How can we reach Millennials for Christ? Frank Powell has written an article called, “10 Reasons Churches Are Not Reaching Millennials”. The problem for me is that I found very little that I can agree with in his article. I have four children who born between the years 1982 thru 1992. All four of them are Millennials and all four of them are still in the Church. More importantly I believe that they all are born again Christians.

I understand Powell’s concern for the age group that he is part of and attempting to minister to. For the most part this generation lies outside of the safety zone of Salvation found only through the blood of Jesus Christ and a repentant heart culminating in a born again experience. In other words, they are lost and headed for hell. The dramatic exit of this age group from the Church accents the real issue that is a lot broader than just one age group. The Church is not reaching any age group as effectively as they have in past generations.

I wish that I could be as optimistic as Powell is with this statement: “Many people are pessimistic about Millennials, but I believe the next generation is poised to transform the culture (and the world) for the good.” The ten reasons that he gives for Churches not reaching Millennials give good reason to view his statement with skepticism. It is easy to look back at the last generation and find fault, because the effects of their actions or inactions have come to fruition. Most of my generation has not effectively reached the next generation. It is important that we make some changes if we are going to win people to Christ. Churches are closing at an alarming rate. About 75% of children raised in Church have left the Church. God alone only know how many of the other 25% are actually born again. The Church is failing not only in evangelizing their world but failing internally to preserve the next generation of their own people.

Powell and I agree that we are not attracting Millennials like we should, but I am afraid that we strongly disagree on the reasons for this. He makes this statement: “There are churches, however, that are thriving with Millennials, and if you did some investigation I believe you would find similar results, regardless of the church locale.” I know that there are churches thriving with Millennials, but the ones I know about are not spiritually healthy if we measure them by the Word of God.

Let’s look at Powell’s reasons why we are not attracting Millennials. I would perfer to examine these claims closely considering what the Bible actually teaches, but I am afraid few people would have the patience to consider all the ramifications of such claims. I will attempt to comment briefly hoping that you will consider the fact that simple truths can be and should be examined in great depth by those who declare them. Powell is generalizing and categorizing large groups of people that are often very diverse so we need to keep that in mind as we look at these issues and the truth of his claims.

Powell is a Millennial and attempts to speak for them. I was born in 1952, son of preacher, and been active in my denomination all of my life. I obviously have a different perspective and view these things, from a broader time frame. Regardless of our different perspectives we need to consider these claims in light of God’s Word. When we are considering the direction of the Church, it’s methodology and practice, we need to first consider who’s church it is. Our goal must remain fixed that we are to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, making disciples of Christ Himself.

Excerpts from Powell’s article are in red.

1) There is a strong resistance to change.
The next generation doesn’t understand why churches refuse to change a program, activity or even an entire culture if they aren’t effective. Millennials don’t hold traditions close to their heart. In fact, for many (myself included) traditions are often the enemy because many churches allow traditions to hinder them from moving forward.

Is this right? Maybe. Maybe not. But it is a reality nonetheless. One that must be understood.

Millennials are tired of hearing the phrase “this is how we have always done it.” That answer is no longer acceptable. Millennials want to change the world. Many times traditions hold them back from this. Change is necessary to remain focused on the vision and be externally focused, among many other things. The next generation understands this.

There are a lot of reasons for strong resistance to change. There can also be strong reason that change needs to take place. To address the issue of change as a one way street is to ignore the fact that there was usually a reason why things were done a certain way. Traditions have a beginning point, a point in time when they were the change. Traditions usually start out with a distinct purpose. Traditions are merely a means to pass on truths to the next generation. If that tradition is teaching something that is not true then it should be eliminated. But if the purpose of that tradition is to pass on an important eternal truth, then there are two ways in which we can proceed and preserve that truth. Either we enlighten people of what the tradition teaches or we can establish another way in which to teach that truth.

I grew up in the 60’s and watched my generation throw out all the rules, before eventually moderating. Then in the following decades I watched the Church in America do the same. From this perspective I don’t get the same impression as Powell. I have witnessed dramatic change in the culture and the Church. Much of the change has not been good or productive.

Powell sees resistance to change as a force holding the Church back. I often see his generation’s insistence on change somewhat as Jesus described His generation.

“16 ¶ “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other [children,] 17 and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’” (Mt 11:16-17 NAS95)

If you were to step back in time with me and enter the church of my childhood you would see a dramatic difference from the same church today. What happened? Everything changed.

