I keep hearing it. I hear it from the "experts" who apparently know so much about our generation's wants and needs.
And I feel it- that uncertainty about how the Church can reach a generation that doesn't seem to have a huge "investment" in the "institution."
We're "nones." We're "dones." We're over it. We've had it. The Church has no appeal to us. It has nothing we want. We've walked away, and we ain't comin' back.
That must be why I responded to God's call to ministry, because I'm over it with the Church and don't feel like the Body of Christ has anything to offer me.
Perhaps the problem the millenial generation has with the Church isn't the Church itself. Maybe it's the way the Church is lived out- or perhaps the fact that sometimes it doesn't seem like it's being lived out at all.
Let's be honest- our generation can smell bullshit from a mile away. And we've been disillusioned by more than one institution. We were raised by a generation that bought on credit and helped set up the economic crisis we all now face, including those ungodly student loan debts and a shattered housing market. We know our politicians lie to us- almost without exception. We've watched the right- and left-wings of the political spectrum polarize during our lifetime. We know how the rest of the world views the U.S.
And we know how many people in the U.S. view the Church. I remember realizing at some point in high school that the biblical fundamentalists and literalists were becoming the loud, angry voice of Christianity in America. And I feel like we let that happen. The "mainline" voices couldn't be heard over the din of uberconservative flag- wavers and Bible-bashers, hating on strong women, gays and lesbians, racial minorities, and anybody who doesn't agree with their Christamerican politico-religious bent. And sadly, we as a generation watched as our nation came to view that as the Church, and many of us ran far, far away.
But we as a generation are not ignorant of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Many among us, even in the "unchurched" crowd, are aware of who Jesus is and what he taught. We know he preached grace and mercy, love and forgiveness. We know he healed the sick, ate with sinners, and didn't judged other people based on what they looked like or where they came from.
But we see the Church doing it. We see it even among our "progressive" denominations.
You're either one of us, or you're not. You belong to this community, or you don't. You either conform to the mold and like it, or you get the hell out. If your skin color, political viewpoint, or sexual orientation make you seem "different," or if the questions and ideas you come with put you at odds with the church- well, that sucks for you. Because you won't find any open arms or answers to your tough questions inside the walls of far too many Church buildings.
But what if we changed all that? What if maybe, just maybe, we accepted that many of us in the Church act more like the religious leaders Jesus challenged than Jesus himself? What if we openly, continually acknowledged that we are all sinners in need of God's grace? What if we reflected that grace out into the world and offered the same loving embrace to others that Jesus offers us? What if we started living like we're Christ's body in the world and stopped putting so much stock in "the way it's always been?"
Because guess what? There's one thing about the millenial generation that does ring true: We're done with the way it's always been. Not that we don't love tradition and the ancient rites of the Church- contrary to popular belief, many of us are drawn to them. We're just done with the bullshit. We're tired of people saying one thing and doing another ALL THE TIME. We're sick of people trying to tell us how godly they are when their speech and behavior are so far from God that Jesus Christ is hardly recognizable in their daily lives.
We want none of this.
What we want is authentic, loving, grace-filled communities. We want to hear the Good News proclaimed and see it lived out among God's people. We want to see the Body of Christ embracing all people just as they are- just as Jesus does. We want to see the Church care more about the poor and the immigrant and the downtrodden than people with money getting their own way. That's what we want; that's what we need.
And it's what the Church needs.
We're not done with God, Jesus, or the gospel. We're just done with God's people being disingenuous.
People of God, Body of Christ, Church- hear my prayer: Receive God's offer of grace to become more like Jesus Christ, the one who died for us. Be his presence here on earth. Show his love and grace to the world. Because neither the millenials nor the the world are done with the Gospel. We just need to see it in action and feel its impact in our lives.