The changing 20s: Resources you can use

  • Nikki Reich
  • Jan 13, 2011

What’s unique about us 20-somethings? Quite a lot, I learned at a recent conference sponsored by the national campus ministry, the Navigators. The seminar, “Understanding and Ministering to the Next Generation,” opened my eyes to the worldview and lifestyle of my generation in a way that I thought may speak to you also. I also came away with some helpful resources that you may want to know about.

The Millennials

Those of us in our 20s, often called the “Millennials” (or “Generation Next”), are known for: our energy, comfort with diversity, open minds, global experiences, tech-savvy backgrounds, justice focus, high expectations, desire for authenticity and our strong search for meaning. My generation is diverging from generations before us, in how we learn and think, relate socially, engage spiritually and form identity. With Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, E-harmony, and the like, our world is quick, visual and virtual. Unlike generations before us who learned predominantly through books, connecting ideas and words sequentially, we 20-somethings tend to learn and think visually and emotionally.

Socially, we are quite the paradox. We love virtual realities yet we crave deep, honest and authentic relationships. What may be the hardest stuff to talk about is what we want to talk about. We’ve learned that an image can be the best way to enter into these conversations, whether a forgotten teddy bear lying on the sidewalk, or a more abstract image portraying a starving man behind what appear to be prison bars. Many of us feel emotions of brokenness and abandonment when we view such images.

Unlike previous generations that identified more with guilt (e.g. “I have done wrong”), we tend to feel shame (e.g. “I am wrong”). This goes straight to our identity. Shame and sexuality often shape our identities. We desire God’s love to minister to these deep places.

At the conference, we learned about healthy shame and unhealthy shame. Unhealthy shame “prevents us from receiving grace and truth where we need them most … causing us to conclude we are unworthy of love and honor” (from Strength in Weakness, by Andrew Comiskey). Healthy shame is shame that “will not hurt us so long as we do not try to hide things, so long as we are ready to bow our heads in hearty shame where it is fit that we should be ashamed …; to be humbly ashamed is to be plunged in the cleansing bath of truth” (from An Anthology of George MacDonald, edited by C.S. Lewis).

Lastly, in our parents’ and grandparents’ generations, a biblical worldview and Christianity were palatable, even accepted. These days, we live in world that seems confused by God and holds a more negative stereotype of Christians. This is not to discourage us as Christians; instead we Millennials can be challenged to grow in conviction and boldness.

Ministry to Millennials

In light of the above, trying to minister to those in their changing 20s can be quite a challenge. But NavPress, the publishing arm of the Navigators, has developed the Connect Bible study series to help address some of these changing needs. They have woven into these studies the main generational changes described above in an effort to engage the Millennials where they’re at. We recommend you check them out! At $10.99 each, you may want to work on them as devotionals or start a small group with some friends. Here they are:

Connect Bible studies:
God: Connecting with His Outrageous Love
Identity: Becoming Who God Says I Am
Soul: Embracing My Sexuality and Emotions
Relationships: Bringing Jesus to My World
Life: Thriving in a Complex World
Freedom: Breaking the Power of Shame

To see sample chapters or to order: http://www.navpress.com/series/SR1058/Connect

Besides the Connect series, there’s another study that offers a safe and thought-provoking place to ask hard questions about God and trust. This one is for those who find God confusing or even scary. This one costs $7.99.

God: Can I Like Him?
For more information or to download: http://www.navpress.com/product/9781615217489