Hello, We're Here! Active Participation in Traditional Church Congregations by Those in the Millennial Generation
[Thesis]
Bettivia, Nicole
Barrett, Lee
Lancaster Theological Seminary
2020
155
D.Min.
Lancaster Theological Seminary
2020
This project seeks to shed light on persons who are of the Millennial generation (born between 1981 and 1996) who are actively engaged in a traditional Christian congregation. Focusing on congregations of the United Church of Christ in Wisconsin, I used surveys and interviews to study pairs of siblings where one sibling is active in a congregation and the other is not. By analyzing the differences between siblings in life situations, personal experiences, and spiritual engagement, the wider church can achieve a better understanding of the Millennial generation and why some of them have chosen to participate in the church while others have not. Differences between siblings found to be significant include the religious level of spouses, self-identity as a person of faith, and LGBTQ+ identity. Surprisingly, my data suggests that Millennial siblings who identify as LGBTQ+ are more likely to be actively involved in a church than their straight-identifying sibling. Hearing the voices of these Millennials directly provides perspective and understanding that the church is often missing in the conversations about this generation. Millennials who are participating in congregations are not doing so by accident, happenstance, or outside pressure-they are making active, intentional decisions to participate in church community because they care about the church.