2) A compelling vision is lacking or nonexistent.
If creating an environment totally void of the next generation is your goal, especially those with any initiative and talent, refuse to cast vision in your church. That will drive Millennials away faster than the time I saw a rattlesnake in the woods and screamed like a girl. Don’t judge me. I hate snakes … and cats.

It baffles me when a church doesn’t value vision and planning. In no other arena of life do we refuse to vision and plan, but for some reason the church is different.

If your vision doesn’t compel, move or stir people, your vision is too small. —Craig Groeschel

Millennials will not invest in a church that refuses to dream big because they see example after example of an infinitely powerful God doing amazing things through normal people. You might think they are naive, but most Millennials don’t believe they have to wait until they receive a certain degree or reach a certain age to start nonprofits, plant churches or lead businesses.

So, go ahead and believe “the Spirit is supposed to guide us, not a man-made vision” or just allow sheer laziness to lead the way, but your church will continue to be void of the next generation

I remember reading the back of our denominational publication in 1980. The title of the article read, “Fastest Growing Denomination in America”. Today the majority of our congregations are in decline. What happened? From the humble beginnings in the early 1900’s the vision of those early founders spread to every community in America, with a missions outreach that would eventually encompass millions of believers. That vision was to reach the world for Jesus Christ. That vision wasn’t a new one, but a renewed focus on the commission that Christ gave the Church. What compelled, moved, and stirred the people was a renewed faith in the power of the Gospel to save.

It was faith that exercised itself in obedience to the Word of God that made this vision come alive. It was not a new vision, but it was renewed in the hearts of believers when God blessed their acts of obedience. Change happened in every area of Christians life and reflected itself in changes throughout the Church.

It’s not simply a compelling vision that is necessary, for I have seen stadiums full of self-centered people who don’t seem to have a clue what the Gospel is all about. It needs to be God’s vision of people being delivered from sin that we need to embrace. Millennials seem to have abandoned God’s vision and seek to substitute it with their own. Powell almost seems to mock the concept that unless the Lord build the house the builders build it in vain.

I believe in dreaming big, but I would rather have a handful of people who have experienced the new birth and are bound for heaven, than a stadium full of people who have not been born again, but are deceived into thinking they are on their way to heaven. After all, Jesus took a handful of people empowered by the Holy Spirit and turned the World upside down.

4) There is a paternalistic approach to leading Millennials.
This is one I have experienced personally. If you want to push the next generation away from your church, don’t release them to lead. Simply giving them a title means nothing. Titles are largely irrelevant to the next generation. They want to be trusted to fulfill the task given to them. If you micromanage them, treat them like a child or refuse to believe they are capable of being leaders because of their age and lack of experience, wisdom, etc., they will be at your church for a short season.

Millennials will not allow age to keep them from leading … and leading well. If you refuse to release them to lead, the next generation will quickly find another church or context where they can use their talents and gifts to their full capacity.

What generation has not felt this way at times? Occasionally it is actually true. Young people need to be pulled into leadership while they are still young. But that does not mean that you turn the leadership of the Church over to them. Respect works both ways. There are reasons sometimes Millennials are treated this way. If you take someone who by age 20 had taken on the responsibilities of a family, and then consider their view of this generation that includes people still living with their parents playing video games 8 hours a day at 35 years old. Maybe then you can understand why some go overboard being paternalistic.

Of course being paternalistic is wrong. Young people need to be engaged and given responsibility and be made accountable. But it would be equally wrong to turn them loose without oversight. We all need to accept accountability to each other as we seek together to fulfill the vision of God for the Church.

5) There is a pervasive insider-focused mentality.
Traditional or contemporary worship? High church or low church? A plurality of elders, board of directors or staff-led church? While past generations invested a lot of time in these discussions, most Millennials see these conversations as sideways energy. There might be a time and place for talking about acapella versus instrumental or high church versus low church, but the time is very rarely and the place is not from a pulpit or in a small group.

Millennials won’t attend churches that answer questions nobody is asking.
When the faithful saturate their schedules with Christian events at Christian venues with Christian people, the world has a hard time believing we hold the rest of the world in high esteem. —Gabe Lyons

What is important to Millennials? How a church responds to the lost in the world, both locally and globally. How a church responds to the poor, homeless, needy and widowed. If you want to ensure your church has very few Millennials, answer the questions nobody is asking, spend most of your resources on your building, and have programs that do little to impact anybody outside the church walls.

