The Millennials (Part 5)

Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."

This article was written by Becka Alper for Pew Research in November 2015. I hope this will give you a better understanding of what we are looking at from a pastor's perspective.

"By many measures, Millennials are much less likely than their elders to be religious. For instance, only about half of Millennials (adults who were born between 1981 and 1996) say they believe in God with absolute certainty, and only about four-in-ten Millennials say religion is very important in their lives. By contrast, older generations are much more likely to believe in God and say religion is important to them.

This lower level of religiosity among Millennials manifests itself not just in what they think, but in what they do. Just 27% of Millennials say they attend religious services on a weekly basis, a substantially lower share than Baby Boomers (38%) and members of the Silent and Greatest generations (51% each). Similarly, a smaller share of Millennials say they pray every day compared with those in older generations.

But while Millennials are not as religious as older Americans by some measures of religious observance, they are as likely to engage in many spiritual practices. For instance, like older Americans, more than four-in-ten of these younger adults (46%) say they feel a deep sense of wonder about the universe at least once a week. Likewise, most also say they think about the meaning and purpose of life on a weekly basis (55%), again, similar to older generations.

Roughly three-quarters of Millennials feel a strong sense of gratitude or thankfulness at least weekly (76%). And 51% say they feel a deep sense of spiritual peace and well-being at least once a week.

By comparison, older Americans are only slightly more likely than Millennials to say they feel a strong sense of gratitude. Only when it comes to feeling spiritual peace and well-being are members of these four older generations more likely than Millennials to answer in the affirmative.

Furthermore, on some traditional measures of religious belief, the difference between Millennials and older Americans is not that large. For instance, when it comes to views on the afterlife, two-thirds of Millennials say they believe in heaven, compared with roughly three-quarters of Baby Boomers and members of the Silent generation. And 56% of Millennials believe in the concept of hell, similar to older age cohorts."

No matter what generation, people looking for spiritual peace is a priority. Millennials are looking for something, they're just not sure what. Not much different than my generation was and still is. Could it be that like Israel in Romans 10 there are looking for peace in the wrong places? It's up to us to show them who cares about them by our prayers, concern, and compassion. Unless we prove the love of Jesus by showing them they may never know. The church must go beyond her 4 walls and touch people by every means possible with the gospel. Social media is one way and it helps, but an old fashion invitation and sign of love may be the key to unlock a Millennials faith.

We don't have to compromise the Word to win this generation, just use it wisely and share the truth with kindness and love. Teach the saints to remember they were once sinners too and somebody reached out to them. Lifestyles change with every generation, but the love of God doesn't. Can't we take the Fruit of the Spirit and generate a spiritual change that will make a difference in our society today? I believe that we can with the help of the Holy Spirit reach the Millennials who are searching for something that will bring them peace.