Why Cool Isn't An Answer To Church

Last month Rachel Held Evans wrote an opinion piece to CNN entitled “Why Millenials are Leaving the Church.” With upwards of 8,000 comments and counting, to say it’s started a conversation is an understatement. Here’s her basic premise:

“Time and again, the assumption among Christian leaders, and evangelical leaders in particular, is that the key to drawing twenty-somethings back to church is simply to make a few style updates – edgier music, more casual services, a coffee shop in the fellowship hall, a pastor who wears skinny jeans, an updated Web site that includes online giving.” To reach a younger generation, churches simply try and act cooler. The problem? That’s not what millenials are really looking for. Having been advertised to their whole lives, they won’t fall for a slick advertising campaign marketing the church as relevant.

“What millenials really want from the church is not a change in style but a change in substance.” Rather than louder music or relaxed dress codes, she gives a though-provoking list of things millenials are truly looking for in the church today:

We want an end to the culture wars.
We want a truce between science and faith.
We want to be known for what we stand for, not what we are against.
We want to ask questions that don’t have predetermined answers.
We want churches that emphasize an allegiance to the kingdom of God over an allegiance to a single political party or a single nation.
We want our LGBT friends to feel truly welcome in our faith communities.

Some of these demands may make us uncomfortable, but I think she’s hit the nail right on the head. Millenials don’t need the church to simply be ‘cool.’ They want the church to cost them something. They don’t want the church to simply cater to their perceived needs. They want the church to change their world.

As a church, if we provide substance and not just style, we’ll see a revival among the millenial generation.

QUESTIONS: What do you think about Rachel Held Evans’ thoughts?