Sunday mornings look more like Wednesday nights every month for several reasons, primarily because of Millennials leaving the Church.
These are today’s core generation, born between 1981 and 1996 (27 to 42 years old). They are parents and professionals, decision-makers and order-takers. In churches of any denomination, these are the people most pastors are working to reach because they represent the present and the future. And those are the people who are losing interest in “organized religion,” otherwise known as “Church.”
A recent Pew Research poll shares that four of 10 Millennials say they are “religiously unaffiliated.” To further underscore the problem of Millennials leaving the Church, 50% of this generation are just as likely to “have no religion” as they are to claim “being a Christian.” This is not good for the sustainability of the many churches nationwide.
While this largest of U.S. generations (21.67% of the country) are finding more personally fulfilling things to do on Sundays, it’s the why that should alarm all generations of Christians because the fault lies at our feet. But so does the solution.
Life Happens
There are serious reasons why Millennials leaving the Church should be alarming (we’re getting to those). However, there are some life reasons that pastors need to understand and continue to adapt for outreach. Although some of these life reasons may not affect you personally, they affect someone.
Three simple reasons to explain the dwindling membership and attendance at church are:
Blended Families
If a Millennial has been divorced and remarried or is single and working on co-parenting, there is no way a child in that parent’s home will be at church consistently. There are shared responsibilities and a child’s visiting schedule to consider. Usually, where the child goes, the parents follow.
Necessary Ministries
Speaking of kids, how are those children or youth ministries looking out there? It’s unfortunate because budgets are a thing, but the days of puppet shows at the Old Rugged Cross are gone. They want entertainment and multimedia attractions. By the way, so do the young parents in the “big people church.”
Dwindling Salaries
Everything costs more these days. Approximately 8.4 million people have more than one job. That’s time away on the weekends or nights, which cuts out at church. As long as your YouTube messages are posted regularly, they’ll continue to be there–if anything, online.
Now, let’s look at the reasons most of those critical people cite as valid reasons for their absence from church or Christianity.
Millennials Leaving the Church Because of the Church
It’s the new exodus, a mass retreat from the hospital for the sinner. People of all generations are leaving the Church, but those Millennials will let you know why. Some people tip out of service and are never heard from again. Others never make it to the doors in the first place.
Church can be an acquired taste.
Trust
Along with decreased trust in religion as an institution, Americans are more skeptical of pastors than in the past. This data comes from a survey rating the honesty and ethics of various professionals.
Regarding religious workers, only 39% of Americans rate clergy as having high honesty and ethical standards on a five-point scale. On the other hand, nurses are placed at 89%, medical doctors at 77%, and grade-school teachers at 75%.
If you’re a pastor, don’t be discouraged by this statistic (or the previous one about religious institutions). We share these numbers because it’s vital for our church leaders to realize that trust has to be earned, not assumed. Being transparent and communicating regularly and openly can help to build trust.
Value
Barna’s “State of the Church” report shares that only 39% of Millennials attend church weekly–that’s 4 of 10 people in that age range who even bother to show up for worship.
The good news is that it is up from 21% in 2019! Of that group, 40% of Millennials are “religiously affiliated.”
One of the primary reasons for that lack of interest in going to church is there is no personal value in attending or being involved. What comes from that is evident in various ways, but it’s all systemic from the apathy of walking through those doors.
Reputation
Witnessing, teaching, or sharing any faith can be nerve-wracking at times. The exciting thing is Christians lose sight of the fact that they are seeing every day, whether audibly saying Jesus’ Name anywhere.
You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
It’s that witnessing that shouts at non-believers and Christians alike. Regretfully, most Christ followers monumentally fail at this task. No one is perfect, but the world believes anyone extolling the grace of God should be. That’s why:
- Our speech should be seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6)
- Our actions should prove we love our neighbors (Mark 12:31)
- Our thoughts should be centered on how the Lord thinks (Isaiah 55:9)
- Our minds should be prepared for action and open to God (1 Peter 1:13)
- And above all, our hearts should be a storage facility for goodness and grace. (Luke 6:45)
If Millennials leaving the Church upset you, there’s always something you can do about it. We all can do better. Commit your thoughts and ways to the Lord and watch what He can do with you to bring those important people back inside the House of God.
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