The Millennial Age is upon us. Is your church ready?
Apr 01, 2021
It’s hard to know how 2021 will be remembered, after all, we’re less than halfway through it. Whilst we’ll immediately start thinking about the easing of lockdown and the hopeful return to some semblance of normality, I think that the church should be aware of a huge change that is going on in the UK population: The U.K. median age is moving from Generation X to Millennial.
Median average is different to mean average. Mean average is where you add up all of the ages and divide by the number of people. A better way to track the real average is by the median. This is where you figuratively ‘line up’ every person and you pick the middle person. It’s a more reliable gauge of what we mean by “average” because it doesn’t allow for outliers (for instance, the U.K.’s oldest person is 111 years old) to skew things. In the U.K., that current projection is that the median age is 40.5 years.
40.5 years means you were born in 1980, and 1980 is the last year of the Generation X birth years. Generation X, who had their birth years between 1965 and 1980, were a generation marked by self-sufficiency, resourcefulness and individuality. All of that is making way for the rise of The Millennial Generation. And your church needs to be prepared.
According to Deloitte, Millennials (born 1981 – 1995) are tech savvy people who are actively engaged on social media. They love learning and development and want and expect instant gratification. 44% of Millennials are stressed some or all of the time, usually about the welfare of their family and long-term security. Millennials are usually concerned about the environment and want to support local businesses.
Every church needs a target market. It sounds horribly corporate, but its true. No single church can reach everyone. That’s not heresy, that’s just how humans work. That’s why we need lots of different types, styles and approaches to church. It’s important that each church knows what kinds of people are in their vicinity, then focuses narrowly on a small groups’ needs and wants. Contrary to what you might think, by focusing narrowly, you don’t exclude people, you actually increase your reach as a church. Churches that have a defined target market find that people want to be part of their community who aren’t in the target market, because they still resonate with part of it. Rather like a camera, Churches must focus narrowly to reach widely.
To find your church’s target market, you need to look at the demographics in your church’s vicinity, but it shouldn’t end there. More important are psychographics: the attitudes, interests, and opinions of people.
That brings us nicely back around to Millennials. With the U.K. crossing over to becoming Millennial, we need to focus more narrowly on which type of Millennial is in your area. This will affect everything to do with what programmes you run, what music you play, the décor, how you craft your sermons, everything.
Below, I’ve highlighted six sub-categories of Millennial. Like I said earlier, this focuses on the attitudes, interests and opinions of these millennials. What you’ll find is that these characteristics aren’t just for Millennials. And that’s the point. Narrow focus, broad reach. Talk with your church leadership team about which type of millennial you need to focus on.
Hip-ennial
The Hip-ennial is what most people think of when they think of Millennials: Hipsters. Whilst they may be characterised for their man-buns and skinny jeans, they want to learn and grow more, and really do believe they can help the world be a better place. They love a good Netflix documentary and will usually be trying new ways to stay healthy (Keto, Vegan, Carnivore diets).
Millennial Parent
The Millennial parent is all about family. They love getting out and about with their kids on bikes, visiting parks and staying active. In fact, this is the group that are known for their love of ‘Athleisure’ clothing. You’ll definitely be able to have a good conversation about which Cbeebies shows they can tolerate (Always Hey Duggee) and can recite most of the songs by Blippi. However, what the Millennial Parent really wants is to be social. They love the sense of community with other families and will use social media to remain social all of the time, as long as they get their time at the gym too.
Anti-Millennial
The Anti-Millennial hates being a Millennial. They look at the social media-ridden world and aren’t impressed at all. They are the ones that are heading back to basics. A simple life built around work and family. They’re likely to be slightly more conservative in their outlook in life. What they crave is comfort and familiarity. In a world of constant change, they need something to be able to hold on to. You’ll enjoy a good time of reminiscing about life in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s with them and will enjoy shows like Stranger Things.
Gadget Guru
The Gadget Guru wants the joy of technology. Technology is the gateway to what they are really looking for, which is minimalism. If they could have their whole world designed by Apple, they probably would. They are much more individualistic than the other sub-categories, and want to maximise their best life, now. This is the generation that is used to minimalism at every turn, from the iPhone to the Google homepage. Less is more, and less is the best way to keep things in order.
Clean & Green Millennial
The Clean & Green Millennial cares about the environment and wants other people to do the same. They’ll prioritise places that are actively doing their part to help the environment. You’ll normally hear about what they’re doing in their blog, as they want to use their voice to help people get better at making the world a better, more caring place.
Old-School Millennial
For the Old-School Millennial, Social media is just too impersonal. They’d much rather meet for a coffee instead. They love charities, especially around green causes, and are much more cautious than say, the Gadget Guru. What they really value is authentic connection. They tend to be confident and independent, the closest to Generation X in that sense.
Which group should your church reach?
Whilst some may dismiss these categories as pseudo-science (although it comes from a survey of over 4,000 Millennials), these categories give you a great starting point for crafting your target market. The new world of the Millennial is upon us, and churches need to be actively engaged in the attitudes, interests and opinions of them if they wish to reach more people.
Choose your category and then dive into their world. Talk to people in your church who fit that category and find out about their needs and wants. What issues are they facing? How can you design your ministry to help them better? By narrowing our focus our churches will truly be ready to reach the U.K. more broadly in the Millennial Age.