Five Reasons Why Millennials Do Not Want to Be Pastors or Staff in Established Churches

Not all Millennials are averse to serving in leadership roles in established churches. But many of them are. And our churches are approaching a tipping point where many are unable to attract Millennial members or leaders. It will likely soon be a crisis.

What is it about established churches that push away Millennials? Let’s examine that question first, and then let’s look at some possible solutions.

  1. Millennials perceive established churches to have values that are entrenched in non-missional traditions. Millennials have values that focus on community, cooperation, and service to others. They see established churches as barriers to those values, institutions that are more concerned about maintaining the status quo rather than making a missional difference.
  2. They perceive that much time in established churches is wasted catering to members’ personal preferences. For a number of Millennials, the established church feels more like a religious country club rather than an outwardly-focused organization. Budgets, ministries, and activities seem to be focused on preferences of members rather than reaching out to others.
  3. Many established churches are denominationally loyal; but many Millennials see denominations as antiquated organizations. If a church is affiliated with a denomination, this younger generation views both the church and the denomination as anachronisms. They don’t see either as effective or relevant.
  4. Millennials don’t see established churches as community-centric. The men and women of this generation typically have a heart for their community. Many have become key to the revitalization of urban communities and other locales. But they see most established churches with a minimal focus at best on the community in which they are located
  5. Millennials see church planting as a far superior alternative. To use a well-worn phrase, they would rather have babies than raise the dead. They see futility in wasting precious resources of people, time, and money on churches that will not likely budge or change.

As a reminder, the Millennials are almost 80 million in number. While Christians comprise only about 15 percent of this generation, they still are an influential force in our churches. And, to this generation’s credit and defense, many of their concerns are valid.

But here is a dose of reality. There are about 350,000 established churches in America alone. They represent untold resources of people and time, not to mention billions of dollars in property. It would be a shame to abandon those churches at such a pivotal time in our world.

My plea to Millennials is not to abandon established churches. Not all of them are as bad as many think. Consider yourself to be a part of the solution.

Above all, look at these churches as mission fields just as you would a ministry in a distant continent. We need Millennials in established churches. Your present and future leadership is vital. Granted, church revitalization is messy and not easy. It is often slow, methodical, and frustrating.

But God loves the members of established churches just as He loves the members of new works. Prayerfully consider, my Millennial friends, if God might be calling you to this ministry. It might just become the mission field where you can make a huge difference.

Let me hear from you.

photo credit: Thomas Hawk via photopin cc

Posted on November 15, 2014


With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
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150 Comments

  • I am a millennial serving and find it both difficult and rewarding!
    The key for me was to keep preaching jesus and him alone!
    Yes our methods change , but the message of the cross will always be just what is , the power of salvation to them who believe!

  • I discovered earth in 1934, matriculated into the Follow Jesus school June of 1942 and, ever since, have been looking for the last course I must successfully complete for graduation. Not too long ago I realized that was a selfish goal so told My Father, “With all You have done and are doing for me, if you want me to stay here another 500 years, I’ll do it.” Mentioning that to a great fellow believer and accountability friend, he called my name and said, “a long time to fight!” Realizing more fully that life here will always be a battle, has produced additional peace. Don’t know the title for my generation but I agree with all of the “5” and have for at least 50 years. However, I see My Father, with His perfect wisdom, total knowledge, absolute capability doing wonderful things in His church – even though, for so many years, I thought it wouldn’t happen in my lifetime.

  • Craig Giddens says on

    Galatians 3
    26. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
    27. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
    28. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

    … there is neither Boomer nor Millennial …

  • Jonathan B. says on

    I’m a millennial serving in a church as a college minister! As a pastor’s son, I grew up seeing the dirtier side of pastoral ministry, and it definitely had an impact on me. Rather than turning my back on the church, I decided that trying to teach college students how to live a healthy, Christian lifestyle might would help them and the church.

    I think you’re spot on concerning denominations. I don’t think it’s that millennials are less concerned with theology but they’re not willing to let that divide them. If there is any benefit of postmodernism, it’s probably that.

