by Carey Nieuwhof

https://careynieuwhof.com/5-things-millennials-are-looking-for-in-a-church/

When it comes to reaching Millennials, maybe the question we need to ask isn’t “what do we need to do?” as much as “who do we need to be?”

1. Millennials Think Character Matters Most

This is both great news and frightening news.

That’s good news to every church that doesn’t have the expertise, budget or staff to pull off the experience larger churches offer.

But the frightening part is there’s a high-powered magnifying glass aimed at the character of every church leader, and especially the senior leaders.

2. Budget Matters Less

The really good news is that things like integrity, authenticity and a deep sense of mission cost nothing financially.  So they are accessible to everyone.

Sure, they will cost you deeply in terms of your personal walk. They will cause you to be brutally honest, to repent, to change, to grow and to trust God at whole new levels, but the cost of discipleship is always worth paying.

3. Relationships Count To Millennials

What do young adults want?

Your time. Your heart. And your attention. And a chance to actually connect with people.

Churches that elevate community will do better with Millennials than churches that don’t.

So prioritize chances to serve, connect and grow together. A great small group strategy and serving strategy can help so much with this.

4. Maybe This Is Model Neutral

Churches that love their model more than their mission will die.

5. Leverage Your Skill Set

This is in no way an excuse to be bad at what you do.

It’s not a licence for irrelevance, laziness or a justification for the status quo.

This is, after all, a generation that has been marketed to more than any generation in human history. They can smell cheese and incompetence a mile away.

But they can also smell fake a mile away. Being real matters more than doing. But doing still matters.

So continue to do the best you can with what you have. Make the changes you feel called to make, regardless of your church size, budget, setting or denomination.

Continue to make your ministry better, but still, work harder on your character than you do on your competency.