Shaun Groves
Clever, selfish, hopeful, socially retarded, cocky, inclusive, spoiled, fun, civic, needy, confident. Just a few of the words used to describe Millennials.
Here are the weaknesses: In general, they don’t believe in earning respect or position or status – these are their inheritance for simply being born. They can’t be encouraged enough, for showing up, for breathing. They get their feelings hurt if the applause stops. They aren’t loyal to anyone but themselves. They’re in it – whatever it is – for the immediate results, not the long haul. They all claim ADD, ADHD or OCD. They’re not the greatest communicators: too busy texting to look you in the eyes when speaking and “like” is their greatest contribution to the American lexicon so far.
But there’s an upside: They are positive, hopeful, certain a silver lining exists and always looking for it, not prone to melancholy and cynicism like we Gen-Xers. Like the Boomers, they truly believe they can change the world and they’re eager to join those working to that end. Having always been rewarded for success, they crave it, making them tremendously goal oriented, driven and hard-working when the carrot’s dangled. They work well in teams yet have so much self-confidence that they’re unafraid to tackle the most difficult problems on their own. They live and breath digital and internet technologies, which they use effortlessly to integrate and synthesize data from all grids of their lives: work, personal, spiritual, economic.
Watch this and then think out loud about what this generation might do when leading the American Church. How might their perspective and personality affect the theology and methodology of Christianity in America’s future?
.
I wonder.
Joel says:
I’m a part of this generation (I wasn’t aware we were called the Millenials) and I am disgusted by the people in it. My cell phone is approaching 5 years old (haven’t replaced it once) and I don’t own any gadgets (like an MP3 player) that so many of these people ahve.
These spoiled kids are like a pestilence that can’t be cleansed. I try very hard not to judge them… but the flesh is weak. 🙁
Joel says:
I revised my comment and would like to make an addendum/amendment:
Anything is possible through God and Christ. Apart from that, nothing will fix this mess. It will only grow bigger.
Kenyon says:
Could the word “coaching” be exchanged for “discipleship”? And if “coached” properly and faithfully capable of getting it done…I want to be a part of that. As a college instructor I found this very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Todd says:
I’m also a Millennial. I disagree with Joel’s “pestilence” sentiment strongly. Viewing any group of people as “those people” is dangerous and largely unhelpful.
As to Shaun’s question, I think that you will see a continued exodus from the traditional church and a lot of “start-up” churches that last six months to a year before fizzling. Once this generation starts having children, some will start going back to church, but in fewer numbers than the generation before.
As for theology, reverence will decrease. Mystery will increase. Greater acceptance will increase.
Just some initial thoughts.
Jessica says:
I think before anyone can ask, “How will this generation affect the Church?”, the Church HAS to be asked, “How are you going to reclaim the generation you’re losing?” The only answer is the Gospel, obviously– but it has to be the whole Gospel. It has to be someone boldly proclaiming the simple message of Christ– “You give Me your life, and I’ll give you Mine.”
The negatives of our generation are magnified by one simple thing that the Church has neglected to see: Our generation craves something to die for. Literally… give us something to die for, and we will jump head first into pursuit of it.
Sarah Chia says:
One of the guys said that lifestyle is more important than work.
I think that this can be both bad and good. First of all, how are they paying for that lifestyle? With money they don’t have from a job they don’t have because they won’t stick anything out?
But on the good side, I think that convictions will be lived out deeply.
They also mentioned that family and friends win over work obligations, and that’s a cool thing that I think will make our families stronger and focus on relationships more than corporations. The church may become more intimate and relationship oriented instead of trying to act like a business.
Biblefanmaryann says:
I read a post related to this topic not too long ago on Owen Thomas of The Elms’ blog.
http://theelms.typepad.com/owen/2008/05/a-comedown-of-s.html#comments
(It’s a bit long. Go straight to this–> “**WARNING: NON-MUSICAL URAL ASSESSMENT FOLLOWS”)
Texas in Africa says:
I hope they use their predispositions for good and not evil, but I have to say that what I see day-to-day teaching college freshman doesn’t make me too hopeful. The sense of entitlement is unbelievable. They come in thinking they’ve paid for a grade and deserve to be spoonfed, such that I have to explain that they’ve paid for the opportunity to compete for a grade. We call them “snowflakes” because they’ve all been taught that they’re unique and precious – and because they melt under real pressure. And don’t even get me started on the parents who call…
But as my sister’s seminary professor repeatedly told her, God can work wonders with broken vessels. So maybe there’s reason to hope after all.
Lindsey says:
I’m a part of this generation…though, like Joel, I had never heard the term “Millennials” before.
Like you said, I think my generation had things working both for and against it. Sometimes we’re lazy. Sometimes we think we are entitled to things we really don’t deserve. I walk around my college campus and I think that a lot of us have perhaps been babied, not encouraged to take responsibility. I think my parents did an amazing job of keeping me grounded, teaching me that I need to work hard and that if I fail, I need to learn and then work harder. But it’s always easy to say, “Well, I’m not like this.”
