In 1955, James Dean portrayed a rebellious teenager in the iconic film, "Rebel without a Cause." It came to symbolize rebelling against society when really, there was nothing that had been done to warrant this rebellion. Boomers grew up in an affluent time with intact homes, and yet, many rebelled against the conformist culture of that time.


Millennials are by and large the children of Boomers (and some leading edge Gen Xers). Unlike Boomers, who were at war with their parents, most Millennials have grown up with good relationships with their parents. They have been coached, watched over, educated, and in many cases, moved back home with their parents after college--in part due to the economic collapse and there being no jobs, in part due to not having grown up or desiring to not yet take on adult responsibilities, and in part due to their close connections with their parents.


When you are friends with your parents, it is rather hard to be rebellious. And Millennials as a group, therefore, "rebelled" from their parents by being clean cut, non-hippyfied, well educated, and socially responsible young adults.


Indeed, studies show that Millennials have lower drug and alcohol use than their parents' generation, and while sexuality and "friends with benefits" is rampant with apps like Tinder and the delay of marriage, there is even a counter cultural abstinence movement.


So, what is "cool" to this non-rebellious generation? In their article "Millennials and the Changing Meaning of Cool," authors Brett and Kate McKay give these characteristics of what Millennials find to be cool:

• Appealing
• Attractive
• Authentic
• Honest
• Laid-back
• Friendly
• Innovative
• Fun
• Competent
• Contemporary
• Retro (I guess contemporary retro?)
• Unconventional
• Humorous
• Trendy
• Original
• Unique
• Experiential

Millennials tend to value experiences above money and career, as well as work-life balance. They also were raised being told that they were special, being the generation where everyone got a trophy, so the last thing that they want to do is think that they are just letting life pass them by. They want unique experiences that go against the norm, but in a non-rebellious way.


So how does all of this apply to reaching Millennials for Christ? Well, I and many other missional and cultural observers are trying to find this out! Based upon observations, research, and personal experience, I would say the following:

1. To reach Millennials, church leaders need to be authentic. Millennials have been marketed to death, having grown up as the largest generation in history in an explosive media age. So while they still expect messaging to be well done, they will quickly see through mere marketing itself. What does catch their attention is when the real thing is encountered--and usually genuine passion and sacrifice is a sign of authenticity.
2. To reach Millennials, it is helpful for a church to be a little unique in some kind of way. Not going against historic, religious orthodoxy. But perhaps with a unique approach, vision, way of doing things, etc. What is your church's unique vision?
3. To reach Millennials, churches need to combine faith and lifestyle. This might mean, for instance, combining recreational and fun activities--i.e., mountain climbing, video games, etc.,--with devotionals and Bible studies. Certainly it means seeking to eliminate the sacred / secular divide. 
4. To reach Millennials, churches need to be more casual and informal. This goes beyond most people not wearing a suit and tie. Millennials tend to have very casual attitudes about membership--often being a part of multiple churches. Requiring Millennials to be a church member, for instance, before being allowed to go and feed the homeless, is going to be a challenge with this generation.
5. To reach Millennials, churches need to be more experiential. This is how Millennials (and many others) "learn," and it is what helps them come to faith and stay faithful. Worship needs to be experiential, spiritual formation needs to be experiential, and outreach and service needs to be experiential. Rather than just having a study about feeding the homeless, for instance, try studying one week and then going and serving the next--or better yet, go and serve, and having a short devotional on the topic while out serving.
6. To reach Millennials, churches need to give Millennials a cause to care about. Early predictions about Millennials were that they would be as civic-minded as the Greatest Generation. This has not yet proven to be true. However, Millennials do tend to care about social and economic justice, feeding the homeless, the environment, sex trafficking, and other social causes (check out this "Least of These" video of some Millennials in the Washington, D.C., area, who started a ministry for the homeless. Churches and church leaders who truly care about these things often are appealing to Millennials. 

What do you think of the above list? How can we better reach the Millennial generation for Christ?

In Joy Pullman's The Federalist article, "Crossfit Can Never Replace Church." she relates how some Harvard Divinity Students are equating Crossfit--an exercise club--with a religious / church experience, with religious rituals, community, and incorporation of family and children. 

