, and liturgyare wellestablished-new ideas aren't being introduced as often as they us^ to be.

The church is not reallygrowing likeit used to, but It isn't shrinking, either.Financialiy, it has a steady incomeand is able to fund a lot more programsandministries. When new people are added, they tend to resemble the lifestyle,age, and background of the current congregation. People outside of thatdemographic often struggle to find their place.

It's possible that a church can simultaneously maJntsrin a spirit of its formeradolescence during adulthood, but it's very difficult At this stage, the

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congregation is generally so farremoved from the pastorand the movementthat birthed thechurch and created its initial momentum that itbegins tosettlefor comfort over mobilization.

Recreating some sense of adolescence requires leaders that are willing toshake things up, ask difficult questions, and promote uncomfortable changes.However, theconflict introduced by shaking up settlers isoften avoided, andfoe church slips into the finalstages.

Decline

Here, we see a church starting to reach theendofits life cycle. You canseethe deterioration starting tosetin aseverything begins todecline: membership,participation, budget, and local influence.

Sometimes, the evolution from adulthood into decline happens soquickly thatno one noticesthe transition from one to the other. Most often, visitors canrecognize decline long before anyone in foe church notices it's happening.

Death

With the help ofgenerous members and denominational oversight, churchesin decline can be on life support for years. But without an infusion of energyand vision, theywill eventually succumbto death. It'sbeen estimated that foenumber ofchurches closing may beas high 8,000-10,000 a year!

Prolonging the cycle by challenging perceptionsTo prolong foe life cycle of any church, there needs tobean understanding foatthe church doesnt exist tomeet the needs of any one generation. Ahealthycongregation should beconstantly readdressing theconcerns and perspectivesof a continually evolving society withtimeless truth.

The picture ofa vibrant church isn'toneofa staid and placid lake. Itisn'tfixedintime and place and keptfresh bya constant cycle ofmembers. It's a riverthat's kept alive by constant movement and energy. It's always fresh, alwaysmoving, always adapting tochanges in itssurroundings, while leaving a markedeffect on its environment.

With millennials, as with anygeneration, this meansthat the church strives tounderstand the myriad of influences that haveformed theirattitudes andperceptions. The church acceptsthat many ofthose perspectives areinresponse to the deficiencies and sins of previousgenerations. Itinvites themtogetswept into theriver ofChrist's love and purpose, while ensuring thatChristian community isa safe place for them tostruggle with their questions,frustrations, preferences, and ideas.

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WHO ARE MILLENNIALSREALLY?

Authors Neil Howe and William Strauss coined the term "millennial generation"to describe the people who would reach adulthood around the turn ofthe 21 stcentury. While there issomedisagreement with their delineation, it's generallyaccepted that millennials include those born between1982and 2004.

By and large, millenni^s have grown up in a quickly changing, technology-filledworld. Computers havealways been part of theirconsciousness, and they'vewatched theincredibly rapid changes associated wHh thetechnological revolution.These advancements tend to make them optimistic about humanity's abilitytodeal with any world crisis.

This optimism manifests itself in a sincere belief inthe power ofindividuals tohave a significant Impact intheir world. Where theflower children ofthesixtiesembraced a countercuitural "turn on, tune In,and drop out" movement, themillennial generation feels called to wake up,showup,and get worked up.It'sa generation of loyal activists whobelieve that their involvement matters.

Despite ttieir hopefulness, they've also t>ecome a generation extremely cynicaland wary of mostinstitutions. ArecentHarvard poll revealed the low percentageof trust millennials in the US show for various institutions:

The media: 12 percent

Wall Street: 14 percent

Congress: 17 percent

Federal government: 25 percent

President of the United States: 37 percent

The United Nations: 37 percent

The Supreme Court: 42 percent

The United States military: 53 percent

This distrust of Institutionsincludes the church. Ina 2Q15 article from CNN,readers were met with the startling fact that faith Isn't being handed down tomillennials. According to the article, only11 percent of millennials identify asmainline Protestants and 16 percent as Catholics.

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WHY ARE MILLENNIALSLEAVING THE CHURCH?

Growing distrust and uncertainty

It wasn't long ago when multiple generaHons lived and died without experiencingmany changes that directly challenged their existence, traditions, orworldvlew.Even landmark Innovations like the printing press, manned flight, and theassembly line left areasofeveryday life virtually untouched. The world wasaslarge as thelocal community, and people taisted theIndividual and Institutionalauthority figures in their lives.

