New Research Data on Millennials and Spirituality

New research data from Lifeway Research had been released by USA Today in regards to spirituality in Millennials. This data will be forming a book called, The Millennials.

Here is a glisp of the research:

  • One in four Millennials attends religious worship services once a week or more, but two out of three rarely or never visit a church, synagogue, mosque or temple...
  • While the survey found that American Millennials hold diverse beliefs, six out of 10 say their religious faith is very important in their lives today, and 70 percent agree (strongly or somewhat) that Christian churches are still relevant in America today.
  • "Millennials are the most religiously diverse generation in our culture's history," Rainer said (The researcher from Lifeway). "Unsure of the afterlife and the life of Jesus, Millennials present the church with a great opportunity to engage them in conversations dealing with the nature of truth and its authority as God."
  • Two-thirds of American "Millennials" - those born between 1980 and 1991 - call themselves Christian, but far fewer pray or read the Bible daily, attend weekly worship services, or hold to historical positions on the Bible and its teachings.
  • The study found that 65 percent of Millennials identify themselves as Christian, while 14 percent say they are atheist or agnostic, 14 percent list no religious preference, and 8 percent claim other religions...

millfaith27_va.jpgFYI, these findings are from a wide-ranging August 2009 LifeWay Research study of 1,200 Millennials in the United States. The study forms the basis for the upcoming book "The Millennials: Connecting to America's Largest Generation" by Dr. Thom Rainer and his son Jess Rainer.

ALOT of discussions have arised from this data that I encourage you to think about, pray through, and discuss with your leadership teams           

1. Is the church relevant for Millennials? Why and why not?

2. Is the church using old wineskins for new wine? In other words, are we using old models to meet new needs?

3. How do we communicate the Gospel with Millenials?

4. What does this research mean and what should the church do?

Weigh in your comments... and let me know your thoughts...

 

Church, Emerging, Kingdom, Teen Culture, Youth MinistryBCYD Admin1 Comment