Texting. Entitlement. Lack of commitment. Avocado toast.
These are just a few things stereotypically associated with the generation that reached young adulthood in the 21st century, more commonly known as millennials.
In this conversation, Jon Nielson, Cameron Cole, and Kori Porter draw from their experience in campus and youth ministry to counteract some negative stereotypes and emphasize the positives about millennials. For example, millennials value authenticity. Churches can be threatened by the questions millennials ask—or they can view the questions as a welcome opportunity to clarify the church’s teaching. Churches can welcome millennials’ desire to make a difference in the world and to care for the poor and the oppressed.
Christians from older generations may perceive that millennials don’t want to learn from them, but Porter says that’s just not true. Christian young adults are hungry for mentoring and discipleship, but they need older men and women to deliberately step into this role.
Cole appreciates that millennials typically place a high value on community: “The churches in my community that are doing well with millennials are churches that do community really, really well. And so, in that sense, that’s a positive aspect of their ecclesiology. They, a lot of times, see the church as a place where they find community. And that’s something we can really embrace and learn from.”
Listen to this episode of The Gospel Coalition Podcast or watch a video.