The next generation is pessimistic toward institutions … the church included. Millennials are not going to give their time and resources to a church that spends massive amounts of money on inefficient and ineffective programs.

Church leaders can get mad or frustrated about this, or they can consider changing things. Churches who value reaching the next generation emphasize the latter.

Powell touches on several issues here under the heading of insider-focused mentality. The either or mentality can be just as bad. It is true the God’s vision for the Church is to reach the World with the Gospel. But if we stop there we miss the rest of the instructions that God commissioned the Church to do. Teaching people to do all that Christ commanded is also part of our mission. Our internal ministry is to equip the saints for ministry. If we do the internal correctly the external will take place. If we just focus on the external we will make a mess of things. I think I understand Powell’s concern and it is easy to find our comfort zone and become internalized, which will eventually end in the demise of the Church.

Millennial Churches are focused on worship and connecting with the culture. They are sometimes strong on feeding the hungry and building relationships with the world. But they are weak on discipleship and teaching the unadulterated Word of God. Powell says that Millenials won’t attend a church that answers questions nobody is asking. I contend that Millenials won’t ask questions that they don’t want answered. This leads to a church that lacks answers to the important issues that are essential for us to walk holy before the Lord our God. Feeding the hungry is good. But lifting them from poverty of soul and spirit is better. Offering them freedom from the bonds of sin is essential if we are to share full gospel of deliverance to them.

Millennials are pessimistic about institutions … the Church included. But their answer is always change, and they emphasize change. You don’t have to be a Millennial to want to change something that is inefficient or simply not working. But the emphasis on change often bypasses an analysis of the change. Often the change that is needed is to go back to the basics.

6) Transparency and authenticity are not high values.
Despite what I often hear, most Millennials value transparency and authenticity. If your church portrays a “holier than thou” mentality and most of the sermons leave everyone feeling like terrible people, your church will be largely devoid of the next generation.

Why? Because the next generation knows something the church has largely denied for a long time … church leaders are not in their position because they are absent of sin, temptations or failures. Millennials have seen too many scandals in the church (i.e., Catholic church scandal) and witnessed too many instances of moral failures among prominent Christian leaders.

Millennials are not looking for perfect people … Jesus already handled that. Millennials are looking for people to be real and honest about struggles and temptations.

Transparency and authenticity are a must for God’s Church. Hypocrisy is not a virtue. But every believer should have the goal to live and holy life before God and man. The Scripture assures us that if we will walk in the Spirit we will not fulfill the deeds of the flesh. Scripture tells us that Christ died to free us from the bondage of sin. We are supposed to live righteously and the Scripture tells that by the power of the Holy Spirit we can do that.

If I teach what Paul taught in his letters, does that make people uncomfortable? If by the power of the Spirit I experience victory over sin and testify of this mercy God has granted me, does that reveal a holier than thou mentality? Does Powell have faith enough to believe what the Scriptures declare, that we can not only be saved from the consequences of sin but also the bondage of sin. Can God only save us from big sins like murder and be helpless to save us from lying and cheating? When God says be holy as I am holy, is He just kidding? Can we as believer live up to the greeting of “Saints”? Or will transparency reveal that we do not have faith that God has the power to save and keep us?

It is true we cannot and should not expect to find a church full of perfect people. For the only way to become a Christian is to be born again and we all start as babes in Christ. But the word perfect in the Scripture is referring to becoming complete or mature and that is God’s goal for each one of His children. But if a man is in leadership, according to the scripture he should have achieved a level of maturity in his faith in God that he is an example of one diligently striving for the mark. Transparency reveals authenticity.

God did not lower the bar for this generation or any other one. What He offers us is wonderful beyond our imagination. But He requires our faith and trust that if we follow Him He will make us to become people who walk by faith, righteous and loving etc..

We need to be honest about our struggles with temptation. John talks about if we sin. Thank God we can find forgiveness. But real encouragement comes from learning that we can be and can live victorious. What kind of encouragement is it if I am told that I will never have victory over sin? Just as failure should not be reason to lose hope. Victory should not be a reason for despair. The Church desperately needs teaching in this area.

7) Mentoring is not important.
This is a common misconception about Millennials. While they do not like paternalistic leadership, they place a high value on learning from past generations. I have a good friend who lives in Jackson, Tenn., and he occasionally drives to Nashville (two hours away) to sit at the feet of a man who has mentored him for years. He does this because his mentor has knowledge my good friend highly values.

