Millennials and Ministry

Millennial Ministry Values Shifting priorities for church and ministry As business As family Leaders as bosses Leaders as parents/friends Presentation/formality Intimacy/informality Programs People Success as number of bodies/members Success as spiritual/personal growth Buildings Community/relationships Budgets Service/outreach Ministry/job first Family/friends first

Challenges for Millennials I do a relatively good job maintaining a ton of relationships and listening to them and then authentically sharing my needs and opportunities. I have done the subtle approach and the direct ask and learned that they both make the other person uncomfortable and I feel like I actually lost friendships because I have asked them if the church they serve in had an application process for new missionaries or if I could attend their missions conference. Honestly, there seems to be this disconnect between Millennials knowing missionaries live by support and feeling responsibility to help them do so. Its like they make you feel selfish for asking them to maintain you in full-time ministry. I have made a personal decision to not invest as much in pursuing Millennial donors until a bit more established as it costs me so much to travel and then have to find transportation, pay for all my own meals and even sometimes pay for hotels to spend a couple of days with 'friends'. Visiting boomers normally I recover at least part of my expenses. I really dont understand and I struggle to not label my entire generation as a bunch of selfish individuals. We like to blame our jobs etc for the fact that we cant give yet I believe it has to do more with an unwillingness to sacrifice.

Challenges for Millennials in Ministry Have not always been taught the skills/stamina needed on the field Expectations can cause frustration (technology, job description, etc.) Difficult for Millennials to convince parents that missions is the right decision for their child Difficult for Millennials to validate decision to become missionary or raise funds with peers who see proselytizing as “intolerant” Difficult for Millennials to fundraise among peers who do not always give sacrificially Difficult to make long-term commitment, deny other opportunities

Comments from Millennials Being a “missionary” is outdated There is a lack of education regarding what missions is among our generation, we must be educating our peers The idea of exporting Christianity is presumptuous…God is already there, He is not a commodity I work for a humanitarian agency that serves the isolated vs. I work for a missions agency that serves the unreached If we want the mission to continue, we have to move from presenting in churches primarily, to presenting more broadly as a humanitarian cause (message doesn’t change, how we present it “We are all missionaries” We are going to move towards megachurches supporting missionaries vs. agencies; more joining with global South workers; denominational divisions will be broken down.

Challenges for Agencies Carrying of American cultural perspectives/trends into foreign ministry context (often confusing to long-term missionaries) Focus on relationships vs. numbers Prioritization of emerging opportunities vs. established goals Disregard for strategies, methods and approaches (traditions) that veteran missionaries, agencies or leaders may espouse Fundraising challenges based on current cultural & economic climate in America (ie. views on religion, non-profit status, etc.) Habits/attitudes that are incongruent with life on the field

On-field Recommendations Team building Older, wiser mentor figure on-field for young adults arriving without professional work or ministry experience System for checking in with members on a regular basis Communication of clear vision from PSO/team leaders Intentional cultivation of trust with Goers Support, coaching, and feedback/communication for Goers Explanation of leadership philosophy and practice to facilitate clear expectations (servant leadership) Timely feedback to questions/concerns communicated by Goers Careful selection of team leaders who have a heart to mentor and develop Goers

Challenge to Millennials "Your generation cannot go in [to what God has for you] based on the price paid by generations before you, you must pay your own price." --Christine Caine  ‪#‎Passion2016‬ ‪#‎Millennials‬ ‪#‎GenZ‬

Comments/ Questions?

Identify key components of generational differences/conflict related to your role: What are some practical ways to address these dynamics?