Gen Y Implications for Church
by
Captain Rowan Castle
Age related statistics
Number of 0-24 youth affiliated with The
Salvation Army according to the Australian Census
1996 - 26,640
2006 - 17,921
Equalling a 31.7% drop over 10 years
Currently 49% TSA Southern Territory is over
65yo
The South Australia Division currently has
150 13-18 yo*
100 18-25 yo*
*These are rough but realistic numbers
achieved through direct communication with the corps based on
attendance at either worship or discipleship event collected
June ‘08
Generational parameters
• Veterans: born before 1945
• Boomers: born 1945 - 1964
• Generation X: born 1965 - 1980
• Generation Y: born after 1980
Gen Y Specifics
• Born after 1980
• 25% of population
• 4.5 million
• The Biggest and most unchurched generation
ever.
51%- “Believe in God”
17%- “Do not believe in God”
32%- “Unsure”
Gen Y worldview shifts and its implications
for the church
Consumerist and/but anti-corporate
Gen Y is very comfortable consumerists spending
money freely and confidently. They do not remember “the
recession we had to have” and have lived under the Howard
years of economic expansion. The difference is that they carry
an undercurrent of distrust towards corporations and
institutions. That the new sneakers they love were probably
made by slave children has always been a given and fair trade
options are embraced or considered “hip” when convenient and
aesthetically credible - but only then.
Implications for the church:
1. Institutions are to be avoided - The
churches potential to engage with this demographic pretty much
ends there. Leadership structures and programs are essentially
considered evil rendering our whole approach to church void
with this demographic.
2. The consumerist mentality means that if they
are unsatisfied with the “product” then they do not partake.
They do not believe that they have any personal responsibility
when it comes to church loyalty or support of its programs.
The onus is on the church to improve (or more importantly,
tailor) its product if they want buy in.
3. Often the question is asked, “how do we
empower Gen Y…” which is the wrong question. That the church
brokers power affirms its institutional status amongst an
already suspicious demographic.
Linear routine versus a weekly mosaic
Once upon a time the weekly routine of life was
compartmentalised; spiritual on Sunday mornings, work 9-5
Monday – Friday, Meal times were guarded as family times etc.
These different compartments were separated with a strict
discipline. The Gen Y outlook is that life is a mosaic of
different attributes where all aspects of life are
intermingled. This is why so many young people don’t
understand why checking their face book at work is problematic
or that it is never seemingly inappropriate to be texting
someone.
Implications for the church:
1. Designating spirituality to time and place
is incompatible with the Gen Y outlook especially when the
teaching or DNA focuses on an agenda that is about the church
or what happens at the church. An agenda that is focused on
life in more general terms is required (see next point for
more clarification) married with a flexible outlook and
electronic access.
2. Weekly attendance is a normal expectation of
church members but the idea of this strict and
compartmentalised routine is unattractive to the Gen Y. Most
churches measure their success based on weekly attendance and
can’t help but going to lengths to enforce or exclude people
to bring a more predictable commitment.
Post-Christian v Post-Secular
Society has shifted from being a predominately
Christian culture, to a post Christian culture to a post-
Secular culture. The post Christian culture meant that people
were divided into those of faith or church attendance and not.
Post secular means that people are no longer asking the
question about faith or church attendance – it is not a part
of the social consciousness. Gen Ys have always lived in this
culture.
Implications for the church:
1. Gen Ys do not judge the world by the
church’s standards but the church by the world’s. All of these
attributes and observations contribute to the sense that Gen
Ys do not see themselves as being inside the church from the
world but as members of society first and Christians within it
- and members of a global human race. They find that the
exclusive culture and rhetoric of the church offensive.
2. Gen Ys need things to be “normal.” They are
not looking for cultural relevance but authenticity. Normal
people, engaged with culture and society, expressing their
faith in a natural way. This is the key point as
authenticity and integrity are inseparable. As a result the
church’s minimal attempts to relate to culture through music
and appearance is a source of embarrassment. Many Gen Ys would
appreciate that a church be archaic and mystical in its
content rather than “trying to be hip”. As the “trying” =
unauthentic and that kills credibility. (not that their
preference would necessarily result in loyalty)
A horizontal definition of self rather than
vertical
Society once defined itself vertically; it is
God who has made us and it is with God that we need to be in
good standing etc… Despite the lack of religious fervour
society generally believed that it is God that we would all
have to account to one day. Gen Y solely defines itself
horizontally; it is our peers who define us. This is why image
is reaching an unprecedented level of importance. The largest
influence of the Gen Y is their peers with 51% claiming this
to be the case. (With music coming in at 25%)
Implications for the church:
1. Within a vertically defined society the
church could afford to be faulty or problematic as people
placed the importance on God and not necessarily the church –
the church could be tolerated as a necessary evil. There can
be no distinction between the credibility of God and the
credibility of the church as there is no consideration given
on a vertical plane. Whilst Gen Y is the most unchurched
generation in recent history 51% of them believe in a God –
They believe in God but not the church.
2. With peers being the greatest influence
positional authority is well and truly a thing of the past
with loyalty being relational. Gen Ys are not looking for the
bold, institutional and programmatic leader but someone who is
in their world and available to “do life” with them.
(Interestingly Gen Ys are very open to mentoring style
relationships if they can be allowed to evolve in organic and
natural ways)
Virtual trumps social
Ironically, those things that were once
considered “virtual” are now legitimate. Whilst Gen X still
considered real face-to-face human interaction as being more
credible or legitimate (and the “virtual” still only virtual)
than electronic interaction, Gen Y values the electronic as
norm as they are the most technologically savvy generation
ever.
Implications for the church:
Why go to church when I can download a Podcast
that is better, why go to cell when all my friends are online…
in a virtual, consumerist world, how does the church compete?