He is not an exception. I have driven as far as Dallas to spend a weekend with a family I love and respect. I had no other reason for going than to watch how they parent and let this man give me nuggets of wisdom on following Jesus and loving others. Many might think this is ridiculous, but this is what makes Millennials unique.
They value wisdom and insight. It is a valuable treasure, and they will travel long distances to acquire it.

Millennials aren’t standoffish toward those who have gone before us. They place a high value on learning. But they want to learn from sages, not dads. If your church is generationally divided and refuses to pour into the next generation, you can be sure your church will not attract Millennials.

It is hard to find a better example of a win – win situation than the practice of mentoring. My dad shared with me how that as a young minister he sought out close friendships with older men in the faith, and as he grew older he drew young men into his circle. He said that it was beneficial to both parties. What really is going to make this work though is if when the mentoring takes place that both parties recognize the Word of God as the ultimate authority. Millennials have been flooded with information all their lives. God’s Word is not like the rest of the information they have been gathering. It is not assimilated in sound bites. Every word is significant. The cut and paste version of the Bible will not provide the knowledge or wisdom that is necessary. I believe God intended for us to learn from each other through the sharing of God’s Word.

I wish that I could believe what Powell says about Millennial being willing and eager for a mentoring experience. If it were true it would help to narrow the gap that has developed between generations in the Church.

8) Culture is viewed as the enemy.
Millennials are tired of the church viewing the culture as the enemy. Separationist churches that create “safe places” for their members, moving away from all the evil in the city, are unlikely to attract the next generation. The next generation is trying to find ways to engage the culture for the glory of God.

The next Christians believe that Christ’s death and Resurrection were not only meant to save people FROM something. He wanted to save Christians TO something. —Gabe Lyons

Millennials are increasingly optimistic about the surrounding culture because this is the model of Jesus. He loves all types of people, does ministry in the city and engages the culture. They also know the church does not stand at the cultural center anymore.

In past generations, preachers could stand in pulpits and lecture about the evils of the culture because the church shaped the culture. Today, this is not true.
The goal of Christian living isn’t to escape the evils of the culture and finish life unharmed. To reach people today, the church must be immersed in the community for the glory of God.

Wow! Does Powell understand what he has just said? Culture is the enemy of the Christian! Of course we are talking about the culture of the world. A few years ago the American culture was much more supportive of Christianity. Today it is in all out war against Christianity. Lets interject a little truth here from the Word of God.

“15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and [also] its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” (1Jo 2:15-17 NAS95)

Millennials are tired of the Church viewing the culture as the enemy? The Church needs to view things as God views them. Paul talks about our battle not being against flesh and blood, simply because it is people we are try to save. But there is a real battle and it is against those ideas and lies that have been inspired by Satan. Jesus stood in opposition to the culture of his day. Often that culture masks itself behind good works and religiosity, but it is rooted in rebellion against God.

“Separatist Churches”? For the most part monasteries are a thing of the past. So is he really criticizing churches as “safe places”? I would have the opposite criticism, that they are no longer safe places. I of course am now talking about the place we meet and teach the Word of God. This should be a safe place to nurture God’s Children, a place that is free of the philosophy of the World and the deceptions of the evil one.

Powell mixes the Churches ministry for the edification of the Saints and our ministry toward the World all together. The admonition from the Scripture is that we are in the World but not of the World.

“Millennials are increasingly optimistic about the surrounding culture because this is the model of Jesus. He loves all types of people, does ministry in the city and engages the culture.”

To compare the culture to the model of Jesus just seem blasphemous to me. The only similarity I see is that Jesus engaged people where they were. A careful analysis would show a dramatic difference between the ministry of Jesus and the culture’s attempt to minister. The culture divides people, celebrates diversity, encourages sinful behavior, hates truth, justifies evil, etc., etc.. I could go on and on with this list, but basically the culture keeps people in bondage, whereas Jesus seeks to set people free.

Jesus loves all people, period. The culture types them and categorizes them. Jesus message to the LGBT crowd is the same as His message to the self-righteous religious people; “repent”. Jesus loves people enough that He clearly told them that they are already condemned and destined for damnation, but that He had come to save them and lay down His life for them. Jesus not only confirmed the commandments as necessary for righteousness, but took them further. Not only should we not commit adultery, but we should not even consider it in our minds.

In past generations, preachers could stand in pulpits and lecture about the evils of the culture because the church shaped the culture. Today, this is not true.

