Why Millennials Have Left the Institutional Church in Droves

In case you’ve not heard, a recent Pew Study revealed that Millenials are leaving the institutional church in large numbers.

CNN built on it with a leading article called Millennials are Leaving the Church in Droves.

Many of you who are subscribed to this blog are Millennials (20s to mid-30s).

As I’ve traveled the country and spoken in conferences mostly populated with this age group, Millennials have told me the same things when it comes to the reasons why they are “sick of church as we know it.”

Before you read this list, keep in mind that these are Millennials who have left the institutional form of church, but they HAVEN’T left Jesus Christ or the Christian faith.

And many Millennials are content with traditional church.

That said, here are the reasons they gave as to why they are “sick” of the institutional form of church:

1. It’s boring.

2. It operates like a business.

3. It lacks close-knit community.

4. There are too many legalistic, self-righteous people in them.

5. They are trying too hard to be relevant, but have only made “tweaks” to the system.

6. There’s little to no community life outside the building.

7. There’s little to no depth (the pastors seem to just repeat sermons they read or hear).

8. They aren’t teaching how to really know Christ.

9. The pastors are inaccessible, much like celebrities.

10. The people who attend the services aren’t really being changed.

11. They are too political — either embracing the agenda of the progressive left or the conservative right.

12. It’s just an add-on to their already busy lives. It’s not family.

In short, Millennials are looking for authentic community that’s marked by mutual help, mutual encouragement, knowing Christ deeply and in reality, and expressing His love and power collectively.

Awhile back, I delivered a series of highly practical messages that explored these themes to a group of Millennials. And the results were amazing. Click the link and check it out.