I haven’t heard much about millennials lately. Bloggers used to be all over the subject, trying to dissect culture to appeal to senior pastors clamouring for answers to fill the generational loss in their churches. Maybe it’s because publishers don’t think it’s a hot topic anymore, so there are fewer books on the subject. It’s more likely because churches now have bigger problems.
It was late, but a few years ago, churches started to notice millennials were leaving. Pastors seeking answers to reverse the bleeding, youth pastors sought out ways to prevent the eventual exodus. Nobody has found a silver bullet.
I argued churches were too late. By the time churches noticed missing millennials, they had already left. The ones that remained were lifers, the ones caught deep in Christian culture with no drive to question what they’ve always known.
Today, millennials, are no longer the topic du jour. We have bigger problems. The overnight loss of the evangelical witness, particularly white evangelicalism, has forced leaders to change focus.
It’s not millennials we need to worry about anymore–it’s everyone.
The hammering evangelicalism has taken over the past year, as a result of their association with Mr. Trump, is an indicator of an even deeper problem. We don’t hear much about millennials leaving because every demographic is declining. The question: what needs to be done to fix losses across the board? The answer will begin with the evangelical church falling on its knees in repentance.
No more ploys. We’re in a moment in Western history where the church will either reinvent itself or pitter out.