It was during the upheaval surrounding the Vietnam War and Watergate whencracks began toappear in the veneer of Institutional dependability. But asIstated earlier, young adults' response tothe unrest and uncertainty of thesixties was towithdraw and create their own subculture totally separated from,and Independent of, society's institutions andexpectations.

Because It was acountercultural rather than deconstructlve movement, societywas patiently waiting for thechildren ofthesixties to rejoin them when theircause proved directionless and unsustainable. And even though that generationeventually abandoned a great deal of their Idealism, theirdistrust of theestablishment took root.

Enter the miiienniai generation

In theearly eighties, thefirst millennlals started being born, but unlike theirboomer predecessors, they weren't born Into a world of relative stability.Their whole existence has played out against a background of constant,worid-changing advancements. This stateoftechnological evolution hascreated a generation that's notonly comfortable with change, butlooksforward toIt. While boomers coined the Idea of "thinking outside thebox,"millennlals are partof a world where progressdemands It.

The Internet has made the world smaller and information more pervasive.News doesn't need toberouted through corporately owned media channels,and writers no longer have to rely onpublishing companies togettheir work Infront ofothers. Social media has enabled people tocommunicate directly withcorporations and celebrities, and It has also helped them build community withothers who share their views.

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Technology has empowered mlllennlals. Like no othergeneration beforethem,they have a unique perspective and a voice. They'reno longerdependent uponsocietal structures requiring them to "pay their dues" in order to earn theirplace or significance in the world.The proliferationof young entrepreneursand inventors is a sign that this generation has found a way around thatsocial construct.

Unlike youngadultsIn the sixties, millenniaJs feel equippedto challenge andresist institutions that they no longertrust Theyfeel no need to witiidraw intoa countercuitural movement if they have the ability to subvert the current one.

Millennials and the church

This is one ofthe biggestareas ofconflict that the churrfihas wifii thisger>eration.Over hundreds of years in the West, Christianity has enjoyed a position ofinfluenceand authority inpublic life. Millennials are no longerwilling to buyintothat authorityon principle. Like any institution, ttie church needs to provethat ithas the best Interests of others at heart.

It'sgettingharder forthe churchto deriveits authority from tradition and theBible. Millennials have inherited a world where progress is hindered by unusefulperspectivesandvalues. It'snot that millennials are contrary forsake of beingdifficult; they'rejust convinced there is no intrinsic valueinthinking "thisIsthewaywe've alwaysdone it." Every institution is essentiallyon the hooktoreestablish Its importance and significance.

ThisIsn't a bad thing. If you thinkabout it, It'sactuallyquite good. Forhundredsof years, the church has been handed a sizable amount of cloutand influence.People respected and cherished it because itwas importantto theirfelliesand local culture. This has been helpful for getting people to attend church andadopt Christian values, but ithasn't alwaysbeen ideal forgetting themto makea life-changing commitment to Christ as Lord.

Inmany ways, millennials are pushing the reset button and putting theAmerican church ina position similarto what the church has been experiencinginEuropefor some time, it feels likea crisis, but Iassure you,it's not. It'sanincredible opportunity forchurches to re-establishtheirpriorities and communicate the significanceof tfie gospel in a brand-new w^.

Dumping the cliches

If youwantto begin to truly appealto millennials, youhaveto begin bydumpngthe negative stereotypes about millennials. Too oiften, when discussing thisgeneration, words like "spoiled" and "shallow" are bandiedabout—but justabout every generation since the Great Depression has been dismissed asentitled.Perpetuatingstereotypes negativeiyImpacts your perspectiveandundermines your true goals.

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In these discussions, we tend toforget that you can't paint an entire generationwith one broad brush stroke. Miilenniais inrural Virginia aren'tthe sameas theirpeers in Long Island. And while a conversation like this onealmost requiressome generalization, there aremany distinct perspectives and values presentInthis generational group.

It's probably alsoimportant to remember thatevery generation has a contextand is formedfrom a shared backgroundof similar influences and attitudes.The lumber that miilenniais are using to construct thisepochhas beenmilledand passed down byprevious generations. It's more than fair tosaythatthestrengths and weaknesses of any era are built upon the best and worstcharacteristics of those who have come before.

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HOW DO WE ENGAGE

MILLENNIALS?

Inthe early nineties, a family moved from Texas to Bellingham,Washington, witha plan to open a restaurant serving authentic Texas barbecue. They secured alocation that was rather long and narrow, and in an effort to make the most of thespace, they ran two long, picnic-style tables down the length of the establishment.

The restaurant opened and people loved the food. But it wasn't too long beforethe owners noticed that most people took their food to go. They never hadmore than three or four families who would actually sit in their restaurant to eat.It became obvious pretty quickly that people in my town weren't open to theidea of sitting down with strangers at a shared table.

