Barna just released the results of a survey related to church architecture / worship space and millennials (18-29). This is the "prize demographic" for church leaders, so much money has been spent on programs and appearances designed to appeal to this group. The Barna Group worked with focus groups in Atlanta and Chicago as well as online surveys, and what they found was interesting. If you are one who follows trends in church matters, it's not surprising. However, it did help me see the cognitive dissonance among my younger peers that has been elusive. No survey is perfect. The fine print puts the margin of error at +/-5.2%. Plus, there's no guarantee that the millennials in your area are anything like those surveyed (even within margin of error). But hopefully you find this interesting - I struggled with how I would interpret these results (you can read how Barna's researchers interpreted it on their site). Frankly, none of them appeal to me. I get that #1 is too large, too much like a concert venue. I get that #3 and #4 are too small and too huh? #2, the most popular, isn't too big or too small, but it's also neither very traditional nor modern. I don't know what to do with it. My guess is that it's more about size than anything. These results make more sense. There's a strong awareness that young people don't want to worship in an auditorium or a gymnasium or a wedding chapel. They want a sacred space with clear Christian imagery. The appeal of #3 is clearly associated with the turn to a more Catholic iconography among the marginally churched (I don't want to call that trend "superstition" because it is such a pejorative term, but note that the more churched millennials are less likely to want to see Jesus still hanging on the cross). Strangely enough, these results make perfect sense to me. #2 has a wedding chapel vibe, #3 has a 70s / experimental Christianity vibe similar to the #3 and #4 sanctuary images above. There seems to be good evidence out there that millennials, especially those with a church background, prefer a classic Christianity (or religion in general), not a 50s-traditional or 70s-funky Christianity. I have no problem with the dichotomy of interest in #1 (extremely unchurchy) and #4 (extremely churchy). Window #1 is tasteful and functional. Window #4 is beautiful. That will all make more sense with the final graphic. Again, if you're out of touch with trends, you might find this surprising. But you'll also notice some responses that seem incompatible or mutually exclusive. They aren't, and here's why:
So in summary, I think this tells us that millennials want a classic, tasteful Christianity. They want reverence and meaning, but reverence for Christ and not the traditions of a church. They want it to be meaningful in their cultural context without being made captive to that culture. Basically, it seems that millennials want a church that God wants us to be.
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AuthorIf I ever say something in here that doesn't make sense, please ask me to clarify. It always makes sense in my head, but that doesn't necessary mean anything to you . . . Categories
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