Want millennials back in the pews? Stop trying to make church ‘cool.’

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Recent research from Barna Group and the Cornerstone Knowledge Network found that 67 percent of millennials prefer a “classic” church over a “trendy” one, and 77 percent would choose a “sanctuary” over an “auditorium.” While we have yet to warm to the word “traditional” (only 40 percent favor it over “modern”), millennials exhibit an increasing aversion to exclusive, closed-minded religious communities masquerading as the hip new places in town. For a generation bombarded with advertising and sales pitches, and for whom the charge of “inauthentic” is as cutting an insult as any, church rebranding efforts can actually backfire, especially when young people sense that there is more emphasis on marketing Jesus than actually following Him. Millennials “are not disillusioned with tradition; they are frustrated with slick or shallow expressions of religion,” argues David Kinnaman, who interviewed hundreds of them for Barna Group and compiled his research in “You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church . . . and Rethinking Faith.”
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washingtonpost.com/opinions/jesus-doesnt-tweet/2015/04/30/fb07ef1a-ed01-11e4-8666-a1d756d0218e_story.html
 
The only problem with her article is that she has traded shallow worship for shallow beliefs. Sacraments cannot make up for a “me-oriented” type of faith that she is advocating. This gal is still on the journey, whether she knows it or not. Accepting the latest group of sinners as normal isn’t faith nor is it loving–it’s merely going with the zeitgeist of our day. It’s fine that she’s made it as far as she has, but something tells me she’ll be abandoning her newfound faith when it no longer suits her–and how is that any different from attempting to keep people with phony pep rallies, coffee, T-shirts, loud music, and special effects?
 
I’m not sure if I count as a “millennial”, but as a younger person I personally prefer “traditional” churches over “new aged” ones. I wouldn’t have said that eight or ten years ago, but as I’m finding my faith I am more drawn to buildings and masses that reflect what our religion is all about rather than those trying to cater to younger people.
 
I know that I’m preaching to the choir here, but if the only think separating millennials from Christianity was a lack of inclusiveness, then it would seem to me that churches which act as more inclusive (in Canada we can look at the United Church of Canada, for example) would be filled with young people.

They aren’t; to the contrary, most theologically liberal/progressive denominations are doing even worse than than their theologically conservative counterparts (although, we should be clear, the conservative counterparts are performing abysmally). In the US, I understand that the only denomination not hemorrhaging members are the Evangelicals which are the target of article.
 
I read an article on why Catholic men are leaving the Catholic Church and another why Orthodox men are staying.

We cannot communicate true faith in God that denies the Cross, especially in regards to all the suffering we see in this world.

And we should not treat God commonly.
 
First paragraph in the article:
Bass reverberates through the auditorium floor as a heavily bearded worship leader pauses to invite the congregation, bathed in the light of two giant screens, to tweet using #JesusLives. The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafts in from the lobby, where you can order macchiatos and purchase mugs boasting a sleek church logo. The chairs are comfortable, and the music sounds like something from the top of the charts. At the end of the service, someone will win an iPad.
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Sorry, this is not worship.
And I would have said that even in my Baptist days.
 
I find a lot of the reasons millenials were giving in the article sounded more like excuses to not go to church.

You know, the same thing people have been doing since before I was a person of a certain age. 😉 Millenials haven’t cornered the market on their reasons for not going.

Coffee brewing, church logo mugs, “cool” or hip music has never really worked, the article has that right.
 
I agree with the premise. There are two parishes near me in a university town. Both have similar Mass schedules and are probably equidistant from the campus. The music in one is very traditional and in the other, more “modern”. The first one is usually filled with college students, the second one barely has any. The music in the traditional parish is actually selected and led by students too.

I think young people want that reverence. It’s missing in every other facet of life; let’s not take it away from churches too.
 
Irishmom2 said:
I find a lot of the reasons millenials were giving in the article sounded more like excuses to not go to church.

You know, the same thing people have been doing since before I was a person of a certain age. 😉 Millenials haven’t cornered the market on their reasons for not going.

Coffee brewing, church logo mugs, “cool” or hip music has never really worked, the article has that right.
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Agreed.
When you think about it, it’s rather condescending to millennials to suggest all they want is shallow smoke and mirrors.
 
Thom18 said:
I’m not sure if I count as a “millennial”, but as a younger person I personally prefer “traditional” churches over “new aged” ones. I wouldn’t have said that eight or ten years ago, but as I’m finding my faith I am more drawn to buildings and masses that reflect what our religion is all about rather than those trying to cater to younger people.
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Apparently I am, and so are my little sisters (who are 12 and 13, there were born two days less than a year apart at the end of the year), The following is from the Atlantic. So my brother in his thirties, my two sisters in their 20s, and my 12 and 13 year old sisters all are. What a vague definition.
Millennials. In October 2004, researchers Neil Howe and William Strauss called Millennials “the next great generation,” which is funny. They define the group as “as those born in 1982 and approximately the 20 years thereafter.” In 2012, they affixed the end point as 2004.
Anyway, I am the only regular churchgoer in my immediate family. Except when we were very young, we rarely went to church as children (my mother has never been Baptized, but we all ways went to Christmas Mass). We used to go fairly regularly until my dad got sick (dad was Lutheran, but wanted to be Catholic). I am someone that doesn’t care what language the liturgy is in, as long as it is done reverently and respectful. According to Howe and Strauss, the youngest millennials would not yet even be adults, but on the positive side, my 13 year old little sister has an interest in religion, which is a start. She has physical problems and regularly asks for prayers. She saw a billboard last year that said “do you know God”? And her reaction was precious “Don’t people go to church”?
 
Thom18 said:
I’m not sure if I count as a “millennial”, but as a younger person I personally prefer “traditional” churches over “new aged” ones. I wouldn’t have said that eight or ten years ago, but as I’m finding my faith I am more drawn to buildings and masses that reflect what our religion is all about rather than those trying to cater to younger people.
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If you were born between the early 80’s and the early 2000’s you’re generally considered a Millennial. There’s some new sub generations that have been developing separating out those born in the 80’s from the latter half of the generation (the term I’ve started to see for the 80’s half of the Millennials is the Oregon Trail Generation).

I’m in that early half of the generation and I too still find traditional styles of worship far more appealing than the more modern stuff. The newer stuff seems to appeal to folks like my cousin and her husband who are Gen X’ers.
 
Our priest has introduced some pretty upbeat songs along with a few of the more traditional hymns at the Sunday evening mass…apart from the singers and musicians not many in the pews can sing along with same tonsil warbling exuberance needed for many of the songs…they do have some beautiful words to them…I guess our priest is maybe trying to attract some younger people to the PM mass which is a good thing.
 
Not a millennial but still have my two cents to add 🙂

I would add (may have been noted already) making homilies/sermons not only relevant but also challenging - I think people want to aspire to something greater than the status-quo lifestyle/beliefs - so yes some topics may be a controversial and might make people squirm a bit, but done with love/tact/mercy/sensitivity etc people(off all ages) would welcome a call to a higher standard.
I think people want the truth both intellectually and in practical terms so a message that addresses this would help and also a greater sense of community where we can support/encourage and help keep each other accountable would be another thing I’d add.
 
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