This came from a culture that had made privacy a sign of success. You drove intoyour garage and entered your house forough an internaldoor.You never had to seeany of your neighbors ifyou didn't want to. Infact. Ifyou were reallysuccessful, youlived in a gated community that Isolated you fromthe rest of the world.

Now, in 2016, the busiest restaurants in my town feature large, open courtyardsfull of regular-sized tables where millennials sit and share meals with friendsand people they've never met. Even this generation's most introverted seemcomfortable getting lost Ina crowd. This hunger for authentic community se^sto be a huge distinction of foe millennial generation.

Creating authentic community

The church has given a lot of lipservice to community, but it's had a tough timedelivering on its promise. In keeping withthe "seclusion as affluence" emphasisin the eighties and nineties, people got used to going to church on Sundays andmaybe a couple times during the week, but it was largely programmatic. Ifpeoplefrom church gathered, it was usually around an agenda. Manychurchgoers seldomifever opened their homes up with relationship-building as the ultimate go^.

To recapture the attention of millennials, the church vrill have to rethink someimportant elements of community.

1. Authority must be given

When Iwas growing up, ministers were respected members of the community,even ifyou never went to church. According to a 2013 Pew Research Center poll,only 37 percent of Americans now think ministers make a big contribution tosociety's well-being—with 18 percent saying that they contribute nothing.

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Ibecame a youth pastorin1992, and Ishared thatjobtitle with people everychance that Icould. Part of that was immaturity, but part of it was the socialsignificance that came with the titleof "pastor."Butby the time Iwas anordainedpastor planting myownchurch In 2003,1 avoided telling peoplewhatIdid fora living as muchas I possiblycould.The "pastor" titlehad started tofeel like a disability.

It's important forclergy to recognize thatauthority isgiven to us byindividualsand earned Incrementally byourInvestment intmstworthy relationship. Youmight have5,000 peopleinyour church and only be pastoring half ofthem(orless).Therecomes a pointwhenpeoplegiveyou authority intheir lives.When Isay authority, Idon't mean the abilityto tell them what to do. I meanthe penmission to speak truth to them.

This istruefortfie Bible as well. You can'tpresume thatmillennials payspecialattention to orare influenced bythe Scriptures. In the same way that youbuilda personal relationship with them inorderto earnsignificance, you will havetocreate a framework with whichtheycan developa trust inthe Scripturesas well.

Cultivating authentic leadership

My dad was a significant figure inmylife. Whenever he answered a question,Iassumed his answer was completely accurate and never needed to bequestioned. Itwasn'tuntil Iwasan adult that Irealized thathe—probably likea lot ofparents—made stuff upwhen hedidn't know the answer to questions.

Segueto whenmykidswereinjunior high. They'd ask mea questionand thenhave the audacity to Google the accuracy ofmy answer. Iwasdeflated (andmildly im'tated), notso much becausetheydidn't trustme, butbecauseIgotcaught winging itway toooften. Itwasn't too long before Irealized that my bestbet was to say, "I'mnot sure; let's figureit out together."

This isa style ofleadership thatthe church needsto startexcelling at. TheChristian leader'sjob isn't to haveall the definitive answers; it's to helpcreatea hunger in people to chase their questions into the arms of Christ.

Technology has challenged civilization's need for the wise,old sage. TheInformation Agehas diminished the demarcation between the availability ofcollected facts and the wisdom that comes from experience. With instantaccess to all the world's information and their skepticism about previousgenerations, millennials don't necessarily defer to the wisdom of others basedon age. Instead, as with authority, they tend to offer respect to those who haveearned it through relationship.

Clergy don't needto provide definitive answersforevery metaphysical question.Themillennial generation has little use foror Interest incliches. TTiis isgoodnews! Feeling responsible forhaving alt the right answers isexhausting. If youare interested indisplaying authentic leadership, "I don't know; let's figure itouttogether" is a good place to start.

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2. Community is an end in itseif

As Ialluded to earlier, the church has developed a habit of using communityas a means to an end. When we get people together, It's for them to learn,minister, or serve. Thsrt'sgreat, but it's not enough.

We need to make community an end in Itself.This is more than schedulingpotluckswithoutan agenda; it's about comingup witha strategy forfosteringand strengthening life-giwng, transparent, and trustworthycommunity. Thefirst-century church understood this:

And theydevoted themsetves to the apostles' teachingand the fellowship, tothe breakingof bread and the prayers. Andawe came upon everysoul, andmany wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. Andall whobelieved were together and had all things in common. And fhey were sellingtheirpossessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as anyhad need. And day by day, attending the temple together end brealdng breadin their homes, they rec&ved their food withglad and generous hearts, praisingGod and having favor withall the people. And the Lord added to their numberday by day those who were being saved. (Acts2:42-47)

Theamazing experiencesttieyshared were birthed outof community. Communitywas a sign of God's involvement. It'snot enoughto simply get people together;we need to teach them to be comfortable beirtg spontaneously spiritual together.

