4 Sermon Series That Will Engage & Challenge Millennials

Millennials are the largest living generation in the US.

Their presence is not only changing the workplace and society, but it’s also influencing the church. Before too long, these changes will be the norm.

This is important for the church to understand and embrace yesterday.

For example, many millennials are leaving the church in droves. A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found that more than one-third of millennials are not affiliated with any religious faith. This decline has increased nearly 10% in the last 10 years.

This trend is important for the church to be aware of. This way, as a church leader, you can best engage the millennials in your church and community with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Here are four sermon series ideas to engage millennials:

• Jesus Loves the Church
• God at Work
• Know the Word
• God Questions

Ready to dig in on each of these sermon series? Let's go...

1. Jesus Loves the Church

Surveys show that millennials are detached from traditional institutions. For a variety of reasons, millennials do not blindly trust institutions — especially churches.

To engage millennials on this topic and to lead them to consider committing him or herself to the church, you will need to address common reasons why millennials distrust the church, what the Bible has to say about the church, and how to experience community as the church.

Let them know that God is calling them to commit their life to Jesus and to Jesus’ church. You cannot be committed to one and not the other.

2. God at Work

Jesus is building his church (Matt. 16:18). And he is inviting your church and the people you are reaching with the gospel to participate in his work. This is a huge point of emphasis to make with millennials.

A survey conducted by Deloitte found that many millennials prefer to work with companies who have “a strong sense of purpose.” Millennials want to be involved in doing meaningful work. As a church leader, you need to tap into this desire by casting a clear vision of God’s work in your community and around the world.

Do not limit God’s work to vocational ministry alone. Help the millennials of your church to see how God can and does work through their vocation. This will help them to see how their work is connected to God’s work.

3. Know the Word

Millennial views of the Bible are a mixed bag.

Research conducted by the Barna Group revealed that Christian millennials maintain a high view of the Bible. However, their research revealed that non-Christian millennials are either passive or negative in their opinions about the Bible.

To engage non-Christian millennials about the Bible, walk your church through a series that covers the following topics and more:

• Inspiration of the Bible
• Historical accuracy of the Bible
• God revealed through the Bible
• The Bible compared to other religious texts
• Why we should read the Bible

What is important to highlight from Barna Group’s research is that many non-Christians expressed an increase in reading the Bible after “seeing how the Bible changed someone they knew for the better.” During this sermon series, weaving historical and contemporary stories of life transformation into your messages.

4. God Questions

Millennials are an inquisitive group.

Based on a study by the Pew Research Center, millennials are the largest age group that does not believe in God and they are also the largest age group are not certain in their beliefs about God. The results of this research capture the reality that many millennials question matters of faith.

To tap into this stream of thought, lead your church through a series of tough questions about God. There are many questions you can lead your church through, such as:

• Who made God?
• Is the Bible reliable?
• Did Jesus rise from the dead?
• Why does evil exist?
• What does the Bible say about sex?
• Does science disprove God?
• Why does God “send” people to hell?

This type of sermon series will help your church connect with millennials by addressing tough questions, creating an environment where questions about God are accepted, and equipping the members of your church to engage their peers about these questions.

What messages have you found helpful in connecting with the millennials in your church?

Share your experience in the comments below!

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