    I think millennials can’t be successful at “the mission” without the church. Rather than just joining a church, they should engage it. Rather than moving to another church, help change it.

  • They grew up in a participatory culture, so they don’t want to just sit and passively listen to a sermon. They want to be able to share and participate in a Sunday morning discussion instead!

    • Craig Giddens says on

      Why can’t you do both? God gave the church pastors and teachers. Paul’s epistles stress the necessity and importance of preaching and teaching sound doctrine. There must be sound Bible preaching and teaching and a time to discuss what has been preached and taught.

    • In other words, they want the church to cater to their preferences?

  • Very good post and all the points are accurate in sadly too many situations. But not all.

    I’ve pondered this a while and debated about posting it for fear it would come off in a negative way or sound harsh. I don’t that at all. I am blessed, encouraged and rightfully challenged to follow harder by most all the younger leaders I have contact with.

    However, in my experience (as a pastor) and observations with some younger leaders and trends, there could be a few more points that are on the not so positive and insightful side, but honestly need to be faced. (I’m kind of in the middle—not young but not old, so I see both sides.)

    1. Let’s face it, new is generally more cool. Going to an established church isn’t as cool
    and trendy as saying you started/planed a new church.
    2. Established churches are generally more difficult to navigate than a newer church.
    – One can’t just set new things or “run” things the way we want.
    – There is a history and tradition (good and bad) that has to be navigated.
    – There’s no “new” factor that can be a draw some people.
    3. Established churches have a location—often in a difficult and not so cool or promising
    Area, or one that fits a current demographic emphasis.
    4. When going to an established church you have to learn to work with the team/leaders
    there. In other words, you have to play the team you’ve got and not one you’d
    necessarily pick. Some pastors (all ages) are not good with this and it’s simply easier
    to start fresh.
    5. Established churches have a wider age-range that might not look like me (or be the
    people I want to learn to work alongside).
    6. Going to an established church has no fanfare associated with it like a new/newer
    church.
    7. Getting things started or changed is often more work and may take longer in an
    established church.
    8. Honestly, at times there seems to be an attitude on the part of some younger leaders
    that older Christians and churches really won’t be helpful in informing them in doing
    church and living the Christian life. By this I mean when we are all younger we can
    tend to think we have more figured out that we actually do.
    9. It takes a great deal of patience and willingness to allow God to move his people to
    get to certain places than an established church.
    10. An established church calls for a humble willingness to deeply listen to older
    believers who have different experiences and are at different places in their lives (as
    opposed to surrounding oneself with people of the same age and station in life where
    there will natural be more things in common).

    These are just a few things I’ve jotted down and honestly I stopped thinking about it as I didn’t want to make this lengthy.

    Again, I don’t mean in any way for these to be seem as a prideful looking down on some younger leaders. Only that the above may be some reasons why millennials may perhaps tend to avoid established churches, and this might not be so healthy. I know many younger leaders who see established churches as a wonderful way to serve God in and do not look negatively or down on such an opportunity. So I’m simply suggesting there is also another side of why established churches may be avoided. (I don’t intend to debate this, as that’s not my point, but only to suggest another side—and by no means the only or majority side.)

    We need each other. Families and the body of Christ is made up of all generations and all have helpful insights the church needs.

  • As a millennial pastor, I can certainly resonate with the 5 reasons. I also agree that millennials should not abandon the established church, and there’s great value in the wisdom of the past. Yet I wonder–couldn’t both the emerging generation and the established generation find a way to meet in the middle? Perhaps the plea for millennials to remain faithful in the established church could be balanced with a plea for elder generations and church leaders to be more open, gracious, and willing to listen and respond to millennial concerns and passion.

    • “Meeting in the middle” could mean looking to hire more Gen X pastors, who happen to be the middle generation between Millennials and Boomers.

