What Church Designers Need to Understand About Millennials and GenZ

It isn’t unusual for Boomer and GenX leadership to discuss strategies for reaching Millennials and GenZ.

They are concerned about the change in attendance patterns. They’ve read the research that says 59% of Millennials who grew up in church have dropped out.

But are church designers really aware of the impact that Millennial and GenZ leadership will have on the use of space?

We asked Daniel Homrich, principal of Motto MO—an organization which helps corporations and organizations bridge generational paradigms—to share expertise on the topic.

Here’s what church designers need to know about the impact of the generational change on what we build:

Presentation will no longer be the main activity of the church.

For Boomers, and to some extent GenXers, a sanctuary on a Sunday morning was the only place to go for worship and Biblical teaching.

But Millennials and GenZ grew up with options. They can download and listen on a commute, have access to commentary and translations in the palm of their hand, and have the option of being part of the live stream. But the bigger implication isn’t about access, it’s about the flow of communication.

For Boomers, and to some extent GenXers, a sanctuary on a Sunday morning was the only place to go for worship and Biblical teaching. But Millennials and GenZ grew up with options.

Homrich explains, “Boomers respect the man at the pulpit. After all, he went to seminary. They did not. But for Millennials, the view is much more ‘I Googled this for eight minutes, and this is what it says.'”

Millennials were raised consuming information in a way that is active rather than passive. They can comment, follow a hyperlink trail, or share—which fuels a desire for a two-way conversation. GenZ takes it a step further. They want to shape and help lead the conversation.

Homrich shares, “I lead a small group of tenth grade guys at a megachurch satellite in Atlanta. It helps me understand at an intimate level. I have such a heart for these guys when I see what they go through. When I have the students lead the small group discussion—it is so much better. That’s what they are used to doing. It lets them control the conversation and influence it more.”

"When I have the students lead the small group discussion—it is so much better. That’s what they are used to doing. It lets them control the conversation and influence it more.” Daniel Homrich, Principal, Motto MO

For pastors, this will be a difficult transition. “I was consulting with a church who wanted to embark on a large expansion,” says Homrich. “The staff feared that the pastor wouldn’t hear what the data had to say. People can download yours or anyone’s sermon. It’s the same with worship. The relationship and connectivity can’t be downloaded.”

Children’s ministry remains a driver.

“One thing that hasn’t been replicated is children’s ministry. Small groups and house churches haven’t figured out how to do it well yet. [It's] very difficult to do at the smaller scale,” says Homrich.

According to research by LifeWay, 70% of Christians ages 18-30—both evangelical and mainline—who went to church regularly in high school said they quit attending by age 23. And while there is a trend of people returning to church when they have children, keep in mind that Millennials and GenZ will have kids later in life. What happens when people return with children at 35, rather than 26?

This can put a lot of pressure on the program and space required for children’s ministry—and a big focus isn’t just on the children, it’s about connecting the volunteers.

Homrich says, “A children’s coordinator at a megachurch shared that people often think they can duplicate a successful program simply by gleaning the curriculum. Yet the real power is because the church is pouring into their volunteers. This isn’t just restricted to mega churches. Every church can do that. As a result, volunteers are energized and pour into the kids. The volunteers are there because they feel connected and valued.”

As upcoming generations value connection over consumption of content, the space will need to evolve not just to present information, but to create relationships.

As upcoming generations value connection over consumption of content, the space will need to evolve not just to present information, but to create relationships. This will be especially important for volunteer-dependent ministries like those for children.

WeWork is a good place to look for clues.

Co-working spaces, like WeWork, have transformed office environments, bringing shared space, collaboration, social connection, and flexibility into what used to be the rigid, predictable environment of office space.

Homrich shares that the trends for co-working spaces are highly applicable for churches. “Church designers will be asking, ‘How do you design the church in such a way that you create interactions and relationships? How does design impact the way to have these conversations? How do we create an experience that is as adaptable as a flex co-working space, where people could have a one-on-one or group conversation?'”

How do we create an experience that is as adaptable as a flex co-working space, where people could have a one-on-one or group conversation?

Homrich talks about creating the church “water cooler” where diverse conversations can happen and people can build relationship. “Right now, it’s very segregated by generation.  What are the unintentional consequences of ‘church for couples’ or ‘church for youth'? We don’t live that way outside of church. If we want to bridge generational gaps, it needs to be rethought.” 

Churches will need more space to serve social justice causes.

Homrich says, “Millennials more than any other have responded to social justice. Churches who want to engage Millennials need this as a real narrative. This carries on with GenZ. They can’t ignore social context given their exposure to an expanded world view. After all, if your world view is expanded and you feel like that you want a sense of purpose, well, the church can do something about that.”

“Millennials more than any other have responded to social justice. Churches who want to engage Millennials need this as a real narrative. This carries on with GenZ." Daniel Homrich, Principal, Motto MO

As more Millennials and GenZ move into leadership positions, expect the space needs to shift to accommodate more social justice efforts—not just reporting about it, but creating the action.

Homrich shares, “I drove past a church whose sign said, ‘Come in for our China update.’ As sweet as that is, Millennials don’t understand that. You don’t go somewhere for an update. You get the update online.”

As more Millennials and GenZ move into leadership positions, expect the space needs to shift to accommodate more social justice efforts—not just reporting about it, but creating the action.

Expect a move from churches hosting missions conferences to actual missions being done on church campuses—in a variety of forms. Homrich says, “People feel solo and insignificant in a world of 7.5 billion. They want to find significance. It’s a mindset that Boomers didn’t have to measure their trajectory against.”

[Editor's note: Originally posted in August 2018.]