Blogging on a blog? Millennials and Ministry

Recently, probably in the last 3-4 months or so, I've kind of turned into a blogging geek. Not that I myself have been blogging a lot, but I have really been enjoying reading blogs and seeing what other people have to say about things that I find interesting. Anyway, a friend posted a link on facebook to a blog entry titled: "Ministry from a Millennial’s Perspective: We’re Paying Attention". This immediately caught my attention, as in college, I wrote numerous papers and did a lot of research on the millennial generation, of which I myself fall somewhere in the middle, but is certainly the generation that I work with on a daily basis. 

First of all, what's a Millennial?  You can find the definition of a millennial, or "Generation Y" from the oh-so-reliable resource (I can use it now that I'm out of formal education :P) from Wikipedia here. It also gives some general characteristics of millennials that may be helpful. 

This blog I was reading said that this Millennial generation may not be the most articulate (Just look at our obsession with texting-LOL, K, THX, <3) but that Millennials are genuinely more interested in what's going on than is often attributed to them.  The connection problem between the different generations lies then because Millenials believe that the other generations do not need them, and are not convinced that these generations want youth participation, ideas, and input. 

So what do we, as the Church, do with this? 

A few thoughts I have...

• We must have faith in our young people today. Trust that they "get it." Trust that they care. Trust that they do want to take an active part but know that they probably need some encouragement and a listening ear along the way. 
• Include them in "adult"-type activities in the church. Allow them to volunteer in services, have a voice on committees, participate in men's and women's ministries within the church, and so on. The Church should not be made up of several small groups that never have contact with each other - it's a family, God's family, one of all ages and generations. Cradle to grave, right? 
• Turn to Scripture! Young people are all over the place in the Word - living lives of action, being advised by mentors, doing the work of their Lord!  Check out this Scripture to encourage you if you're in this Millennial category or if you aren't, to encourage you to participate, support, and encourage this generation: 
• Joshua 1:5-7
• Prov. 20:11
• Isaiah 40:29-31
• 1 Tim. 4:12 *
• Titus 2:2-8

Folks, the truth is, the Millennials are the largest generation since the Baby Boomers. They are definitely "Cultural Influencers". Their time as part of the "Real World" is approaching fast, or maybe...it's already happening.  What will you...in whatever generation you fall into, do with it? 

Happy Reformation Weekend!

in Him, Stephanie 

Blog References: http://resonateordie.com/2010/10/25/ministry-from-a-millennials-perspective-were-paying-attention