Notes

1 How Do You Solve a Problem Like Young Adults?

. David Kinnaman and Aly Hawkins, You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church—and Rethinking Faith (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2011).

. Cathy Lynn Grossman, “Young Adults Aren’t Sticking with Church,” USA Today, August 6, 2007, http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-08-06-church-dropouts_N.htm.

. “Most Twentysomethings Put Christianity on the Shelf Following Spiritually Active Teen Years,” Barna, September 11, 2006. Retrieved September 9, 2015, https://www.barna.com/research/most-twentysomethings-put-christianity-on-the-shelf-following-spiritually-active-teen-years.

. Amelia Thomson-Deveaux, “Rise of the Nones,” American Prospect, 2013, September 19, 2013, http://prospect.org/article/rise-“nones”.

. “‘Nones’ on the Rise,” Pew Research Center, October 9, 2012, www.pewforum.org/2012/10/09/nones-on-the-rise.

. Michael Lipka, “Millennials Increasingly Are Driving Growth of ‘Nones,’” Pew Research Center, May 12, 2015, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/05/12/millennials-increasingly-are-driving-growth-of-nones.

. Kinnaman, You Lost Me, 37.

. A private conversation Mark had with an anonymous associate pastor.

. See “United Church of Christ Young Adult Study” online at ivpress.com/sustainable-young-adult-ministry.

. Robert Wuthnow, After the Baby Boomers: How Twenty- And Thirty-Somethings Are Shaping the Future of American Religion (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2010), 31.

2 Mistake 1

. Kelly Williams Brown, “Millennials—Why Are They the Worst?” TedxSalem, January 31, 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygBfwgnijlk.

. “How Millennials Really ARE Different,” Discovery News, August 8, 2013, www.seeker.com/how-millennials-really-are-different-1767686733.html.

. Robin Marantz Henig, “What Is It About 20-Somethings?” New York Times, August 21 2010, www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/magazine/22Adulthood-t.html.

. Samantha Raphelson, “Getting Some ‘Me’ Time: Why Millennials Are So Individualistic,” NPR, October 14, 2014, www.npr.org/2014/10/14/352979540/getting-some-me-time-why-millennials-are-so-individualistic.

. Henig, “What Is It About 20-Somethings?”

. “Most Twentysomethings Put Christianity on the Shelf Following Spiritually Active Teen Years,” Barna Group, September 11, 2006, www.barna.com/research/most-twentysomethings-put-christianity-on-the-shelf-following-spiritually-active-teen-years.

3 Mistake 2

. Rachel Sloan, “What Millennials Don’t Want from the Church,” Baptist News Global, October 23, 2013, https://baptistnews.com/article/what-millennials-don-t-want-from-the-church.

. Rachel Held Evans, “Why Millennials Are Leaving the Church,” Belief (blog), July 27, 2013, http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/27/why-millennials-are-leaving-the-church.

. Brett McKracken, “How to Keep Millennials in the Church? Let’s Keep Church Un-cool,” OnFaith, July 31, 2013, www.onfaith.co/onfaith/2013/07/31/how-to-keep-millennials-in-the-church-lets-keep-church-un-cool?noredirect=on.

. Rebecca VanDoodewaard, “Young Evangelicals Are Getting High,” Christian Pundit, July 17, 2013, http://thechristianpundit.org/2013/07/17/young-evangelicals-are-getting-high.

4 Mistake 3

. “‘Extreme Cheapskate’ Mom Rations Food to Toddlers,” ET, November 20, 2013, www.etonline.com/tv/141031_Extreme_Cheapskate_Mom_Rations_Food_to_Toddlers.

. “What Is Sticky Faith?” Fuller Youth Institute, accessed September 9, 2015, http://stickyfaith.org/family/about/press.

5 Mistake 4

. “David Kinnaman Is Wrong: How the Church Really Lost the Millennials and What We Can Do to Keep The Next Generation,” The Gospel Side, September 17, 2013, http://archive.is/ytMbW.

. Rachel Sloan, “What Millennials Don’t Want from the Church,” Baptist News Global, October 23, 2013, https://baptistnews.com/article/what-millennials-don-t-want-from-the-church.

. Jen Hatmaker, For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2015), loc. 1257, Kindle.

. “Social Change Impact Report,” Walden University, accessed November 10, 2015, www.waldenu.edu/-/media/walden/files/about-walden/scir/2014/scir-2014-executive-summary.pdf.

. Gabe Lyons, The Next Christians: The Good News About the End of Christian America (New York: Doubleday Religion, 2010), 53.

6 Mistake 5

. David Greene, “Older Farmers Seem to Be in No Hurry to Call It Quits,” NPR Morning Edition, August 20, 2013.

. Tim Woda, “Kids Can Use Smartphones Before They Learn to Write Their Names,” UknowKids, February 20, 2014, http://resources.uknowkids.com/blog/kids-can-use-smartphones-before-they-learn-to-write-their-names.

