Rachel Held Evens recently wrote a great piece on why millennials are leaving the church. It was a profound and succinct piece that articulated our desire for substance, not show. Holiness, not holy wars. The kingdom of God, not politics. And ultimately, Jesus.
I agreed and resonated with most (not all) everything Rachel said. But I am also seeing things from a different vantage point today.
The reasons millennials are leaving the church speaks something of the church. But it also speaks something of our generation.
There is something unsettling about our generation leaving the church because it does meet their needs and wants. Don’t misunderstand me. I understand and share the frustrations. But I also feel like we can be a little spoiled. Maybe there is a little too much truth to being labelled the “me” generation.
It just does not feel like leaving an ancient faith and eternal family should be so easy.
It just feels like we are quick to blame others, but slow to look at ourselves.
It just feels like we are quick to complain about church, but slow to admit we are the church.
Our generation loves to quote Gandhi, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” But somehow we don’t think that applies to us in matters of faith and church. Instead of being the change, we just take off.
Maybe I am being overly harsh. But if I am, it is only because Rachel was writing about me. I was the millennial upset at all things church. It’s misguided theatrics, politics, and gimmicks. And for years, I complained and criticized. Bashed and berated. Dissed and dismissed.
I am not saying our generation is wrongly frustrated. I think much of our anger is like Jesus’ anger toward the Pharisees of his day. It is a holy anger towards religious leaders that have lost their way. Anger towards using Jesus for votes; anger towards turning worship into theatrics; anger towards finding hate where love should be; anger towards finding superficiality instead of substance.
But I am saying millennials are wrong for leaving the church. Maybe leaving speaks to not to the church’s superficiality, but our own. Maybe leaving isn’t caused by the church’s lack of substance, but our lack of substance. Maybe telling church leaders we are leaving because we don’t like consumerism in church should give us pause for reflection. (I hope you can see the deep irony in this)
Here is a tough word for my generation: If you are upset the church does not reflect Jesus, that is your responsibility! You are the church. If you are frustrated with the church, you must first be frustrated with yourself.
Maybe the church is what it is today because you left.