  • Great post that brings attention to a very real issue. I am blessed to have recently joined the staff at First Baptist Jackson, Mo. Our church has existed for over 190 years and about a year ago, through much pray, made the choice to seek a younger staff and to reach the young community around them. The story of our church is one we feel privileged to tell because the back bone of our church are the senior adults that have continued to support a brand new staff that has brought a fresh vision with lots of change in order to reach those that do not know Christ! Dr. Rainer check out our site and connect us to other churches that may need to hear about what this looks like!
    Pastor John Chidester
    Minister of students and missions

    • Thom Rainer says on

      Will do.

    • seeking to have and having a “younger staff” is yet another symptom of the greater problem illustrated in this article.

      There should be no need of this approach if/when the Church functions as Christ intended. Although I do not believe we will see much change in the dynamic of what we see as church, I I believe that many older Christians ought to let go of traditionalism for the sake of tradition and the young believer ought to learn to value certain aspects of the established church setting.

  • Kenyon Fennell says on

    Thanks for the article I enjoyed it. It has been my experience in 16 years of ministry and I am still considered a young minister I’m only 38. If you will lead and stop trying to force they will follow. For our older generation you convince and lead them by example. They don’t fall for shallow promises of hope and change you can see why by how that promise has worked out for our country. If Pastors will start leading and stop trying to drive. Wait on God instead of thinking they can change the Church on their own. Pray,work hard at building strong relationships with the church and community, and depend upon God to accomplish what you cannot. God worked in the life of Isreal forty years before they were ready to take the promise land. God can revitalize any church but I cannot.

  • Thom thanks SO MUCH for sticking with this. I have the same burden. I see what the millenials see, I understand. I just left a church that turned around, it took most of my ministry lifetime (twenty – six plus years). Some of the same issues you mentioned were issues then, just worded a little differently. I want to give millenials some HOPE, this can be done. And when you garner the trust of some of these builders, boomers, and gen xers, you CAN lead a church to become biblically missional and witness changed lives locally and globally. I have been in three churches in the last month that will sell their property and buildings in the next five years (or maybe a little longer). What a tragic waste. Some of these places are in transitional areas. But isn’t it interesting that a new and shall I say more Gospel focused ministry (along with generational stylistic changes that are not first tier items)….isn’t it interesting that often when this change comes the Lord begins a fresh work as well. We NEED MILLENIALS TO FOLLOW THE LORDS CALL TO REVITALIZE; RE-LAUNCH, do LEGACY CHURCH PLANTS…..I am sure the Lord is calling many of these church planters to do this. I urge my millennial brothers to prayerfully think about this. Certainly God is calling some to this. It may not be fun to address some of these people and entrenched attitudes, but somebody has to do it….MILLENIAL AND FUTURE CH PLANTER PASTOR….WHY CAN’T IT BE YOU? And hey, some of us “boomer pastors” who have recently left the pastorate of a larger church ….we can and should help. Now that would be a unique combination a Millenial Pastor Ch Planter/Revitalizer along with a Boomer part time staff member doing all he can to support this new team of leadership. Just sayin….! Both will be stretched. But if this can’t be done we are all in the soup. ?

  • Ralph juthman says on

    And yet many of the millennialist expect the stablished churches to put up the money for their church Planting ventures

    • Kenyon Fennell says on

      I agree it seems like they are saying you are not worth our time so we need your money to build another church That will meet our needs. For the record I am all for planting churches. When we are lead by God to do so. I’m thankful for those Pastor s who have planted new churches and are reaching folks for our Lord.

  • Daughter of the King says on

    Excellent! I am from Generation X. Most of the congregants in my church are “seniors” and young school age children. There are some young families, as well. I commend my church for having 2 weekly childrens programs throughout the year, besides Sunday school which includes 2 hours on Sunday night and 1.5 hours Wednesday night. Many of these children are dropped off at the church by families that do not attend. In effect, these are very succesful outreach programs for the children in an economically distressed neighborhood. We have been having almost weekly baptisms of newly saved children recently.

