Dear Fellow Millennial Minister

There are plenty of (well-deserved) accusations regarding my generation as a whole. All you have to do is take a scroll through any social media feed and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. But, if this millennial generation has one major redeeming quality, it is this – we’re not satisfied simply going through the motions in life. We want a life that has meaning and purpose. We want to accomplish something for the “greater good” however misguided we may be about what the “greater good” actually is.

 

And so, many of us as Apostolic young people (myself included) upon coming of age, have embarked upon a journey to change the world through whatever profession or avenue we deem to be our ministry or calling. For some that ministry may be nursing or teaching. For some, it may mean being a fireman or policeman. Some set out to be business people who devote part of their profits to a charity or who take frequent missions trips.

For me, and perhaps for many of you, it was actual Church work. Raised in an Apostolic Church? Check. Call of God? Check. Four year Bible college degree? Check. Minister spouse? Check. Church in which to work and minister? Check. I had all of the “requirements” so to speak and I was well on my way to changing the world…and then reality set in.  
 

I’m a firm believer that everyone is called to be a minister. The fact that my generation has the heart and desire to do something for God-whether it be in a Church setting or in the professional field-makes me proud to be a part of it. We are all called to be witnesses, no matter who we are and no matter what we do in life. So, what’s the problem? The problem is that many of us have some serious character issues that will ultimately frustrate and thwart the good that we’re trying to accomplish. We will hit a few bumps along the road to changing the world and it will cause major problems for us. If we don’t first acknowledge that we-as a generation-have these issues and then figure out a way to deal with them, we will lose the fight and we will lose our generation.

 

These are a few things that I and many others have learned and observed regarding millennials:

 

1. Millennials are way too easily offended. We take things way too personally and have never developed the ability to take correction without “bowing up” in our spirits. We look for ways to be offended so that we can feel validated by crying “Offense!”. This is a destructive tendency that distracts from the work of God, prevents personal growth and maturity, destroys unity among the body, and breeds self-pity and bitterness.

Truthfully, you’re probably not being singled out. That person who disagrees with you is probably not “out to get you.” That elder is probably not being over-critical. That person probably didn’t intentionally snub you. And even if all of that were happening, your relationship with Jesus should be strong enough to withstand the ever-changing opinions of fickle people. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Forgive, even when they don’t apologize. Learn to filter through the opinions that don’t matter and to take to heart the ones that do.

 

2. Millennials tend to back up or give up when things get difficult. Perhaps this is the issue for which we are most famous. Others see it as laziness but it’s probably more of a product of how we were raised. Too much homework? Parent calls the school and complains. Teacher too strict? Parent gets you moved to another class. Didn’t get invited to so and so’s birthday party? Parent calls the offending parents and makes them feel bad so they invite you. (Disclaimer-thankfully, my parents never did these things.)

 

Our parents meant well. They weren’t trying to do any harm, I’m certain, but in shielding us from difficulty and adversity they inadvertently raised a generation that is unable to face their problems head on.

 

Guys, ministry is hard! LIFE is hard! We must learn that while there is such a thing as an acceptable time to abandon an endeavor and do something else, that’s not always the answer. Sometimes you just have to put in the time and the work to accomplish something. Sometimes you have to get some experience under your belt. Sometimes you learn as you go. It won’t kill you to stick with something and see it through. You may actually discover that you enjoy the sense of accomplishment it brings!

 

3. Millennials are way too carnally influenced, and we think it’s okay. When we were kids it was considered a sin to watch television. Now we have it on our phones. It’s all over our social media feeds. Pop culture even leaks into our ministries in the name of relevance and relatability when God has called us to holiness and separation.

 

I’m not against wholesome entertainment and I don’t think any Christian should be; but we have become completely desensitized to what used to be considered unwholesome. We watch and listen to things that would have made your average non-Christian blush just a few generations ago. And the worst part is that we justify it. We think it’s ok and that it’s not affecting us. We couldn’t be more wrong.

 

Just to be clear-any song, book, movie, or television show that celebrates sin is not fit for any Christian to watch. The “rating” doesn’t matter. The standards for rating movies and television change constantly. What is rated “PG” today could have been rated “PG-13” or even “R” several years ago. It’s not enough to measure our entertainment by what a sinful world’s standard of “family friendly” or “wholesome.” What does the Bible say about it? What does God say about it? Those should be the questions we ask ourselves before indulging in the next Netflix binge.

4. Millennials have unrealistic expectations of the world. We expect the world to bend to our wishes and desires. We demand accommodation from others while we would never give it ourselves. We expect bosses, pastors, and peers to bend over backward to make us feel comfortable, valued and welcome-by our standards. The problem is that often they don’t and that causes us to all but fall apart (as we have witnessed in recent months regarding political events in our country).

 

We must learn to be flexible and to adapt. Doing so requires us to look up from our little bubble to the realization that we are not the center of the universe. We don’t get to make the rules and we don’t get to change them as we wish just because we want to. We do get the incredible opportunity to voice our opinion and to be heard, but not at the expense of silencing every dissenting voice.

The people who make history are not the ones who have everything perfectly arranged in their lives to accommodate them. On the contrary, the people who make history are the people who take a difficult, painful, or less-than-ideal situation and make the best of it.

5. Millennials have unrealistic expectations of themselves. All too easily we become discouraged and depressed when we haven’t seen the results we’ve dreamed about. We blame ourselves when things don’t progress as swiftly as we think they should. I suppose you could blame this on microwaves, fast food, and instant communication; but, we as a generation haven’t quite learned the value of faithfulness, patience and trust.

 

I cannot make a tree grow. I can plant a seed in the proper soil. I can water it appropriately. I can place it where it will receive adequate sunlight. I can do what I can, but it’s up to the process that God designed to do what I can’t.

 

We cannot change people. We cannot save souls. We cannot make people love Jesus. And we certainly can’t dictate the time that it takes to accomplish what we set out to do.

 

What we can do is work, pray, reach, teach, love and live in such a way that God can use us as instruments and aids in his process. We plant, we water, but it is God who gives the increase. Sometimes we see the fruit very quickly and sometimes it takes years. That’s where trust comes in. That’s where faithfulness is essential. We have to plant and water and work even when we can’t see the results we’re looking for and we have to trust the process that God designed.

 

For all its faults and shortcomings, this generation also has some incredible advantages that previous generations could never have dreamed about. We have access to resources and tools that make ministering more convenient and comfortable than it’s ever been. We are blessed to live at this time in history. Sure, there are seemingly insurmountable challenges facing our generation, but I think of Joseph. We serve the same God that took that young, possibly spoiled, little boy named Joseph, put a dream in his heart, and kept him through betrayal, adversity, false accusation, unfair imprisonment, loneliness, uncertainty and lots and lots of waiting, using him-after all that-to have incredible influence in his generation and to save God’s people from starvation. We serve a God who is still able to do all of that, but we need to develop the character that Joseph displayed. The faithfulness through the trials, the patience in the waiting periods, the refusal to compromise his purity, the forgiveness he showed to the brothers who betrayed him - these are the things that will make us great. It has always been and will always be character – not convenience, talent, resources, or self-esteem – but character that makes great men and women truly great.


Blessings,


Kristen