. F. Kitto, YouthWorker Journal, May 1, 2001, 18-19.

. Larry Osborne, Sticky Teams: Keeping Your Leadership Team and Staff on the Same Page (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 114.

. Osborne, Sticky Teams, 114.

. Naomi Ko, “Flaky Youth, Flaky Future,” Huffington Post, September 26, 2012, www.huffingtonpost.com/naomi-ko/flaky-youth-flaky-future_b_1784660.html.

7 Mistake 6

. Heidi Glenn, “Losing Our Religion: The Growth of the ‘Nones,’” NPR, January 13, 2013, www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/01/14/169164840/losing-our-religion-the-growth-of-the-nones.

. Trevor Neilson, “Philanthropy and Millennials: Get on Board or Get Left Behind,” Huffington Post, August 6, 2013, www.huffingtonpost.com/trevor-neilson/philanthrop-and-millennia_b_3269238.html.

. Neil Howe and William Strauss, Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation (New York: Vintage Books, 2000), 4.

. Thom S. Rainer, “Millennials, Religion, and a Reason for Hope,” Tom S. Rainer (blog), February 7, 2011, http://thomrainer.com/2012/02/07/millennials_and_a_reason_for_hope.

8 Beyond Fixing

. Haydn Shaw, “Why What You Read About Millennials Seems Contradictory,” Huffington Post, updated March 15, 2015, www.huffingtonpost.com/haydn-shaw/why-what-you-read-about-m_b_6459946.html; emphasis added.

. H. Richard Niebuhr, Christ and Culture (New York: HarperCollins, 1951), 157.

. Brad Lomenick, The Catalyst Leader: 8 Essentials for Becoming a Change Maker (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2013), loc 1090, Kindle.

9 Paradox 1

. See “United Church of Christ Young Adult Study” online at ivpress.com/sustainable-young-adult-ministry.

. Brad Lomenick, The Catalyst Leader: 8 Essentials for Becoming a Change Maker (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2013), loc. 516, Kindle.

. Henrik Bresman and Vinika D. Rao, “Millennials Want to Lead. Are They Ready?” Forbes, November 18, 2014, www.forbes.com/sites/insead/2014/11/18/millennials-want-to-lead-are-they-ready.

. Sean Graber, “Engaging Millennials Through Leadership Development,” Virtuali and New Leaders Council, accessed August 7, 2017, https://docplayer.net/65296968-Engaging-millennials-through-leadership-development.html.

. Josh Bersin, “Millennials Will Soon Rule the World: But How Will They Lead?” Forbes, September 12, 2013, www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2013/09/12/millenials-will-soon-rule-the-world-but-how-will-they-lead/#7796e609227a.

. John Ford, “62% of Millennials Believe Themselves to Be Innovative: Are They Wrong?” Mic Daily, February 6, 2013, http://mic.com/articles/24973/62-of-millennials-believe-themselves-to-be-innovative-are-they-wrong.

. Ford, “62% of Millennials Believe Themselves to Be Innovative.”

. Kristina Bravo, “10 Cool Products Invented by Millennials,” TakePart, October 16, 2014, www.takepart.com/photos/10-coolest-socially-relevant-products/index.html

. Bravo, “10 Cool Products.”

. Sherri R. Greenburg, “Using Innovation and Technology to Improve City Services,” accessed November 8, 2016, www.businessofgovernment.org/report/using-innovation-and-technology-improve-city-services.

. “Student Startup Creates Online Medical Records for Pets,” Hack Reactor, July 11, 2014, www.hackreactor.com/blog/student-startup-brings-online-medical-records-to-pets.

10 Paradox 2

. Larissa Faw, “Millennials Expect More Than Good Products, Services to Win Their Loyalty,” Forbes, May 22, 2014, www.forbes.com/sites/larissafaw/2014/05/22/millennials-expect-more-than-good-products-services-to-win-their-loyalty/#3449d8a25697.

. Faw, “Millennials Expect More Than Good Products, Services to Win Their Loyalty.”

. Dave Gilboa, “How Warby Parker’s Social Mission Has Attracted Millennials,” Fortune, January 19, 2015 http://fortune.com/video/2015/06/19/how-warby-parkers-social-mission-has-attracted-millennials.

. Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch, The Faith of Leap: Embracing a Theology of Risk, Adventure and Courage (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2011), 159.

11 Paradox 3

. Andrea Atkins, “Six Most Dangerous Sports for Kids,” Considerable, May 1, 2013, https://considerable.com/most-dangerous-sports-for-kids.

. Though only men were permitted to be Levites, this pattern for the transfer of leadership should be seen in today’s church as applying equally to men and women in leadership.

