Letter Regarding Millenials and Worship Style.

Elders, Evangelism, Chairman, and anybody else I have an e-mail for;

I encourage you to take a look at this blog post: http://thomrainer.com/2014/04/02/worship-style-attracts-millennials/.

What he writes is not from a Lutheran perspective but is based upon his study of Millenials (those born between 1980 and 2000). Of course any study's conclusions must include the biases of the author, but I think that what he has to share we should give some thought to:

The Three Things That Matter Most Regarding Worship Style and Millenials:

1.Millennnials desire the music to have rich content.
2.Millennials desire authenticity in a worship service.
3.This large generation does want a quality worship service. But that quality is a reflection of the authenticity noted above, and adequate preparation of the worship leaders both spiritually and in time of preparation. In that sense, quality worship services are possible for churches of all sizes.

I believe our congregation (Trinity-Darmstadt)IS(and can continue to IMPROVE in) meeting these three things that matter most to Millenials. These three objectives can be met in our uniquely Lutheran worship. The liturgy of the church is rich in content, authentic NOT fake nor frivolous, and if done well has a reverent and holy quality. It is inter-generational, engaging, and has the potential to be ever-contemporary as opposed to stuck in a period of time or catering to a particular group.

There is NO DOUBT that what turns YOUNG (Millenial) people OFF is "worship wars." They can smell it a mile away. The LCMS has suffered much because of this war. It's time to move on.

Millenials desire Biblical teaching and preaching. That's what every Christian should desire. Average sermon lengths are shifting to over 20 minutes (22 minutes). Sermons must engage the Biblical text and the people... and most importantly, Preach Christ! Sermons should engage today and be real; they should OMIT and AVOID sensationalism and emotional manipulation for the sake of "effect." One of the strategies I have been trying is preaching without a script. It takes longer to develop. Requires more time in study and preparation. But I think in the end, the sermon includes what Millenials (and all people) expect in worship: rich content, authenticity, and a high degree of quality. Keep it simple. Preach Jesus.

A concluding story: While Stephen was home for Spring Break, he broke the news to me that he was attending a different congregation from the LCMS congregation I had suggested. The LCMS congregation in town was in my opinion a good congregation. And, it had a van that would pick you up at the dorm. BUT he had decided on another church. This congregation was 45 minutes away. He begged a ride with a classmate who had a car. I was glad to hear that the new congregation was also an LCMS congregation. But the worship service was different. Different in this way: it was genuinely and authentically liturgical. He told me that most of the LCMS college kids who were church-goers went to the congregation further away. Even more astonishing was when he told me, "Dad, the Pastor is even more liturgical than you." The same group of LCMS Millenials at Hillsdale College now meet every weeknight to sing the Compline/Vespers service and hymns acapella (all out of Lutheran Service Book). That's a far cry from where I was in college. I went to praise services and sang "contemporary" Christian music. The next generation is finding the church's song in the historic forms. That's a fact.

Have a blessed day!

Pastor.

The Rev. Stephen W. Kieser
Trinity Lutheran Church - Darmstadt
1401 West Boonville - New Harmony Rd.
Evansville, IN 47725
Twitter: @swkieser
812-867-5279 church