    With that said, that has been the only regular “outreach” program we have had at least since I have been there. We do have a group of ladies that do Homebound ministry and a group of people who participate in Prison ministry twice a year. However, actually going out into the community to reach unbelievers has been virtually non-existent. After I first arrived at this church, in a business meeting, our church decided they would no longer go door-knocking! They said they were getting too old and cannot do all those things any longer physically. I stood up and said that at any time I was willing to go door to door, hand out flyers etc, and to just let me know. 3 years later…still nothing. I said in that meeting, that is exactly why we need to outreach and bring in younger families to carry on this work. It fell on deaf ears. We used to have a large youth group that sat together with the youth minister. About two years ago when the temporary youth minister moved on with nobody to fill in, the youth started congregating in the parking lot after bible study and not going into worship. Now the youth that has not graduated and moved on are few and sit separated with their families and not with each other. What’s left of the youth are about to graduate. Although there may be a few youth that will move up or remain, these are youth whose families are members.

    There used to be a newsletter. That stopped without notice about 1.5 years ago. Nobody was reading it. I spoke to the pastor about apathy in the church and lack of outreach or missions after God spoke to me about this through prayer and fasting. I believe he was offended, which was not my intent. God placed heavily on my heart missions and outreach as his calling to me. Not just to me but missions and outreach being a calling for all believers in the church as a collective whole. I spoke to some others who lead ministries or bible classes, not mentioning apathy, but solely can we get our bible study classes to invest in hands on missions every so often. I was verbally rebuffed and yelled at in one instance. Boy! Satan has been on the attack against me ever since! Attacks that would place in my own mind low self worth, depression, grief, my own previous shame in sin, childhood traumas, also being maginalized in the church by a few, and including becoming physically ill long term (nothing fatal, but life changing). This is not a pleasant task. I did not want it. But God made clear that I when I do not do what He asks of me, the Spirit grieves, and I grieve. Through this season, I would just cry days before, during, and after church. I didnt want to go to church anymore. I was broken. So, I left the church for 4 months, visiting other churches that had many outreach and missional opportunities to learn under which I thought God wanted. But, I was wrong. Although, these churches were probably great even when they were having many of the same problems, the Lord kept drawing me back to my church! I always loved most of the people at my church..kind loving wise and godly. I fought this with God. God then revealed to me further. Not only is He calling me to outreach and missions in my community and collectively in my church, but more than that. He revealed that His call for me was to go back to my church and through the Holy Spirit, effect a change of mindset in my own church for outreach and missions. Now, the pastor has always had a mind for outreach and missions, but being young and new to the church also, he may have been hindered by fear..do not know. I went back to the church and took a different approach–mainly joining one of the seniors bible study class, one led by a Godly deacon and members who are truly the best of the best in my humble opinion. I vocalize prayer requests every chance I get about known needs spiritual and physically for members of the community and possible opportunities of ministry outreach for the needs. The pastor is also bringing up missions and gospel outreach 99% of the time in his sermons now…and members are also now talking about outreach needs they see. We just completed Operation Christmas child, had 2 booths at the local elementary school carnival hosted by our church that included 10 volunteers, and our yearly dinner theater production that used to cost $15 a seat (never advertised to the community) this year all tickets are free and dinner afterward is also free! Beautiful invitations and posters were printed for us to put up and hand out in the community! When I heard this the Spirit confirmed this is currently where God would have me fulfilling His calling in my life. Right where he planted me in the first place! Don’t give up! Bloom where God has planted you! I praise God everyday for the strife and hardships I have endured over the last 2 years, for it was that hardship and God’s faithfulness that has strengthened me to where I can accept persecution and even thank God for it. At the heart of it, this is a good church with great people, and a really wonderful pastor. We must remember that the battle is NOT with the people of the church, the battle is with evil spirits and principalities AND that the battle belongs to the Lord! I did not effect this change, for I am powerless alone. It was God! May God open our eyes to see that discipleship is our primary job and that through the power of the Holy Spirit, we do what we can to to make sure no generation is forgotten — not children or youth or college or singles or families or seniors. Simply, when we enter into a covenant with God, and work together as One, our ministry is more effective and bears more fruit. Please keep us in yours prayers, as the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour. Satan will continue to attack the hurch and its members in an attempt to cripple our faith and mission. All things are possible through him who loves us.

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