. Ninety-four percent of the millennials indicate that to some degree they have great respect for older generations (Thom S. Rainer and Jess Rainer, The Millennials: Connecting to America’s Largest Generation [Nashville: B&H, 2011], 88).

. Brad Lomenick, The Catalyst Leader: 8 Essentials for Becoming a Change Maker (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2013), loc. 2914, Kindle.

. Drew Dyck, “Millennials Need a Bigger God, Not a Hipper Pastor,” Aspen Group, January 24, 2018, www.aspengroup.com/blog/millennials-need-a-bigger-god-not-hipper-pastor.

. A. Allan Martin and Clint Jenkin, “Engaging Adventist Millennials: A Church That Embraces Relationships,” Ministry, May 1, 2014, www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/2014/05/engaging-adventist-millennials.

. “5 Reasons Millennials Stay Connected to Church,” Barna Group, accessed September 14, 2015, www.barna.com/research/5-reasons-millennials-stay-connected-to-church.

12 Paradox 4

. Mark Devries, Sustainable Youth Ministry: Why Most Youth Ministry Doesn’t Last and What Your Church Can Do About It (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008), 51-52.

13 Paradox 5

. Lauren Cash, “Generation Flaky,” Breath & Nourish, June 7, 2013, www.breatheandnourish.com/recent-posts/generation-flaky. (Since we wrote this, it appears Breath & Nourish has been removed from the Internet!)

. Kate Hakala, “There’s a Modern Affliction Ruining Our Friendships—and We’re All Guilty of It,” Mic, March 18, 2015, http://mic.com/articles/113138/there-s-a-modern-problem-afflicting-our-friendships-and-it-s-time-to-talk-about-it.

. Dan Schawbel, “Who’s at Fault for High Gen-Y Turnover?” Forbes, November 22, 2011, www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2011/11/22/whos-at-fault-for-high-gen-y-turnover.

. Dan Schawbel, “The Cost of Millennial Retention Study,” Millennial Branding, August 6, 2013, http://millennialbranding.com/2013/cost-millennial-retention-study.

. Rieva Lesonsky, “Survey Says: Are Millennial Employees Flakes?” Huffington Post, March 19, 2012, www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/19/survey-says-are-millennial-employees-flakes_n_1325331.html.

. Steven Shattuck, “4 Insights from the 2015 Millennial Impact Report,” Bloomerang, June 30, 2015, https://bloomerang.co/blog/4-insights-from-the-2015-millennial-impact-report.

14 Paradox 6

. Greg Toppo and Paul Overberg, “Census: Americans Are Moving Again,” USA Today, October 7, 2014, www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/26/americans-moving-again-census/2986963.

. David Bancroft Avrick, “How Many People Move Each Year—and Who Are They?” NCPA, accessed September 9, 2015, www.ncpa.co/pdf/2016ce/exhibit-b-how-many-people-move.pdf.

. Jeanne Meister, “The Future of Work: Job Hopping Is the ‘New Normal’ for Millennials,” Forbes, August 14, 2012, www.forbes.com/sites/jeannemeister/2012/08/14/job-hopping-is-the-new-normal-for-millennials-three-ways-to-prevent-a-human-resource-nightmare/#7fd568725508.

. Reggie McNeal, This Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003), 115.

. Stephen W. Sorenson, “Moving Targets: Ministry in a Transient Society,” Christianity Today, accessed September 9, 2015, www.christianitytoday.com/le/1991/fall/91l4120.html.

. Lonny Kocina, “The Average American Is Exposed to . . .” Media Relations Agency, February 22, 2006, www.publicity.com/advicetips/the-average-american-is-exposed-to.

. Francis I, “I Prefer a Church Which Is Bruised, Hurting and Dirty,” USA Today, November 26, 2013, www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/11/26/pope-francis-poverty/3759005.

. Michael Duduit, “Reaching the Millennials: An Interview with Thom Rainer,” Preaching, December 5, 2011, www.preaching.com/resources/articles/11660599.

. Duduit, “Reaching the Millennials.”

. Keith Miller and Bruce Larson, The Edge of Adventure (Tarrytown, NY: Fleming H. Revell, 1991), 36.

15 I Don’t Know . . . Yet

. Jan Souman, quoted in Emily Sohn, “Turns Out, Lost People Really Do Walk in Circles,” NBCNews, August 20, 2009, www.nbcnews.com/id/32494981/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/turns-out-lost-people-really-do-walk-circles.

16 Failure Isn’t an Option—It’s a Certainty

. Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream,” in Let Nobody Turn Us Around: Voices of Resistance, Reform, and Renewal: An African American Anthology, ed. Manning Marable and Leith Mullings (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 1999).

. Linda Rottenberg, Crazy Is a Compliment: The Power of Zigging when Everyone Else Zags (New York: Penguin, 2016), 39.

. Rottenberg, Crazy Is a Compliment, 37.

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