By Sam S. Rainer III
The younger generation is not the church of the future. They are the church of today.
What are they looking for in a church leader? How can you equip them to lead today? Allow me to offer 10 insights.
1. They desire integrity among leaders. Our research has shown that young adults don’t drop out of the church because of large-scale moral failures of leadership. But they’ve seen enough duplicity — they are attracted to leaders who stand firm and are people of principle.
2. They look for transparency in leaders. A lack of transparency at the top is frustrating to anyone who follows. The younger generation tends to follow transparent leaders over distant, detached leaders. And they want to know that they are not alone in their struggles. They want to hear the leader’s story, valuing personal impact over steps-to-success in a message.
3. They want leaders to be mentors. Mentoring to the younger generation comes in a more informal relationship. It’s not about the program or process; it’s more about the relationship.
4. They crave opportunities from leaders. Most young adults do not want to sit on the sidelines. In fact, a growing front door to the church is missions. A church without opportunity to serve is boring at best, disobedient at worst. Give young adults an opportunity to serve and watch them succeed with the mission.
5. They need leaders to shoot straight. With life. With biblical depth. Young adults do not come to church to wade in the shallows. They do not follow leaders who soft peddle. They desire leaders to shepherd them through the depths of Scripture and the valleys of life.
6. They are attracted to team leadership. The younger generation deplores autocratic leaders. Leaders who attract the younger generation show everyone how their ministry link is a critical one. These leaders reveal the big picture to everyone, rather than keeping the vision black box-locked. They equip the saints and empower the laity to join God on His mission.
7. They want to be corrected by leaders. One way to confuse the younger generation is to set expectations and then hold no one accountable. Much of the younger generation has a desire for strong spiritual guidance and the corresponding discipline when they stray.
8. They seek examples in leadership. Missional churches have missional pastors. Evangelistic churches have evangelistic church leaders. Churches that meet the needs of the community have leaders who champion the cause.
9. They need to hear a message of forgiveness from leaders. Many younger adults carry a burden of guilt. Many of them have no concept of true forgiveness. They need to hear leaders tell them plainly what the atonement of Christ means. They need to hear how the debt of sin has been cancelled.
10. They look for joyful leaders. Young adults gravitate towards a worship experience that represents the joy of Christ. They want to hear from leaders who live Philippians 4:4 — Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
They quickly recognize manufactured joy, but they value leaders with true joy.
Sam S. Rainer III is president of Rainer Research and senior pastor of First Baptist Church Murray, Murray, KY. [www.rainerresearch.com] [www.fbcmurray.org].
