Ten Reasons Why Your Church Should Reach The Millennials (Part 1)
by Mica Olinghouse
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THE LOST GENERATION OF THE CHURCH
If you’re a pastor or church leader who works tirelessly to grow your congregation, you may be wondering why people between the ages of 18-30 seem to be the least accounted for demographic in your church. Perhaps you are so busy meeting the needs of your church members that you’ve let this age group slip between the cracks. Or maybe you’ve tried your best to reach out to these young adults, but you just can’t seem to hook their jaws and reel them in. In either case, don’t give up! This apathetic, energetic, unchurched, and passionate generation needs you and the message of salvation.
During my research on Millennials (approx. ages 13-33), I’ve discovered some very unique, exciting, and highly disconcerting statistics about my generation. Growing up as a teenager on the mission field, I’ve always had a heart for those lost souls around my age. I might have aged a bit, but my heart still longs to reach my generation. As I observe the Church in America today, I am alarmed at how fast my peers are falling away from the Church and falling into the world. Although it’s a stark situation, I have an irrevocable hope that this generation can and will be reached for the Kingdom of God.
In this three-part series, I’d like to give you ten powerful reasons why your church should passionately pursue this generation. The statistics mentioned in these articles may alarm and frighten you, but I pray they also stir your heart and call you to action. Let’s do something to capture this lost generation and set them free for Jesus!
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TEN REASONS WHY YOUR CHURCH SHOULD REACH THE MILLENNIALS (PART 1)
1. THE MILLENNIALS ARE ONE OF THE LARGEST MISSION FIELDS IN THE WORLD.
According to Thom. S. Rainer, author of The Millennials: Connecting to America’s Largest Generation, the Millennials encompass nearly 78 million people in the United States. If you were to compare that number to the actual population of countries, the sheer size of the Millennial generation is larger than the total population of Iran, almost twice the size of Morocco, triple the size of Nepal, and more than quadruple the size of Chile. We send missionaries all the time to these unreached nations, but who has ever even considered sending missionaries to the American Millennials?
2. THE MILLENNIALS ARE AMERICA’S MOST UNCHURCHED GENERATION.
According to a recent study conducted by Thom Rainer, only 13% of Millennials considered any type of spirituality important in their lives. In fact, Rainer states, “More than one-third of our respondents indicated that you couldn’t really know what happens to you when you die. This generation is not just agnostic to the God as revealed in Jesus Christ. They are agnostic toward all matters religious.”
The Pew Survey echoes this statistic in a study it released last year: As of 2012, approximately 20% of Americans described themselves as atheists or agnostics. This was the exact same percentage of atheist French nationals recorded in the 1990s when my family served as missionaries in Paris.
3. THE MILLENNIALS ARE THE CHURCH’S LEAST ENGAGED DEMOGRAPHIC.
In a recent study by David Kinnaman of the Barna Group, it was recorded that while teenagers are the most religiously active Americans, twenty-somethings are the least religiously active. In fact, Kinnaman states, “The ages 18-29 are the black hole of church attendance; this age segment is ‘missing in action’ from most congregations. Overall, there is a 43% drop-off between the teen and early adult years in terms of church-engagement. These numbers represent about 8 million twenty-somethings who were active churchgoers as teenagers but who will no longer be particularly engaged in a church by their thirtieth birthday” (You Lost Me, p.22).
If your church hasn’t been proactive in reaching out to this lost generation, I challenge you to make a change today. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you creative ideas to connect with the Millennials, and open your hearts to love them, train them, and teach them. There are millions of young Americans waiting for you to bring them out of darkness and into the glorious light!
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