Are Millennials Really Done with Church?

You may have heard the statistics–fewer millennials are going to church, and more young people are completely unaffiliated with any church. That includes people who grew up attending church as a child with their family. Does that mean today’s young adults are done with the church and disinterested in God?

In our experience, young adults and millennials are very much still interested in God. It is after all, the millennial generation that has embraced the phrase “spiritual but not religious.” These are the people who have dug especially deep into discussions of loneliness, the struggle to better oneself, and that ineffable ache for a sense of meaning and purpose.

Truth be told, we don’t believe that millennials are done with God or the church. We do believe that they are seeking a more genuine and transparent experience in the church that feels right to them.

This is the generation that–especially if they grew up exposed to Christian pop culture or music–most vividly bucks against the common performance talked about in the lyrics of Casting Crown’s “Stained Glass Masquerade”:

So I tuck it all away, like everything’s okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too
So, with a painted grin, I play the part again
So, everyone will see me the way that I see them

Millennials who are seeking God in the midst of global turmoil and personal pain really want to know if there’s a place where they can seek God openly and honestly. If they can get involved and help make the community better. Through service work and tangible outreaches, many young people feel more connected and able to embrace Christianity and faith in Jesus as something bigger than themselves–their chance to make a difference in the world.

Head over to our Facebook page and let us know what you think. Are millennials really done with church? Or are they looking for something substantial which they fear the church won’t provide? Lastly, give us your thoughts on what it means to be a church that draws the curtain on a “stained glass masquerade.”