Millennials Desire to Connect and Invest

Ed Stetzer post:  Leadership Book Interview: Jess Rainer on The Millennials

Today Jess Rainer is at the blog to discuss The Millennials: Connecting to America's Largest Generation, a book that he co-wrote with Thom Rainer and based on a LifeWay Research project.


Jess is not just an author, but is a friend and team member in a church plant. We are pastors at Grace Church (along with Jimmy Disney and Barry Peters.) So, not only do I believe that he says is good, but I also see he lives what he says.

You can actually get The Millennials as a free download from now through June 20, 2011 at Amazon, B&N, CBD, and iTunes.

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Ed Stetzer: Perhaps unsurprisingly, media was a big influence on this generation. What were some of your conclusions about media use and influence for Millennials, based on your research?

JR: Media and technology are not only a big influence on the Millennials, but my peers (and I) consider technology as vital to our lives. Three out of four Millennials agree that their cell phone is vital to their life. It is an understatement to say media is important to the Millennials. Social media is integrated into the life of a Millennial on a daily basis. It serves as a means of communication.

Forms of communication is changing not only from previous generations, but within the Millennial generation as well. The older group of our respondents differed in preferred communication forms from the younger group. The older group mentioned phone, text, and email as a primary form. The younger group preferred phone and text. The younger Millennials text almost 20 percent more than the older Millennials. Email appears to be loosing ground as a form of communication. I look forward to seeing exactly how this trend continues and how it will impact the workplace.

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ES: Millennials, you say, desperately want to make a difference. What might this look like? Are they confident about their ability to effect change? Why or why not?

JR: Nine out of ten Millennials believe it is their responsibility to make a difference in the world. This difference is propelled by the desire to make an impact on other people. Three out of four Millennials believe it is their role in life to serve others. As mentioned previously, this generation is not beyond being successful and making a good income. But is is their reason for being successful that is different than previous generations. The Baby Boomer generation largely spent their wealth on buying material items. The Millennials are using their extra resources to take trips or setting up a non-profit organizations to help the less fortunate.

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ES: When you interviewed Millennials about religion, you discovered that for most, religion isn't even on their radar screen. Why? Do Millennials believe in God? In heaven? What about prayer?

JR: The involvement and participation in religion continues to decline in every generation. For the Millennials, religion is indeed not on their radar screen. Millennials nominally participate in spiritual activities. 50 percent claim to pray once a week or more. About 25 percent attend a religious service at least once a week. 21 percent read the Bible once a week or more. 15 percent study the Bible once a week or more.

While spiritual activities are low, Millennials do still believe in religious concepts. 45 percent agreed strongly that heaven is a real place. 60 percent believe that hell is a literal place and that Satan is real being. 72 percent agree that God is a real being and not just a concept.

We found numerous statistics about the different activities and beliefs of the Millennials, but there was one that was the most staggering to me. We calculated that roughly 15 percent of Millennials are true Christians. Beyond that only 6 percent of Millennials held to the common beliefs of an Evangelical Christian. Many factors can be attributed to the decline of Evangelical Christians among the generations, but it is clear that Millennials are turned off to organized religion, specifically the church.

ES: What are some of the big turn-offs about organized religion for Millennials?

JR: Seventy percent of Millennials agree that American churches are irrelevant today. It is not only non-Christian Millennials who believe this, but Christian Millennials as well. Instead of looking at what turns away Millennials from the church, allow me to end by sharing what the Millennials say attracts them to church.

In the last chapter of The Millennials, we address how the church has the task of reaching both Christian and non-Christian Millennials. Since non-Christian Millennials compromise approximately 85 percent of the generation, let's briefly look at what attracts this group to church. It is important to note that the Millennial generation is not opposed to church, but rather, indifferent towards the church.

The first step in bringing America's largest generation to church is to invite them. Millennials are very social. A simply invite from a friend can often make a large impact. It is also important to connect the Millennials with their Christian parents. As mentioned before, parents play a large role in the Millennials' lives. Millennials' parents can make a large, positive impact for the church. There has to be an outward focus. Millennials want to see churches who are serving others, reaching their communities, and making an impact across the globe. An inward focused church will not attract Millennials. Additionally, leaders of the church must display transparency, humility, and integrity.

Churches must start demonstrating the deep meaning of following Christ. "Church-as-usual" is not effective in reaching this large portion of the American population. Millennials desire to connect and invest their lives in something that is bigger than themselves. They want to have a radical lifestyle. And there's nothing more radical than a true follower of Christ.