Marcus and I enjoyed free breakfast at Chick-fil-A this morning. Thank you, Christian chicken! We've created a standing breakfast date once a week that usually lends itself to nerdy talks about how the Church, capital C, can better engage the world, ways we can help make the never-changing Truth of the Bible real for our ever-changing peers.
Phil Cooke said, "Hollywood is great at making fake things look real. Christians are great at making real things look fake." (He and I also share a birthday, so I feel an odd connection. Go August 31st-ers). It's been weeks since I blogged, but I felt it rising up in me as I drove home. So here's the best way I can put into words the burden of my heart. 1. The Church needs millennials to help with social media. If social media is where 18- to 34-year-olds spend an average of 3.8 hours a day, and 35- to 49-year-olds spend 3 hours a day, and 50- to 64-year-olds spend 2.4 hours a day (source) then the Church has the responsibility to engage that venue in meaningful ways. Millennials grew up with social media. It comes naturally to us. If our local church does not have a meaningful presence on these platforms, I believe it's our responsibility to serve the Bride by making it so. I'm afraid we've lazily left this up to "the people in charge" instead of offering our expertise to help. As a whole, I believe the Church is very particular about resources, budgeting items and purchases to manage God's money well. But when it comes to managing free platforms like social media, we are lacking. Posts that are three months old, contain grammatical errors, or have long hyperlinks with zero explanation as to why we should click them is not good stewardship of those platforms. 2. The Church needs millennials to help with digital communications. Millennials need to help the Church approach emails with the same intentionality and purpose as it would approach paying for a stamp to physically send a letter in the mail. Open rates for emails are typically below 23% making it one of least effective ways to communicate. We can learn a thing or two from marketers when it comes to communicating via email. If emails contain spelling and capitalization errors, lots of text with no photos, and broken links what we are communicating is a lack of care. If the email doesn't have a punchy subject line, clear purpose, or call to action - the lack of intentionality that would come with a stamp-paid-for letter - receivers can sense that. People receive on average 50 emails per day. Bottom line, we must help our churches communicate their message effectively and efficiently when it comes to email. 3. The Church needs millennials to help communicate to the world in relevant ways. Millennials can help "translate" the Church's heart. Marcus reminded me of a quote we heard on a PBS documentary about Henry Ford. Ford said, "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." Sometimes churches don't actually need what they want or want what they need. Sometimes the answers isn't a faster horse that runs on hay and water. It's a car that runs on gasoline. If millennials grew up with the internet and went from cassettes with Walkmans to iPhones with thousands of songs streamed on Pandora, think of the changes Generation Z/post-millennials will experience in their lifetime. The modes of communicating the Gospel to the next generation can't be recordings on cassette tapes. They don't carry Walkmans anymore. 4. Millennials need the Church to remind them to put their phones away. A survey found that 93% of millennials use their phones in bed, 80% in the restroom, and 43% while at a red light. Besides being just plain gross or dangerous - I'm guilty of all three of those. Because the Church knew how to connect believers long before these modern tools, millennials need to be around those who know these basics. We need the Church to remind us to be present, to engage with those right next to us, to experience the world without our screens. 5. Millennials need the Church for face-to-face relationships. Where the Church lacks in social media skills, most millennials lack in people skills. Millennials need the Church for wisdom from real-life people who've been there, who've raised kids, been through job loss, helped aging parents, and been married longer than we have. You just can't get that type of relationship, that depth, over the internet. 6. Millennials need the Church to hear Truth. Millennials need to be reminded to keep the Gospel the Gospel. Too many other causes or personal opinions take our center stage. We're quick to talk about our stance on topics like organic produce, vaccinations, social justice, and politics - and we're slow to talk about what the Bible actually says: Jesus is the only way to God. The Truth is that our causes, though many are good things and are helping people, are not the Gospel. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. Ephesians 4:15 For more on the topic, check out "5 Reasons Millennials Stay Connected to Church" by The Barna Group.
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PodcastListen to devotionals shared at FBCSA MOPS on Kennan's Podbean Podcast channel here.
Marken Media Co.Marcus & Kennan own Marken Media Co. serving the multimedia needs of small businesses. Known by the #devinecolorwall, we strive to foster a space for the community to CREATE • COLLABORATE • CELEBRATE.
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KennanI'm a lover of words. Sometimes I edit, cook, craft, or sing. I'm also a wife and mom. Categories
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