Social media is a community-building tool

Social media Is wonderful for church marketing, but don't stop there. Ifyou'retruly interested in building relationships withmillennials, you'll learn to seesocial media as a tool for creating and strengthening relationship.

Too many boomermembersof the clergyview platforms like FacebookandTwitter as necessary but time-wastingevils. Whatthey don't realizeis thatmillennials arent creating counterfeit communityonline. The community beingforged online issincere—it's justthatthe boundaries anddefinition ofcommunityare expanding. If you want to forge a connection with this generation,you'lltake advantage of the opportunitiesthat social media provides. Notonlycanyou use itto forge personal relationships, butyou can alsolearn quite a bitabout millennial hopes, fears, and beliefs.

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USE TECHNOLOGY TO

MEET MILLENNIALS

WHERE THEY ARE

The way millennials view technology isdifferent than past generations. They'reexponentially more Interested in itsusefulness than itsnovelty. Because oftheirconstant tech exposure, millennials have moved beyond being drawn in bygimmicks. If itdoesn't serve a useful purpose, itdoesn't generate interest.

Asodd M itsounds, millennials havea significant desireto embraceold-worldsimplicities andtraditions while taking advantage ofmodern conveniences todothings more efficiently. They're not interested in glitz and glamour. This iswhy there's a significant movement by evangelicals In this generation towardliturgy and a worship experience that draws more from hinhrhurrh trariitinnc

It's important forchurches to usetechnology ina way thatdoesn'tdistract fromworshipand community. Whena church considers a new softwareor mediasolution, itreally needs towrestle with the ways that it's contributing togenuinespiritual engagement. Smoke machines neednotapply.

The importance of mobile apps for millennials

Oneofthe mostimportant modern advancements has beenthe rise ofmobilecomputing. Research confirms thatmillennials spend, onaverage, 90hours amonth using smartphone apps. Of all the digital media consumed, 40 out of every60 minutes are spent on a mobile device—most of those minutes involving apps.

This isanimportant shift as millennials' phones intersect with every area oftharlives. Think about it like this:

The alarm on David's phone wakes him up at9am.on Saturday morningbecause he has toget his sister abirthday present. So he opens up his bankingapp, transfers $50 over to his checking account, and arranges for anUber ride.

Knowing that hedoesnt want towander around themall on his own, heopens theFacebook Messenger app and messagesthreeofhisfriends to meethim inthefood court in an hour.

On theway tothemall, David listens toSpotify and checks theprice oftheshoeshissisterwantsonthreedifferent storeapps to see whohas the best deal. Whilehe's checking prices, hegets a text from his youth leader reminding him for the

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third time that he's running out of time to get his money infor next weekend'sski trip. He grimaces and thinks, "Ineed to go to the ATM, but Idon't want topay that stupid $3 service fee."

He meets his friends, and while they talk about the stores they're going to visit,David pays for hisAmericano by swipinghisStarbucks app. The gang heads toTargetto get David's sister's shoes, and on the waythere, they buy tickets foran afternoon movie from the Fandango app.

This is seriously the average day in the lifeof a millennia). The only hangupinthis story was that David couldn't manage his church relationship when heneeded to. Can you imagineifhe could have just opened his church app aidmade his ski trip payment? Instead, he's requiredto bring cash or a check—and like most millennlals, he never carries very much cash.

According to a J. WalterThompsonIntelligence study,millennials are changingthe face of finance. Forty-four percent would preferto use their phone insteadof cash to make the smallest of purchases. Sixty-two percent are perfectlycomfortable connecting their payment informationto retailer apps in order tospeed up payments.

Ifthe church is goingto teach fiscal responsibility and generosity, it's goingtoneed to meet millennials where they are. Requiring them to adapt to the waywe've been doing things for the last 90 years is a losing scenario for everyoneinvolved. Besides, we're only now experiencing tiie older edge of the millennialgeneration.Within fiveto seven years, churches' solvency will requirethemtomove toward mobile giving.

Engaging millennials with church apps

Millennials are hungryto experienceauthenticcommunity and feelno dissonancewith the idea tt^ community can be partly facilitated throughdigital media Achurchapp makes perfect sense to them.