How sad! The Church is no longer shaping the culture, but is being shaped by the culture. Thank God that there are still preachers issuing that warning from God, urging people to repent and turn from their wicked ways and seek God.

John the Baptist went forth preaching repentance. Jesus went forth preaching repentance. Jesus disciples went forth preaching repentance. Jesus instructed his Church to go forth preaching repentance. When did the message from God change? It did not.

The goal of Christian living isn’t to escape the evils of the culture and finish life unharmed. To reach people today, the church must be immersed in the community for the glory of God.

What does Powell think the goal is? As Paul concludes his letter to the Thessalonians he pens these words: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1Th 5:23 AV)

Paul’s prayer is that believers be completely set apart from the culture, and that every aspect of them, body, soul, and spirit be preserved free from sin until Jesus comes back. How is that for vision and confidence in the power of the Gospel to save and to keep.

The Church is to engage a culture that is opposed to it. But we are to engage it in such a way that the people recognize the love of God and are drawn out of that culture. History has shown that when the Church distinguishes itself from the World that even the culture is tempered by the standards of righteousness presented with love. Has the Church lost its faith in the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

9) Community is not valued.
This might be the greatest value of Millennials. Community is a non-negotiable part of their lives. And they aren’t looking for another group of people to watch the Cowboys play football on Sunday … the next generation desires a Christ-centered community. They value a community that moves beyond the surface and asks the hard questions.

Community keeps Millennials grounded and focused. Community challenges them to reach heights never imagined alone. Jesus lived in community with 12 men for most of His earthly ministry. Jesus spent a lot of His time pouring into people. Community isn’t an optional part of a Millennial’s life … it is essential.

Personally, I have seen the value of community on so many levels. Without authentic Christian community, I wouldn’t be in full-time ministry today. I wouldn’t have overcome serious sins and struggles. I wouldn’t have been challenged to live fully for God.

In a culture becoming increasingly independent and disconnected, Millennials model something important for the church. There is power in numbers. As an African proverb states, “If you want to go fast, go ALONE. If you want to go far, go TOGETHER.”

Community is fundamental to God’s Church. It is also a human desire. You can have community without God. But the ideal is that we are so close and tight knit that we fit the Scriptural description of being a body. Most important in that description is that Christ is the head.

Millennials are not alone in their desire for community. But they do seem to be very critical of the decreasing intimacy in many churches today. For the most part they have contributed greatly to that decrease intimacy. There are a lot of factors that we could talk about that have contributed to this trend, but the withdrawal and segregation of this generation from the time they were children has contributed greatly to where we are today.

It has been said the when parents picked up their children from Sunday School they used to ask them what they had learned that day. Then, sometime in the early 1960’s something changed and when they picked up their children they would ask them if they had had fun. The emphasis changed from learning to fun, from learning to entertainment. Increasingly at this same time families were more likely to be fractured by divorce and divisions. A lot of things were happening at this time that contributed to a culture in which the parents were turning over the discipline and education of their children to institutions. As the pressures of society began to take its toll on the Church, community began to fade and in desperation to compete with the world the Church added programs and entertainment.

It is not surprising in view of our present world that Millennials would desperately be desiring community. Many of them have experienced dysfunctional families and churches. History shows us that creating community is not good enough. We need to create Godly community, a body which includes all of its members and has for its head, Jesus the Christ.

10) The church is a source of division and not unity.
Nothing frustrates Millennials more than a church that doesn’t value unity. Jesus’ final recorded prayer on earth in John 17 has been preached for years. What many churches miss is one of the central themes in that prayer … unity.

On four separate occasions, Jesus explicitly prays for unity. It was important to him. He brought together tax collectors and Zealots (just do some research if you want to know how difficult it would have been to bring these groups together). He brought people together. This is why places like coffee shops are grounds (like my pun?) for a lot of Millennials. They want to be in environments where everyone feels welcomed and accepted.

Churches that value racial, generational and socio-economic unity will attract Millennials. Why? The gospel is most fully reflected when all of these groups are brought together, and most of them are just crazy enough to believe the power of the Spirit is sufficient to make it happen.

