Millennials could be the greatest thing that happens to the Church
By a missionary in a security-sensitive country —
Maybe that headline is an exaggeration, because there are a lot of pretty great things that happened to the Church. The conversion of the Apostle Paul, for one. DC Talk, for another. (Okay, I jest.)
I’m tired of all of the blogs and articles that talk about what millennials are doing wrong and why they’re leaving the Church. One trending article (which had some good points) referred to the possible “death of Christianity.” Death of Christianity? “On this rock I shall build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it
” ( Matt. 16:18). Poorly run youth groups do not mean the demise of Christ-followers.
Millennials are leaving the church.
I have seen this to be true among my millennial peers. In many churches, there are not fellowship groups for young adults when they get to college or right after they earn their degrees. We are a part of an entitled generation and culture that believes we should be consumers rather than contributors in our local congregations. We are a part of a generation and culture that seeks community on social media rather than dealing with the conflicts that arise in life-on-life fellowship. We are a part of a generation and culture that worships comfort. If my current fellowship doesn’t meet my needs or makes me uncomfortable, I can join a new one. We are a part of a generation and culture that does not know how to suffer.
But there is a remnant.
We see this pattern over and over again in Israel’s story; God keeps for himself a remnant. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah speaks to God about his generation: “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword.” God responds with instructions for his servant and a promise, “Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal.”
In a challenge to a stadium full of Christian millennials at Liberty University, Johnnie Moore
said, “God has equipped your generation with the desire to serve the poor and share the Gospel.”
It’s true, I’ve seen it.
When I was a mission agency representative at the huge Urbana missions conference, students came by our booth to talk about going overseas, giving their lives to spread the name of Jesus, to love people as God loves them. These students were passionate and
willing
; they were not satisfied with only sitting in the pew because they desire to embrace the technology of this generation by going. I asked some of these millennials what their dreams were: working with refugee communities, helping women get out of the sex trade, going to the parts of the world where the name of Jesus Christ has not even been heard.
There is a remnant.
There is a remnant that is willing
to learn to suffer, to be uncomfortable, and to contribute to the needs of the body of Christ. There is a remnant that God is raising up who know that the reason there are places in the world where people have never heard the name of Jesus is because the least reached are the hardest to reach. There is a remnant that is bold enough to act, to go, and to serve.
The Body of Christ
But millennials, some of what they say about us is true. We need humility and grace within the Church. We need to bring our desire to serve the poor and to share the gospel into submission to Christ and other believers on a daily basis. We cannot run off and do it on our own. “For just as the body is one and has many members, all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free [millennials, boomers, or those in between]
– and all were made to drink of one Spirit” ( 1 Corinthians 12:12-13).
We cannot succeed without the body, but maybe we millennials are the shot of adrenaline the body needs to keep its heart beating.
This post, original published on The Journey for Which I Was Made, was developed out of a conversation with my friend Carrie Givens. Some of the ideas and phrases in here are hers. She was awesome enough to let me use them.
• Find out how
you can become a SEND missionary
.
• Explore where and how you can serve with SEND .
• Subscribe to Explore , our free monthly newsletter full of inspiration, ideas, and encouragement for people interested in discovering their role in cross-cultural missions.
• Explore where and how you can serve with SEND .
• Subscribe to Explore , our free monthly newsletter full of inspiration, ideas, and encouragement for people interested in discovering their role in cross-cultural missions.
Additional Posts

Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?