At the same time, when I see people my age get passionate about something…they get passionate. Like Jessica said, give us something to die for…and we’ll do it. Something to truly rely on and believe in, a cause to take up. For me, I’m trying to live and die for Christ. Some people around me choose Gator football. But they choose.
I think Christian “millennials” are going to start demanding (as many already have)that the church change, and that our world change as a result. And hopefully more people in our generation will choose that cause.
Veretax says:
Ugh, Everytime I hear the terms, Gen-X, Gen-Y, Or Millennials my face wists up into a pretzel. Well sort of. I was born in ‘78 as it happens, so by their definition I’m not a Millennial. I grew up watching Reagan leading our nation to greatness, I remember the Challenger disaster, my first Atari 2600, Cable installation, VCR, first ‘second’ color TV set. I also remember when I got my first Pre-recorded Cassette (It was Petra’s Beyond Belief), and when I got my first CD Player. I remember the Walkman being a staple for any trip I went on, and I remember.
I remember growing up watching Saturday morning cartoons, everything from Transformers and GI Joe to a cacophony of other names, but if you were to ask me what generation I belong, I just can’t say. I’ve always felt I had more in common, or at least had an easier time relating to people older than me, but the kids I grew up with, were typically not so. Perhaps I related to older folks more because my conscience rejected the activities of those I grew up with. Who is to say. Am I a Millennial? I really don’t know.
What I do know is that, I’m a hard worker, have always been frustrated at work. (Even as a teenager it seemed like there were never enough opportunities for part time work around my small rural town.) I work hard, but I also try to work smartly.
Since leaving college, and having to take up residence in churches that do not have a burgeoning College group, I’ve found it difficult to relate to some of the older ways of thinking. For example, why on earth does it matter so much whether a Missionary Radio Station that communicates in several different languages, happens to slip up and cite a verse from the NIV in their newsletter? Why is it that we in the Church are so consumed with ourselves or what we are doing that we don’t take five minutes to talk to the other families in the congregation? My wife and I left a church over issues like this. I am a firm believer that the best way to draw folks to Christ, and to the Church is to show them affection, but to be made to feel ‘second class’ as a member of the church simply because I didn’t use the old KJV (I use a Nelson published NKJV that I’ve worn two bibles out since college because it is translated so well that I literally get lost in the word when I’m reading.) Yet, that same church I used to go to, complains that they don’t get enough kids, or they want to grow themselves.
How I wish I could explain to some of these ‘older folks’ what I learned in a grass roots training a few weeks ago. They gave an awesome quote, which we as Christians should always remember when we seek to advance the Cause of Christ. Its from a book, whose title I can’t recall, but I do remember the author:
“You can make more friends in two months by becoming really interested in other people, than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” – Dale Carnegie.
Ergo, It is my opinion that if the Church is to reach out to my generation, whether it be Gen-X, Gen-Y, Millenials or whatever. The church must reach out and take an interest in these folks. People younger then me, (there’s a scary thought) are graduating college, getting their first job, and when they come to a strange new town, and a strange new church, they need to know that they have a new family to which they can lean on. My supposition is this, if these Millennials (whether I am one or not) seem to be turning their back on the church, it can only be because the Church has been comfortable with who they have had as members of late, they don’t see the sense of urgency to reach out to the newest generation, and while some of these Millenials may come across as rude or self-centered, the older generation isn’t teaching them otherwise by refusing to be patient and loving to these folks. They are afraid to take the risk to make new friends.
When i was growing up, some of my fondest Sunday memories, were inviting some of the College kids, or fellow church goers to our house for dinner. When I became a teen, that became even more important to me. I wanted to know what College was like, I wanted to know the people in my church, and when I grew up I hoped I’d be able to repeat the tradition with my family and church. Through this experience I became good friends with folks many of whom I don’t have a clue how to track down now. That having been said, where are these things now? Since graduating college, I can probably count on a single hand the number of times I or my spouse (or both of us) have been invited to spend an afternoon with another couple of a church we were attending, and the majority of those times were with people my age. Let’s face it, in the absence of outreach from people outside our generational boundary, we are left trying to relate with people closer to our age, but what do you do when the Church you attend lacks people even close to your age?
If I fall into this ‘category’ of Millenials, then it is because I myself, and my family have been taught by those around us that we have to be self sufficient, and rely on each other, because it surely doesn’t seem like most anyone else cares. I think that is what you are seeing happening, and in my case I found often times where the behavior of my fellow students forced me to do more work then I would normally be. Lab partners who were late to Lab, or forget to do their turn at the Lab report. It got so bad that one Lab I told the TA I would build the circuits on my own breadboard and test them as soon as a spot was available. I simply got tired of being let down by others. Maybe more in my generation feel the same way, and when they do not see that welcoming smile, or arm from a fellow lay person, maybe they realize that they are truly on their own. The problem with that way of thinking, is that there are times when you do need other people, when you may need prayer, when you may need advice or counsel, but if that network of contact within the Church is not absorbing or assimilating the younger folks who are beginning to join our congregations, then who do such people turn to? I’m reminded of one of Christ’s miracles, the one where he fed the 5,000 or 10,000 (can’t remember which). Christ looked upon the crowed, and had compassion on them. So for those that are out there, look at your churches. Is the Church having compassion on these Millenials?
aaron says:
so how much millennials do you have in you?
blessedme says:
I’m a Millennial, and a lot of my fellow brothers and sisters in church are too. We’re that ‘different’ church with a strong youth ministry. We don’t just study Bible but we have family activities afterward.