With the rise of streaming mediaand bingeablecontent on Netfiix, Hulu, andAmazon, itonlymakessense to thispodcastinggeneration that contentshouldbeavailable at alltimes.Theyexpect to open up a churchapp when it'sconvenientand watch, share, read, or listento sermons and other content from the church.

Itwould be a genuine surprise to them ifthey couldnt quicklyaccess an appthat wouldupdate them on church events and prayerconcerns or enable themto make a donation.

This isn'tabout cateringto an indulg^itor entitled generation. Thisis the worldthey livein,and ifwe want to communicatethe relevanceof the gospel, we'regoing to need to meet them where they are.

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DEVELOP A WORLD-

CHANGING VISION

The internet has made the world somuch smaller than it seemed 50 years ago.Millennials don't haveto lookto books, films, television, or evenmissionaries tolearn what theworld Islike. In fact, social media platforms have made itpossiblefor the millennial generation tohave a complex and nuanced understanding ofbreaking world events before media outlets do.

The average Twitter user develops international relationships with people fromall sorts of philosophical and religious backgrounds. AsAmericans inCaliforniadiscuss literature with Iranian students in Tehran, a growing internationalhomogenizat'on has created a greatersense that peoplehavemoreincommonthan what divides them.

All ofthis contributes to a feeling ofoptimistic responsibility. Millennials want tobeinvolved ona grand scale and genuinely fe^ thatthey can make a difference.When they seethe world, they seeanecosystem where thedecisions they makehave a worldwide ripple effect. Forinstance, theycan see the direct connectionbetweenthe clothesthey buyand the laborconditions inthird-world countries.

Churchesthat wantto reach out to millennials will also share theirdesire tomake a big impact

Focusing the church outward

Almost intandem with the rise ofbig-t>ox storesIn the nineties, the churchstarted focusing on making itself a one-stop destination. When churchesthought ofways to invest their income in growth, they dreamed about buyinghuge stage setsand coffee shops. This investment was about creating a placethat would draw people in.

This mindsetholds little Interest for world-minded (notto be confusedwith "worldly") millennials. They see an inwardly focused church as aliving contradiction. They want to make a difference in their communitiesand In the world.

The challenge tochurches isto not simply see community involvement as amethod togenerate kingdom orchurch growth. This generation sees throughusing service as a tool for evangelistic outreach. Don't getme wrong; I'mcompletely soldonthefeetthatmore people would becoming to Christ if thechurch was morefocused on servingour communities. Butmillennials arelooking forchurches that haveadvocacy, charity, and service intheir DNA.

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Building bridges and not walls

I was one of a handful of local Christian leaders invited to a dinner In the homeof a celebrity chefwhoalso happens to be a Muslim. During thisamazing meal,we sat around a large table whileshe and her husband answered questionsabout the beliefs, practices, and experiences of Muslims in America

This dinner was blrthed out this couple's desire to create some reasonablediscourse with Christians whose understanding of Muslims might be moreInformed by news stories about ISIS and international terrorism than by anyrelationshipswith actual Muslims. Throughout the evening,no question wasoff limits, and their hospitalitywas so sweet and sincere. The night was a hugesuccess, and true friendships were formed that day.

Inretrospect, Isee this dinneras being a perfect embodimentof generationalvalues. Our millennial-Muslim host wasn't trying to convert us; she wasattempting to builda bridge between two disparate communities. Sincethat evening, Ihave had wonderful and deep discussions withthis couple.

Because the world is getting smaller, and people are more exposed to a varietyof people groupsand Ideas, millennlals havea realwariness of any religiousIdentity that appears to be built uponan "us vs. them"worldvlew or that adoptsa condescending and scoffing demeanor towards others' beliefs.

This doesn't mean that the church needs to soft-pedal what m^es Christianityunique. Itmeansthat a Christ-like postureIsimperative In anydiscussion aboutwhythe Christianfaith is extraordinary. Ultimately, we should be able tocommunicate what's special about Jesus Ina way that makes people thankfulwe'repartoftheircommunity—even ifthey never makethe choiceto follow him.

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SERVING JESUS BYSERVING MILLENNIALS

The factthat God sent his Sonto save humanity isa timeiess truth. But theway this tnrth isshared, communicated, and experienced needs todeveiopwith changing culture. We don't know what future generations wili iook iike,but we doknow that they wiil need ustoexpress the message ofChrist in awaythat resonates withthe world they inhabit.

If you're interested in seeing how accessibie achurch appIs for your churchand discovering how itcan help revolutionize your ministry, contact echurchtoday for a free demo ofthetotal engagement package!

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