“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” (Joh 17:21 AV)

If you think Millennials are frustrated, how do you think God feels. But God sees this issue of unity far differently than Millennials do. Often Millennials feel that unity is achieved by supporting a group that they are not a part of. Like a white man supporting “Black Lives Matter”. Or maybe it is that coffee shop atmosphere of everyone being on equal ground. But more often than not the coffee shop is more a “live and let live” attitude than one of true unity. That environment where everybody feels welcomed and accepted is the utopia the world promises, but so far has never been able to provide. The coffee shop picture may be somewhat of how God sees us, all on equal ground, sinners headed to hell.

But when God shows up the potential for unity finally exists. The unity that we can find in Him requires our willingness to follow Him. He unifies us in purpose. Our physical characteristics may differ, our talents, our interest, and our functions, but we are unified in purpose. We must be born again to fit in, for this is family unity. We are united by blood.

It has been said that the road to hell is paved with good intention. We should desire to include everyone. We should want to make everyone feel welcomed and accepted. But we need to understand the truth of God and recognize that there is only one way to God and the acceptance and unity that follows. Without repentance and the commitment to make Jesus Christ Lord and Savior, a person cannot be unified with the believers.

We can create a church where everyone who enters feels welcomed and accepted, comfortable and at home. We can sing songs and preach sermons that are good and Scriptural and never offend or cause anyone guilt or grief. We can inspire people to be nicer. We can feed the poor. We can do all of these things and still not accomplish His purpose.

We are talking about unity, but there will never be true unity until we are united in Christ. He who was heralded be the angels as the Prince of Peace also had these words to say: “34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 “For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; 36 and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD. 37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.” (Mt 10:34-39 NAS95)

We can and must stand in the coffee shop of life and equally appeal to every living soul, declaring the whosoever will may come. But we must lay out the path clearly before them in which there is no variance. You must be born again to experience the utopia that only God can offer. You must let go of your sins, forsake your life and follow Him.

How do we reach Millennials?

There has never been a generation of children in the Church that has been catered to more than this group we call Millennials. It’s not that their parents weren’t spoiled rotten, because they were. But it seems that they did an even worse job than their parents when it came to raising kids. Even the Church tried to provide for them anything and everything that might make them happy. Of course the roots of these misguided attempts to make them happy go back a lot further in history.

We shouldn’t belittle the magnitude of the task before us if we intend to reach this generation for Christ. There are obstacles’ we must overcome that are different than in recent generations. Fundamentally the problem is the age old problem of sin and man’s rebellion to God. But the culture has changed dramatically. It seems almost like it changed overnight, but I know better. The warning signs have been popping up all along. Satan has been chipping away at the Godly foundation of America for a long time. That is why it has been possible for him to fundamentally transform America in less than a decade from a Christian nation to a pagan nation. Of course when I speak of a Christian nation I am not talking about a nation of all Christians, I am talking about a nation from which the Light of Christ shines brightly, like a city on a hill.

Examining how we got here may be helpful so that we don’t make the same mistakes again. But let’s just focus for a few minutes and ask the question; How do we reach Millennial for Christ?

Most Millennials are in two groups. The largest by far are the unchurched. The smaller group is the Millennial Church that Powell speaks for. There is a smaller group that I would categorize as those of that age group that are part of the traditional church. The last group is desperately in need of sound Biblical teaching. The other two groups for the most part are in need to be reached with the Gospel.

We do need to get to know Millennials, where they are, what they think, why they think it. Because it is necessary to meet people where they are. The mentality (or way in which they think) of the Millennial church is closer to the mentality of the majority of Millennials than it is to my way of thinking. You may think that it should be the other way around since all proclaiming Christians have the Bible as their foundation. But when you consider that regardless of their parents beliefs (Christian or non-Christian) most children have received the same education. Public education for this age group was secular. Morals were defined by the school system. More often than not they were taught what to think, not how to think. They view life through this lens, rather than a Biblical lens.

How do I know this? By reading articles like this one from Powell and examining their other writings. Even more telling is how they live their lives. How they view sin. What they think is important. And how they want to change the Church.

I wish that there was a magic formula that I could proclaim and simply say; This is how you can reach Millennials. I can tell you how to reach people with the Gospel though, and Millennials are people. This is not a new way, but simply what God has asked us to do. Go and tell them. And then if they will accept the way of the Lord, then teach them to observe all that Jesus commanded us.

“For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not [come to] know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.” (1Co 1:21 NAS95)

Or as the King James version states: through the foolishness of preaching … But Paul did not stop here. He goes on to say in a few verses:

“Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1Co 1:25 NAS95)

I think that the majority of Millennials in this once Christian nation have never really heard the Gospel. In spite of the fact that there has never been as many ways to communicate as there is today it is extremely difficult to reach them with this message. The hardest part seems to be getting them to listen. There are a lot of voices out there competing for their ear.

