Bob's Blog

Here is part 2 of a three part series on how a younger generation of Christians are shaping the Church for the future.

• Culturally Relevant - This phrase seems to be over used and therefore misused at times. A culturally relevant Millennial church will reflect who they are as a Millennial generation in the context of their community. Whether that community is from the urban streets of south-side Chicago, or a picturesque suburb in Charlotte, North Carolina, to a small town in southwestern Arizona, to be relevant is to be the Church wherever you are planted.
• Experiential - Postmodern believers experience God. There are dangers with only having an "experiential" relationship with God, but the main thought here is that they not only want to understand Him but to know Him relationally. Remember that relationships are key for this group and very much a part of how they connect with God.
• Organic - This might not be as unique to this generation as some of the previous characteristics, but organic simply means that they are into the "ebb" and "flow" of life. Sometimes this is manifested in spontaneous gatherings for fellowship or the abrupt shutting down of a ministry. Are they uncommitted? Do they lack responsibility? No. They are like an amoeba that is there, gathers, forms into shape, splits, and is no longer there. Organic.
• Leading Together - Although they do recognize leadership abilities and gifts in people, they tend to lead as a group. They share in the responsibilities of a project or give way to another strengths when the situation calls for it. That's why you won't see a pastor addressed as the Senior Pastor but instead will see titles such as Architect, Lead Pastor, Designer, and other names that denote leading within a creative community.

I teach a seminar on Millennials and their influence on the local church. Recently, I've been focusing on church plants or 'campus-based" churches by younger Christians, which is new within the Body. Only in ten years have we started to see churches being planted by twenty-something Millennials. As I observe these churches, a few characteristics pop out for me. These churches are:

• Passionate About the Bible - They desire to understand their faith and how it relates to their world. It's not surprising to see mid-week or weekend studies that cover a book of the Bible.
• Engaging the World - Their ministries tend to be outward focused, especially within their community. Many are involved in city services such as a teen program or a helps organization.
• Highly Relational - Communities of friendships are their main source of network. It's not only a social web for them but a way that they can express the Gospel to those unfamiliar to the Church.
• Participatory in Worship - They are not passive when they worship together. Many gatherings have a space and time for prayer (stations to kneel, stand or sit), communion (the band leads in worship to allow freedom to go and partake when you are ready), Scripture reading (as a projector posts the Scripture on a screen), and other acts of worship.
• Made Up of a Community of Small Groups - Although they like small intimate groups (house churches, small group studies, etc...), they still want the ministries a "large" church can offer. That's why the Sunday morning (or Saturday evening) gathering is their celebration time (visitors, seekers, disciples, etc...), while their smaller gatherings (homes, campus, a bar, etc...) are where the main Body comes together.

Next week will continue with part two of How A Younger Christian Generation Is Shaping the Church.

In today's world, trends and movements come and go like LA sports fans. When a team in LA is hot, everyone is on board, but once it starts to cool off, LA fans look for what is next on the horizon. I watched a TV program that focused on how some young people (twenty-something) are now turning against such Millennial icons, like Facebook and text messaging. "It's almost like this game we play," commented this one student. "I mean be serious; do you really have that many friends?" The backlash is that many older Millennials (early to mid twenties) are looking for depth in their world. Some have closed their laptops for a few hours (they call it going "topless") just so that they can connect with people that are in the same room with them. Cell phones are turned off because there's this feeling that they've have lost the "know how" to communicate face to face, even to allow silence between friends to exist in a conversation. It's not so much a rebellion against shallowness but a desperate reaching out to connect in a deeper way with life, something that many twenty-somethings feel they have lost.

This brings us to a change I've noticed in talking with young Christians - the growing restlessness they feel with the Emergent movement. That stirring has to do more with the teachings of some of Emergent's leadership (as I do as well) than is does with the movement itself. Kevin DeYoung, a 30-year-old pastor at University Reformed Church in Lansing, Michigan, and Ted Kluck, author of three books and articles for ESPN and Sports Spectrum, have co-authored Why We're Not Emergent, a very entertaining and insightful book on the problems with the movement. What I like about the book, besides agreeing with many of their points on the dangers of Emergent, is that their perspective comes from the viewpoint of a younger generation (Kluck is 31). Instead of coming from the outside in to a generation of twenty-somethings, they see life from the same cultural level as Millennials, and they have some compelling arguments as to why Emergent does not satisfy the soul for this generation. It's a new and fresh read on a controversial topic that brings new insights for its readers, mainly because the two writers mesh their strengths together (DeYoung brings his pastoral/theological background while Kluck adds an "everyman" view) to make this a great book. They share some funny stories, as well as strong biblical thought for those looking for a fair critique on Emergent. Take a break from your laptop and pick up the book.