08 Oct How to Increase Church Engagement With Your Millennial Members

Reaching millennials can be hard. They often have a reputation (whether fair or not) that they can be challenging to communicate with. Not just because they are so familiar with modern-day slang while adults are still trying to grasp what exactly does “ROFL” mean (rolling on the floor laughing). Instead, it’s because millennials have grown up in a very different world than older generations. What millennials of your church may want and look for in a church might be different from some of your existing members. There are some great techniques out there if you’re looking to increase millennial involvement in your church. Here are six ways to increase church engagement with your millennial members and why it’s important to have millennials involved in your church.

Work on and Develop a Social Media Presence 

If you want to interact with millennials, social media is the way to go.  In fact, when it comes to getting your message out to Millenials, social media is far and away the most effective way to do so.  A recent study showed that 42% of millennials identify social media as the most relevant channel, ahead of streaming video, website banners, and television.  So, if you don’t have a social media account on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, you are missing out on a golden opportunity to connect with your younger audience.  It’s not enough to just be present on these sites, however. You need to actually have a social media strategy.  For example, maybe on Wednesdays, you create a poll on your Instagram story, which is an excellent way to increase engagement. Perhaps every month you create a new hashtag to use on Twitter to help drive engagement.  Make sure you encourage your millennial members to follow your accounts and promote them often, as a solid social media strategy is nothing without an audience. 

Update Your Website – Make it Energetic, Alive

When is the last time you’ve taken a long, hard look at your website?  For churches, businesses, and organizations alike, websites are a key component to attracting new people. For businesses, it’s all about attracting clients and customers.  For churches, it’s all about creating excitement around your church’s community as a whole. One of the best ways to do this is to use video.  One of the most effective types of videos to have on your website — especially if you’re looking to increase engagement with potential millennial members — is a culture video. This video should be all about the members of the church and what makes your church unique and special, specifically the people that make up the congregation. Including some of your millennial members in your video is a surefire method to increase their engagement as well.

Host Events Specifically For Your Millennial Church Members 

Planning and putting on a special event for your millennial members is another effective means of increasing engagement with that demographic.  To help mix things up and add some variety to your event, you can hold it off-site too. There are some terrific event centers out there that you can rent out to create an awesome space for your younger audience. 

Speak on Issues That Millennials Deal With 

For many people — not just millennials — church is a place where you can go to help you get through difficult times or find direction and answers to some of your problems.  It’s important that during church services, you also speak on contemporary issues that people are going through.  Many millennials have problems that stem from being online — such as comparing themselves to others, dealing with cyberbullying, as well as an overall feeling of not feeling accepted or that they belong.  Talking about these issues and creating an environment that welcomes discussions on these problems is a great way to not only make your millennial members more engaged but also feel like they are being heard and loved. 

Offer Plenty of Service Opportunities

Millennials tend to be an active bunch. Instead of sitting at church all the time, many younger members want to volunteer with friends and do hands-on service opportunities.  So, you should be offering plenty of opportunities for them to get out and about and help the community.  Whether it’s a full-on mission trip or just a couple hours at a local food drive or soup kitchen, your millennial members will appreciate that their church is giving them the chance to make a difference.  Bonus Tip: After the event, debrief together about the experience at a local coffee shop. This will solidify the relationships and build your millennial community.

Offer Online and Mobile Giving Solutions

93% of millennials have smartphones.  That stat alone should make you want to incorporate a mobile giving option for your younger members.  You can make it easier for millennials in your congregation to give and engage with your church by including text to give solutions.  If you have yet to introduce text to give to your church, then look no further than mobileAxept!  GiveNow is the premier mobile giving option for churches, offering an intuitive donor experience where you can register, set up recurring payments, and edit your settings all from a single text.  And, for welcoming and interacting with potential new millennial members, use ConnectNow — our virtual visitor card solution which makes it easier to engage with new guests. For more information on ConnectNow and GiveNow, reach out to us today!

Why Engaging Young Adults and Millennials is Important For Your Church’s Success

Millennials and the church are not as synonymous as they should be. According to Pew Research, 18-29 year-olds are the least religious age group in the U.S. The number of millennials in the church we see is going down. This is bad for a few reasons. First, it’s bad because as fewer and fewer people attend church, churches’ will have less members as time goes on. It’s also worrisome because young adults are some of the most empathetic people out there. Deemed by the New York Times as “Generation Nice, ” millennials are needed in churches because they embody what the church stands for: helping those who need it, working together to help the community and beyond, and trying to better themselves every day to be a better part of society. Many millennials like to be involved in charitable organizations. Embracing this reality and offering more cause-based serving opportunities will bring more young folks into your congregation. An important part of welcoming young people into your church is by listening. They have a different perspective on life, and their insight can lead to growth within your church. Millennials are eager to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and the church is an avenue for them to do just that. Creating the ideal church for millennials isn’t’ easy, but taking the time to construct an environment that is welcoming to young folks is well worth the effort.