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Millennials Socialize
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According to the Pew Institute, nearly 40% of the American population under the age of 40 are religiously uncommitted. These are young adults who purposely avoid church membership and when asked if they belong to a particular church or denomination, they use words like unaffiliated, non-denominational, marginally Christian, spiritual but not religious or other. Only 26% of the population say they belong to a particular church or denomination and participate in organized and traditional forms of religion. Is there a message here?
If, in fact, this describes American Christians, then church, as it was fifty years ago until now, does not reach those who consider themselves interested in Christ but not in organized religion. Studies show that this population of “spiritual but not religious” is interested in orthopraxy (right practice) over orthodoxy (right belief).
In my mind, the challenge for the modern church is to find that “sweet spot” that Wesley referred to as the radical center, a place where you belong to Christ, not to a denomination. Wesley was concerned that the established church of England was ignoring the plight of the poor, the outcast, the dregs of society. As an Anglican priest, Wesley tried to move the church in a more inclusive direction – but the established church resisted. So Wesley took the church to the streets, the ghettos, the coal mines, the fields. He organized societies – small groups – that met in homes to study Scripture and hold one another accountable.
The established church refused to give Wesley a pulpit as long as he was “improperly delivering the gospel.” But that didn’t matter to Wesley. He continued to establish societies all over England and Methodism grew and spread to the colonies in the new America. So, Methodism has inclusiveness in its genes and the desire to remove labels that exclude, judge and condemn.
Is it time, once again, to take the gospel to the streets? Is it time, once again, to welcome the tattooed, the rejected, the dirty, the trailer trash, the indignant? Can we welcome sinners, even if they do not qualify as religious? I hope so.
Ted Cole
Dr. Ted Cole
The Rev. Dr. Ted Cole is a retired clergy member of the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference.