I recently read an article written by a millennial about why millennials and church don’t seem to mix. This article left me MAD. 
The article said that 59% of millennials raised in church are currently not attending. It then went on to state why. What made me so mad was that really many in my generation agree with this article. It’s sad.
Why is there distain for the Church? Do we know what the Church actually is? In its purest form, it is the body of CHRIST, the hands and feet of Jesus. The church is the Bride of CHRIST. The Church isn’t about an individual; it is about relationship and unity and a mission-focused life-style. It is meant to be life giving, uplifting, unifying, love seeking, and edifying. The church offers fulfilling relationships, first with God, then with each other, then out to the lost and broken world. It is a bunch of people who are so madly in love with Jesus and so forever grateful to Him that they can’t wait to be together to praise Him and be with Him in spite of all of our imperfections.
We run into problems in the church when we have people who love themselves and their individuality more than they love Jesus. People like you and me — :). LISTEN, I or anyone of you are not better than any church leader or church attendant. We are all flawed, and the thought that my flaws are not as bad as yours is pride. Big PRIDE, spiritual PRIDE. God opposes the proud, and He spits the lukewarm out of His mouth (Revelation 3:16). That statement should scare us.
I pray, Father, by the power and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ that you would break the sprit of pride off the millennial generation of your people! Father, remove the veil of pride and arrogance we see through, in Jesus’ name! Jesus, we need a revelation of Your love. Oh, God, if only You would reveal Your love to us, we would be forever changed.
Jesus said the greatest commandment is “love the Lord your God with all 
your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind” which means putting nothing before Him. He also said that to “love your neighbor as yourself” is the second greatest commandment. (Matthew 22:37-39) That even means to love the pastor who hurt you. We need a revelation of God’s love, his forever agape love… without it we cannot possibly love His people. Without is we can’t possibly love him.
The path to His love:
- When all you see is problems, LOOK TO JESUS.
- When all you see is the world, LOOK TO JESUS.
- When you see good, LOOK TO JESUS.
- When you see prideful and arrogant leaders, LOOK TO JESUS.
- Whenever you see anything but the cross before you and your old life behind you, LOOK TO JESUS.
Wake up, you sleeping generation, wake up and look up. Focus your eyes on what is above, and He will make right the details of your life.
If you are discouraged or have been hurt by your church, ask God where you should be. If He tells you to stay where you are, then ask Him what you should do. He will tell you to pray; I know he will. Then when you have His answer, He may set you to do something to bring restoration, but everything starts with prayer.
Now is the time! Members of our generation are mostly adults; therefore, we must take responsibility for our own actions before God. We all need to submit to God and follow His word so He can show us how to forgive so He can heal us and restore us. He so desperately wants to!!!!
A benefit of being restored to relationship with other believers is having mentors available who are farther along in 
their walks with Jesus. I am blessed to have mentors in my life. I started out by serving them, getting around them as much as I could and being humble and available to help them in any way possible. I still serve them, and I still arrange my plans to get near them whenever possible. I purpose to remain soft, supple and open before them and God, but I cannot have a relationship with Jesus through anyone else. People around me to help me, guide me, encourage me or admonish me are great as long as it all points me to Jesus. But nothing, nothing replaces Him. HE, will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). HE is able to heal all my wounds, and satisfy all my needs. He can do the same for you. He is able to do immeasurably more then we can ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). Nothing replaces our personal relationships with him. Within that relationship he changes us and molds us. Our lives flow from that relationship.
As you seek Him, He will place the desire in your heart to be part of a community of believers, a church, if you let him. Within that church, there will be leaders, and administrators with whom you might not always agree, but scripture says God appoints them (Romans 13;1), and God also tell us to pray for them (1 Timothy 2:2). Within that body there will be preachers and teachers, prophets, worshipers, intercessors, and leaders. There will be mentors and helpers– people who are gifted at serving and giving. All these people will work together, and if they operate in humility, their effort will be blessed. If they are obedient to God, He will open the flood gates and bless them and you with His presence and glory.
I encourage you to PRAY, to seek first the kingdom of heaven, to seek the heart of God and to know your heart before him, establish a relationship with him. Then GO find a body, a church, find where God wants you to be. He has a gift, a talent, a spot for you. Not one of us is too good to take out the trash. Consider it an honor in the house of the Lord. He may use you to heal a crowd of a thousand with leprosy one day and ask you to serve cheese the next. But HE has a place for you! You just need to get involved, plugged in and serve!!!!
Click here for Part 2: A call to Prayer for a Generation
Christine Disibio is a speaker for Women of the Word, an inter-denominational and inter-generational conference ministry. She is a millennial with a heart to reach them and the iGeneration with the Gospel. In the everyday circumstances of life, the light of Jesus shines into darkness. Her life is rooted in applying biblical principles and prayer.
Christine and her husband are entrepreneurs who see their business as an avenue to witness of God’s redemptive purposes to their employees and customers. They have two young children and live in New England.
Christine will be leading a session at “Fearless Love”, the spring Women of the Word conference on April 28, 2018 in Bristol, Connecticut. The keynote speaker is Barbara Benton. Worship will be led by Josh and Elizabeth Eldridge.
