The Church and Reaching Millennials - 5 Methods for Young Adult Ministry

courtesy aafdc.org

Starting this fall, I will begin a young adult ministry at my church. We're calling it C3 - coffee conversation and community. There is a big push to reach young adults because for one, they are a large missing demographic in most churches. Secondly because their voice matters. Thirdly because without young adults, the church will continue to decline numerically. Lastly, because God loves them and wants all people to know a living relationship with Jesus Christ. I'll post more in the fall to let you know how C3 turns out!

Over the past 5 years at least, there has been much discussion in the United Methodist Church about reaching young adults/millennials and even more blog posts by "millennials" with such titles as "Dear Church, its not me its you" or "Farewell church. You lost me. We're done." and so on. Many young adults in our society have had difficult experiences with the Church and we need to listen to their voices.

Considering that nearly 2 out of every 3 young adults (for our purposes, 18-25 year olds) identify themselves as "none", meaning no religious affiliation at all, the church's voice in response to this generation has unfortunately been one of acquiescence. The denominational church at large has been motivated by fear of offending this growing demographic.

But is fear of offense an evangelistic strategy? Is that even compelling?  Is it something Jesus did?

If you or I are a "5" or a "7" on a 10 point scale of being "Christian", then most unchurched young adults today are at a "1".  And that's ok! But we must acknowledge the audience in order to know the approach. Many young adults are not ready to worship Jesus or read a call to worship. Let's not get the cart before the horse here: much like any other unchurched adult, millennials must be introduced to Jesus and see him for the compelling, life-altering Messiah that He is. They must be taught. They must be shown. And it must be within he context of loving, gracious community.

Considering this, if a large segment of our population has little to no religious or biblical knowledge, is perpetuating ignorance helpful?  Many young adults do not come to church because:

• The church is seen as intolerant, Pharisaical or homophobic. 
• Some young adults don't know what they don't know. (They must be taught the basics of Christianity)
• The church is too obsessed with money or sex.
• The church has no relevant place or voice within their community. 
• The church addresses issues that are (perceived to be) irrelevant to their daily lives. 
• There is no particular "space" carved out for them. We have children's ministry. We have youth ministry. Is there a space for young adults?

What if instead of acquiescence, we spoke with a bold, compassionate and prophetic voice?

What if we focused more on teaching and relationships and less on programs or apologizing for Christianity?

Here are 5 methods for reaching young adults, and is by no means exhaustive. (comment below with more ideas)

1. What you highlight, you will reap: put young adults up front in your worship services. Invite them to read Scripture, do the announcements, lead a song, etc. Intentionally put young adults on your leadership board or committees. Take their feedback. Give them responsibility. This will help any young adult in attendance connect with a peer.
2. Graphics, graphics, graphics - Go to Netflix and look at the menu. People make choices of what to watch based on an image, word of mouth and maybe three words.  Young adults today hear with their eyes. If its text heavy, it will get glossed over. If its an image, you've got a chance. 
3. Teach and preach within relational context - As a stated above, most young adults identify as "nones" this new generation must be taught within the context of community. Relationships are the main conduit that love is communicated. This is nothing new, especially for a Wesleyan or United Methodist. We championed small group ministry in the 18th century. Postmodern research has always shown a need for community in this generation. This is nothing new. They are people after all. We must supply community and relationship to young adults. Churches that are reaching huge numbers of young adults preach the Gospel without apology and offer weekly community opportunities for young adults, and its working.
4. An 8 second filter - Young people today have a shrinking "attention span", and its actually not a detriment. If an item or idea catches their attention within 8 seconds, they will actually engage with it on a deep level. Think video games, Youtube videos or social media. There is plenty of engagement going on, it just has to catch the eye, heart or brain within 8 seconds. Its more of a filter and less of an "attention span". You've got 8 seconds. How will you use it?
5. Service Matters - young people today have strong feelings about what is just and unjust. They are the first generation on the face of the planet that has always known the Internet and always had endless information at their fingertips. They want to be used to help others in tangible ways. This is good news, because many churches are already organized (or at least they should be) for mission. Young people today (mostly) think with their emotions. Again, this is not a detriment. Lets tap into this generation's innate desire and emotion for justice and help them live that out.

As I said, this list isn't exhaustive. Reply below with other ideas you've used within your context that others might find helpful, and thanks for stopping by.