Credibility and authority from sacrifice not
position
If a person is given strong influence or
authority it is because it is based in enormous, personal
sacrifice. For instance, the opinions of Mother Teresa are
beyond reproach because she has lived a life of sacrifice.
Implications for the church
1. Finding the right person for the job is no
longer enough as skills and qualifications take a back seat to
experiences based on personal sacrifice.
2. Churches that spend large sums of money on
themselves in an age of global hunger are very suspicious
indeed.
3. When sacrifice is the validator, worship
(singing) or study initiatives are given a low priority as
activism and experience would be preferred (or at least more
credible).
The Problem here
is that Gen Y is not disregarding faith, God, the Bible,
morality or you or your beliefs but simply the measures of
success we’ve become accustomed to - all the ways that we have
come to validate church and life. (Which came from society at
some point as well)
This generation is not spiritually bankrupt
but merely operationally incompatible with the institutional
church.
Opportunities
While it may be easy to dismiss these values in
light of generational differences it would be a shame to
overlook the enormous potential for Kingdom growth amongst
these values.
Anti-institutional
Gen Y really does believe in the priesthood of
all believers and takes responsibility for their own
spirituality and mission – in their own kind of way.
Life is a mosaic
No longer do people need to be convinced or
reminded that Following Jesus isn’t just for Sundays as once a
Gen Y has decided to follow Jesus it will automatically
infiltrate every aspect of there lives.
Post-secular society
That they live in society first and a Christian
within it second means that they are powerful and willing
evangelists! They are not introducing people to church but to
their God and there is no shortage of unchurched people in
their world to witness to. Gen Ys are an incredible gate to
the “real world” – they are a light in the dark and to engage
with them is to engage with the world. They see themselves as
“in the world but not of it.”
Horizontal definition of self
This generation understands what it is to
incarnate. They recognise that for God to be present and
amongst us they must “let their light shine before men.” They
do not abrogate responsibility to the institutional church to
achieve Jesus’ mission but recognise that “the kingdom is
within you.”
Virtual trumps social
Gen Ys use the Internet more than they watch TV
– we can be on the Internet but we’re unlikely to be on TV.
The access and connectedness we now share with people is
unprecedented and creates great opportunities for witness and
investment. Bottom line – other generations that are glued to
the TV are harder to reach/impact.
Authority = Sacrifice not position
Gen Y is the most socially conscious generation
yet. That we are a Global community with global implications
is a normal part of life. The opportunities to engage Gen Ys
in activism rather than church-going provides an exciting
opportunity.
Other opportunities
Despite how complicated all this seems Gen Y
are actually pastorally low maintenance as what they want or
expect from church maybe very specific but is actually not
very much – they want to be released and equipped for life in
the “real world” not insulated and kept from it. Continuing on
this point the demand or need for leaders is absolutely
minimal as leadership is an institutional concept and Gen Ys
will find support from their peers. And where leadership is an
irrelevant concept involvement is easier. To have someone
contribute doesn’t necessarily mean that they represent the
larger entity. We have had to place such strict parameters on
who can contribute (lead) as they represent the greater whole
or denomination. Being that Gen Y is anti-institutional the
idea of church being financially autonomous is appealing (if
not essential) with key stakeholders (or leaders) being
bi-vocational. Bottom-line: starting Gen Y friendly
initiatives or congregations could be very cheap or free!
Where the rubber hits the road
There are two distinct pressures at play as we
witness the Generation Y worldview collide with the young
adult time of life. Whilst young adulthood is a phase with an
end a worldview is not. There is no reason to believe we will
engage with generation Y at a later date unless we learn to
express church in a different way.
Young adulthood
The demographic of young adults is a new and
confusing stage of life that we have failed to address in the
church. Whilst young adults are often defined as 18-25 yr olds
a more accurate description would be the time that exists
between leaving high school and having children. The defining
element is actually the sense that the individual is no longer
under the care of parents with not yet having children in
their care. It is a time that is characterised by freedom
where the adolescent experiment in independence becomes a
reality.
The truth about sheep and cats
The difference between the two demographics of
youth and young adults has been described as sheep and cats:
Sheep like to be penned in together,
Be told what to do and where to go,
There is safety in numbers,
Told what to eat and where to eat it…
Cats on the other hand
Go where the food and affection is best in the
nicest, or most charming, venue…
Otherwise they are out fighting, marking
territory, mating and adventuring…
They don’t have owners – they have staff
As a result our approach to church actually
works very well with youth but completely misses the mark when
it comes to young adults. We ask people to gather repeatedly
every week, where to be at what time, when to sit and stand,
what to believe and how to live. We essentially conduct life
for people; intellectually, emotionally, socially, spiritually
and even financially. This “penned in” approach is completely
incompatible with the young adult stage of life – as futile as
herding cats. 1 in 3 young adults when surveyed responded with
a statement summarised as, “I feel as if the church is saying
to me, ‘get back to us when you have a family.’”
With the average age of parenthood in Australia
now being 32 yrs we are referring to what is possibly a 14yr
window where the church is operating in an irrelevant manner
with a considerable percentage of young adults never returning
to church life.
One of the great frustrations of youth
ministries everywhere is that numerical results are achievable
with the youth demographic but as young adulthood sets in the
fruit of youth ministry walks out the door.
The exception to the rule
You may find committed young adults at corps
and churches but the key factor is that they are usually
involved in leadership over youth and experience suggests that
the commitment is fleeting – totally committed one day and
absent the next. To find a young adult engaged in church life
without being totally emersed in commitment, leadership and
activity is extremely rare. It is a regular source of
complaint amongst young adults that there, “isn’t anything for
them outside of youth leadership.”
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