I agree that this generation is harder to reach because they have a lot of beliefs that contradict Biblical standards (not gonna explain but you know examples). This is the biggest barrier.
But God never gives up on using His ways of bringing people back to Him. This generation is different because more people are becoming depressed/unsatisfied. I know a couple of sisters who believed in God because they had been through rough times.
Mandi says:
Maybe it’s just my perspective and the people I know (I’m a married 25 year old sahm of 3, when I go to my church almost everyone my age is married and many are raising children), but I don’t see the laziness that so many people talk about. I see a persistance and, yes, a stubbornness in my age group, but that’s not necessarily bad.
Statistics say that my generation is more conservative (politically, fiscally, religiously) and more religious than my parent’s was. I think we are more open when it comes to faith – we don’t say “this is how it is and everyone else can go burn”, we listen and argue and change our opinions and beliefs when we find it necessary. That can be taken too far, but it’s still important.
Being told nothing is wrong and nothing is loss when we were raised often translates to an intense search for right and wrong, for the boundries we weren’t given as children. I think we’re searching for meaning and answers in our lives, anything solid and genuine on which to stand, and once we find it we’ll stake our whole selves on it. And if the Church will go after those who aren’t currently with her instead of writting them off as spoiled children, all age groups will gain.
Veretax says:
Excellent point Mandi. That’s precisely what I’m saying. Its easy to point at a group of individuals and try to generalize how they are all alike as excuse to not be associated with them, but its another thing to really get to know someone, to show them an ounce or more of compassion so that they might consider altering their behavior in areas where it may be in error.
Kate says:
Oh, look. Older generations looking at a younger generation and deciding the world is going downhill from here… how novel. And how utterly unproductive. Perhaps it would help to remind ourselves that these labels for entire generations of people are not real. They’re only ways to make sense of changes that we notice in others because we haven’t yet noticed them in us, and they probably say more about us than about the people we take such pleasure in cataloging and then deriding. The “error” may be in thinking we’re somehow better and somehow in a position to judge.
Nancy Tyler says:
I’m a fan of Gen Y (I have trouble spelling Millllennnnnials)
.
My coworkers and friends in that age group are sharp thinkers and capable, emerging leaders, independent and colorblind, who care about environmental, community and world issues–not just about themselves. I’m on the ‘older’ end of Gen X, and love learning from and getting creatively and intellectually energized by my coworkers who are 12 to 16 years younger than I am and by friends outside the office and online who are as much as 20 or more years younger.
I look for people in this generation to put a more personal spin on the church–more individuality, less one size fits all, and a greater focus on individuals in need and less on fighting battles in the political arena over abortion and homosexuality. Back to basics too–they’re going to rebel against all those snazzy sound systems, flat screen monitors and repetitive worship choruses that the older generations now favor and will turn worship back in the direction of simplicity.
It can be threatening to older generations as younger ones come onto the scene. It’s tempting to envy how “easy” others seem to have had it. But that just alienates people. It opened up a whole new slice of the world for me when I stopped being threatened and started being enthralled by the insights of friends in Gen Y.
Katherine says:
I really feel like they were too harsh with us…
Katherine says:
But seriously, I am excited for some of the changes that I expect my generation to make in the business world.
Here is one company and one ministry that I think are good examples of what we may see a lot of from my generation:
Tom’s Shoes – http://www.tomsshoes.com
GOYA Ministries – http://www.goyaministries.org
One thing I’ll say I am a bit squared about is that I have no idea what kind of parents we’re going to be. Or what kind I’m going to be, for that matter…
William says:
A great read on this generation is a book called unChristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. As a SS leader of a newly married class, we read the book for class over about 6 weeks. It gives very good insight into the minds of this generation, explores why they are turned off by “church” and how the church can adapt to reach this “lost” generation. I would recommend the book to anyone wanting to understand and work with this generation.
mandy says:
I think the capital C church needs folks like these to reach…folks like these.
Heaven knows I couldn’t reach them (Gen X)…
David says:
Heh. So my generation’s narcissistic attitude is all the fault of Mr. Rogers. You gotta love it.
S. Pihlaja says:
I love this. Kids are spoiled. How do we know that? Well, you know, because they are. Look at all these kids with trophies! Does the consultant agree? Yes, the consultant agrees!
Data, 60 minutes, is the only thing you can use to assert a fact. Old men shaking their heads and sharing their opinions about kids these days is a complete waste of time.
Buy discount iPods says:
its not really a big deal that you dont own any gadgets or MP3 players. these are kids stuffs these days who are facinated with these gizmos
Veretax says:
They say necessity is the mother of invention. if I could say, plug an MP3 Player into my car stereo and play my music without fear of someone breaking in and stealing my CDs, then in my view that would make them worthwhile to have. However, I don’t believe such is possible with my current stereo system so eh.