So when we are talking about reaching this generation it boils down to getting their attention and keeping their attention long enough for them to adequately here the Gospel. If you have tried to do this you will understand how big this challenge is that we face. Every generation has a window of opportunity when this task is not as difficult. As we are ignoring this window with the next generation we will lose them too. Our founding father wisely recognized this when they founded this Nation when they instituted public education. The focus was of course on teaching the principles of God’s Word from God’s Word. Hitler understood this when he said if I can capture the youth I can transform the nation.

The Church thought that it could hold onto it’s youth by not boring them with the fundamentals of Christianity. Just keep them happy and entertained and they will love you. How well has that worked? Competing with the World on their turf was a losing game. As our nation divorced itself from Christianity, it was like two parents competing for the love of the children by giving them anything and everything they asked for. The spoiled generation that resulted we call Millennials.

So what is the best method, mine or Powell’s? Rick Warren, one of America’s most inspirational pastors, went to the people, asked them what they wanted the church to be like, and then gave it to them. Rick can preach some very inspirational sermons, but when it comes to laying out the path to citizenship in heaven he has compromised in a lot of areas. But he does have a full church.

My way doesn’t seem to be as effective. I believe we need to preach the Gospel Jesus preached, the strait gate and the narrow way. A gospel that requires that we conform to the way, not expecting the way to conform to our wishes. The Church then looks to Jesus as our Lord and Savior, not as our servant and whipping boy. The member are then filled with God’s vision and purpose. The congregation may be smaller but it is solid. Nothing can move it because it is founded on truth. People who do it God’s way produce an attractive lifestyle, because we are filled with love and joy. But it has always been an exclusive way because you have to enter through the door, and not everyone is willing to conform.

Do we want to include everyone? Of course. We need to strive with all our might to bring them to the door. But we can’t tear out the walls to become more inclusive as Powell has suggested. Listen to what he says. If you want to reach us you have become like this as a Church. You have to let us lead. Somewhere I missed that in my Bible reading.

Powell’s list is for bringing people into an organization, not ushering them into the Kingdom of Heaven. Those instruction are found in the Bible. In times past the Church sought to equip themselves to reach people with the Gospel through the study of God’s Word and Prayer. Today the Church is looking to the World to get insight into how to reach people with the Gospel. The answers we are getting cannot be categorized as “wisdom from above”. Much emphasis is being place on building relationships and understanding the culture. These things in themselves seem to be very good. But the fact remains that we will not build the proper relationship if we do not understand God’s wisdom on what that relationship should be. We will not really understand this culture unless we are able to view it from God’s perspective.

In Conclusion

As the word count tops 7,000 for this document I realize that I have not been successful in keeping it brief. Yet it feels like I have only superficially touched on this important issue of how to reach people with the Gospel. Simple math tells us that the Church today is not effective in reaching people with the Gospel. You are confronted with two different ideas of how we can again become effective. Powell says we need to change because the way we have always done it won’t work anymore. I contend that the only way that will accomplish God’s purpose is to do it His way, a way that has not changed. I contend that there are two main reasons that the Church is not effective today. First because we are not doing it like has been effective in times past. Secondly God’s method is not effective unless those presenting the Gospel have fully embraced it and are living in obedience to Him.

If I am correct, then the only logical answer is that the Church is in desperate need of revival. Those who are called by God’s name need to repent and commit their way to the Lord. The Church needs to sanctify itself and allow God to wash it by the cleansing of the Word of God. The Church needs to humbly commit themselves in faith and confidence in the Word of God, which is the only source of wisdom.

A Church that is faithful to faith of Jesus Christ will be effective in any time and place. A authentic trust worthy people empowered by the Holy Spirit will be able to penetrate even our present generational barriers. This doesn’t mean we don’t use modern tools, like video, internet, or whatever. What it means is that the message is unchanged and resounds as clearly as it did when the Apostles first preached it. Neither does it mean that there won’t be people who find our message as a stumbling block, or others that declare that it is mere foolishness.

God never changes. People are still people, sin is still sin. Jesus is Salvation and His purpose is to redeem us, cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and preserve us in holiness. Time does change and we are closer to the time of the end. We better start paying attention to what God is saying to the Churches. Repent, or I will remove your candlestick.

Bob Gunderson