Rachel Held Evans’ article Why Millenials Are Leaving the Church has garnered quite a lot of attention, and I am fascinated by what she says.
We want to be known for what we stand for, not what we are against.
I get it. Millenials want to be part of something bigger than themselves. They are ready to make a difference and see the world change. And the church gets stuck talking against something more often than doing something for a community or against an social justice issue.
Evans says we might need to reconsider laying a new style over old principles. In fact, she says, the “BS-meter” goes off when something is phony or fake; instead, Millenials want something compelling.
One great response to Evans’ article came in today’s RTD opinion piece by Matt Thornhill (I might have missed it had Travis not previewed it in his weekly e-mail yesterday).
…power has shifted from institutions in America to the individual. In many aspects of modern life, what once was commanded and controlled by an institution is now fully distributed and managed by the individual.
Want to send a message to someone? Old way: Write a letter, lick a stamp and rely on the post office. New way: Type, text, done.
Want to see a movie? Old way: Show up at a designated time at the single-screen movie theater. New way: On-demand, anywhere, any time.
Some churches are already embracing this shift: Want to get together and study the Bible? Old way: Sunday school on Sunday mornings at the church. New way: Small groups any day of the week anywhere. Or, better yet: online.
More accessible. Deeper. Challenging. Relational.
That’s a lot to think about.
1. Held’s assertion that millenials are anti-consumerist is silly and in fact patently incorrect.
2. Her honey-do list is the epitome of millenials’ postmodern/postmaterialist (consumerist)/therapeutic culture/multiculturalism problem: We want, we want, we want, we want.
3. The me-attitude that elicits “ME TOO”s also from older people that she mentions doesn’t confirm anything except that we’re not robots that retain the generation-specific programming of our date of manufacture.
The prevailing philosophy of America is increasingly postmodern: Everything is right, and nothing is right. Millenials reject absolute authority, and what is God but the height of absolute authority? And how is God’s authority transmitted–by the church (a proliferation of interpretations is from the outside is itself evidence that, well, there is no agreed upon authority, but that makes no difference once you’re inside the doors). So, if I reject authority but I want to feel good about God, I just stay home where, like at the mall, I can take what I want and leave what I don’t–I don’t need the church, I’m the master of my spirituality because I’m so smart. Who needs a pastor, let’s meet at Joe’s house and hear what Joe thinks in small group. Me, me, me.
This is also tightly entangled with the therapeutic culture. Everyone is a victim; murderers are victims of their rage, thieves are victims of their poverty, addicts are victims of their circumstances. Christianity (Church)–however compassionate–at the bottom of things, requires at some point an acknowledgement of a problem located within the self, and that is at odds with the therapeutic culture which places everything outside the self. It isn’t self-affirming to accept that we are what’s broken, rather than everyone else.
So, what must churches do to stop the hemorrhaging? I think churches should stop worrying about attendance at all, precisely because when attendance becomes the priority, then churches will start saying or doing (or more precisely not saying/doing) whatever they have to to get people in the door. But what’s the point of packing your sanctuary (or small groups) if you’ve compromised the message. And mainline protestantism found that approach doesn’t work in the 60s, when young people flocked to evangelical congregations (for a more authentic message) or stayed home (if church is just social activism, why not just join a social organization). The attraction to orthodoxy that Held notes is a phenomenon in the opposite direction: It’s perfect for me-centric people who can go and sit and be amazed and dazzled then get up and leave.
Thanks for commenting, Caleb! There certainly aren’t any easy answers here.
I think you make a great point — when attendance is the primary concern, you’ve already lost. I told some church leaders a couple weeks ago that they didn’t need to worry about worship styles in attracting young adults — but start with strong mission focus, great community.
I’m glad Held wrote this — it’s started a lot of conversations!