As a sociological analysis, this is interesting, and it indeed fits into other analyses of how church is functioning for huge portions of young people in the US. For instance, Kenda Creasy Dean's work, "Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church" makes the case that one of the reasons that so many young adults leave the church after graduation is that they have not truly been taught Christianity, but Christianity light--something Dean calls "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism" (MTD).

MTD is the idea that (Almost) Christianity basically teaches that the goal of our faith is to be nice people, with little demands or claims on our lives. In this view, the church is but one extra curricular activity among many--easily dropped for more compelling electives when teens leave their Christian sub-culture. The church is replaced with club, sports, school, etc. If this is all the church is, then why could Crossfit not be a church or religious experience?

While as Christians, we intuitively know that this conclusion is wrong, does not a part of us wonder if, in effect, what we or others sometimes experience from church could be experienced elsewhere? After all, you can find a type of community, friends, a place to belong, and cheaper dues elsewhere, right? 

If we think that we could "drop out of church"--as so many do--and not really miss it that much, then are we really "doing church" the right way? The idea that there is "no salvation outside of the church" is not a new one. Note these quotes from Early Church Fathers:

Irenaeus (died A.D. 202):
“[The Church] is the entrance to life; all others are thieves and robbers.” (Against Heresies , Book III)

Origen (died A.D. 254):
“Let no man deceive himself. Outside this house, that is, outside the Church no one is saved.” (In Iesu Nave homiliae )

 Cyprian (died A.D. 258):
“He who has turned his back on the Church of Christ shall not come to the rewards of Christ; he is an alien, a worldling, an enemy. You cannot have God for your Father if you have not the Church for your mother. Our Lord warns us when He says: `he that is not with Me is against Me, and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth.’ Whosoever breaks the peace and harmony of Christ acts against Christ; whoever gathers elsewhere than in the Church scatters the Church of Christ.” 

Of course, biblically, salvation is emphasized as being communal, not mere individualistic. God created and called a people, Israel. Jesus called the disciples to himself, forming a community centered around the cross--he did not just call people to individual salvation. This principle was well illustrated in John's gospel account of Christ's death, in which Jesus told John that his biological mother, Mary, was now John's mother in Christ, and that John was now his mother's son in Christ-(John 19:26-27). The seven ones of Ephesians 4:1f show the common bond that bind all of God's people together--bonds of Spirit, faith, baptism, and more. And the image of the new heaven and new earth in Revelation is that of every nation, tribe, and tongue--a great people together--praising and serving God together (Rev. 5:9; 7:9).

So if the church is an essential part of our salvation, why are so many discarding it--and how do we change this? Here are some thoughts.

1. As the article points out,  we should recognize that there are some who equate clubs to religion or church who may have never experienced the real thing, so they do not really know what it is that they are trying to describe or replace
2. We should emphasize the communal aspect of salvation when sharing the gospel, as well as, as much as possible, share Christ communally with others; if we convert people to an individualistic salvation, then it should not be a surprise that people take their salvation and then go on their merry way--they do not know anything different; and the Christian community is part of the appeal and joys found in Christ and salvation and is often attractive to outsiders; that is why, whenever possible, I seek to share in seeker small groups, so that people can experience this Christian community, which helps them come to faith
3. We should invite non-Christians to experience Christian community through service and worship and the like; this is postmodern culture is highly experiential, and this is often a better way to help people come to believe something than trying to give upfront rational arguments
4. We should seek to be good examples communally for Christ, honoring the Spirit who is among us, for a bad communal witness can be detrimental to others wanting to be a part
5. We should have people share stories and testimonials of how being part of a Christian community has blessed their lives
6. We should teach about the responsibilities that we have as Christians to others in the Christian community, and how our presence or absence affects others
7. We should emphasize Christ in all things; he is still what is most attractive about our faith; a Christian community forms around Christ, rather than the reverse; if we simply market a particular church, rather than promoting Christ and sharing how he is living among us, people can know and sense that and will be turned off

Why is church/Christian community important, and how can we best convey this truth?