5 Ideas for Reaching Millennials

Ah, the millennials. That digital native generation that finds the “Jersey Shore” and “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” entertaining. They’ve grown up on Starbucks and digital cable. How can your church ministry begin to engage with this age group? Let’s start with a few facts about the Millennial Generation:

• Millennials own an average of 2.4 internet-connected devices.
• 62% percent are using smartphones to connect to wi-fi and nearly a third are using tablets.
• 28% use location-based apps multiple times per day for locating stores (54%) and points of interests (46%), as well as connecting with others (40%) and checking in (32%).

So what can churches do to begin speaking the language of the Millennials?
Consider these five ideas:

1. Create an app for your church where they can download audio and video of sermons, read daily devotionals, browse through pastor-recommended books, locate the church using GPS and get other useful content like service times and event information. SermonAudio.com has an affordable iphone app available for churches of all sizes.
2. Create a Facebook page where Millennials can interact and discuss church events and engage in conversation with the church staff. Post video, blog links, photos, and start discussions.
3. Move all ticketing & giving online using ServiceU’s web-based software. According to nonprofit technology company, Convio, 17 percent of Millennials donated to the American Red Cross after the earthquake in Haiti using a mobile device while only 3% of donors born prior to 1965 donated by mobile device.
4. Create a Twitter account that Millenials can follow to see what’s going on at church, link to sermons, and retweet key points from sermons. Here they can also utilize hashtags to see who else is apart of their church community and follow them as well.
5. Create a Foursquare account so Millenials can “check in” and show others on social media platforms where they are connected and what organizations they support--namely, yours.

Do you have any other ideas for connecting to Millenials? What have you tried that is working or that didn’t work?