JAC Online

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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