GMO Blog

As humans, we love trends. We love knowing what will be “in,” marketable, and profitable. We want to know where to put our money, time, and talent. Where can we get the biggest return for our investment. While we might not be hopping on trends like watching bad reality TV, there are others that we don’t want to miss out on. Investors want to know what would be a wise investment of money. Parents want to be aware of what trend their kids think is “cool” (especially to know if running interference is necessary). And the church wants to know what is the best way to share the gospel with people.

In a recent article, Thom Rainer, the CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, lays out “5 Major Trends for Churches in America“. Two in particular stand out as important to consider for the future of online evangelism.

The Millennial generation will be indifferent toward Christianity. 

The very opposite of acceptance is indifference. Some people might be tempted to think it is hate. But if someone hates, they still have emotion and thoughts for a subject or person. If they are indifferent, they simply don’t care. Questions like “where will you go when you die” or “why are you here on earth” are dismissed with “I don’t care.” If someone doesn’t care, there can’t even be a conversation.

While people might become indifferent toward Christianity, they STILL care about their relationships. It is this relationship that will open the doors to conversation.  They are the first generation to share so much personal information online. And though it is less likely that they will live in the same town they grew up in, they will continue to be connected online. Social media then becomes all the more important mode of sharing the gospel.  The key to riding the social media trend is to remain authentic. The Millennial generation wants to know that you REALLY care. They want to engage with a REAL person. Therefore Christians need to continue to build a personal authentic social presence to connect and stay connected with people in their lives. Social media can’t be used just to throw christian ideas out there. The Millennial generation already “doesn’t care” about another idea. The most rewarding evangelism trend will be to build authentic relationships online so that they might be granted the privilege of sharing the gospel.

Join us tomorrow as we discover what the second trend is, and how we can address it…