After taking a closer look at who millennials are and what their impact is on society in part 1 of this series, we are going to explore some specific ways to reach them in your context.
1. Ask questions
Despite popular belief, millennials are able to hold a conversation with people face to face! Thankfully, learning from millennials doesn't require you to make any significant changes. By asking younger people in your congregation some simple questions, you might learn a lot!
Some questions to ask might be...
- What are your daily mobile habits? How often and when are you using your mobile phone?
- What are your favorite apps?
- How do you keep up with your news and information?
- If you were trying to communicate with our church, what do you think would grab people's attention?
2. Get millennials to volunteer at your church
Looping young people into different service teams at your church can be a big benefit to you and to them. This will provide a direct line of communication between leadership and the younger people at your church, and it will give you some insight into their daily mobile habits, not to mention give them the opportunity to share any ideas or contribute any important information to you about what their needs are as members of your community.
3. Don't change your message, but the way it's communicated
We absolutely need churches to continue to preach the Gospel message, regardless of how different groups receive it, but it is important to evaluate the tools you are using to do that. What's out of date? Is everything user-friendly? Are the people in your community having a poor experience with the technology you use on a Sunday and throughout the week?
4. Help millennials feel like they are part of the mission/story
One important distinction when it comes to millennials is that they love to be a part of the story that organizations and brands are telling. This is why brands like TOMs and others like it have been successful in marketing to millennials.
As you seek to encourage millennials to be involved with your church, tell the story of the Gospel in a compelling way and try to communicate that they are very much a part of it. Not only that, but communicate the mission of your church in your specific context often, and invite them to be on mission with you.
5. Use your app
Customized apps make communication simple. And with simplicity, ease, and intuitiveness being a huge draw for millennials when it comes to engaging with content, using your app to reach millennials (or building one if you don't have one yet) will make a huge impression when trying to reach this audience.
Have more questions about reaching millennials? One of our mobile consultants put on an awesome webinar that explores these topics ever more. Check it out!
If you have any questions get in touch with us about creating your mobile app!