In 2013 and 2014 Bishop Brungardt hosted a series of dinners for small groups of random people across the diocese. The dinners were held in big towns, small towns, in all four corners and places in between in both Spanish and English.

The Goal was to see what is on the minds of the people in the pews. Each person was invited to share their hopes and dreams on note cards which I later organized to see what concerns, hopes are rising to the top. This would go on to help Bishop Brungardt prioritize his ministry.

Not counting the need for more Priests, that hope was echoed every place we went across all languages, three other topics emerged in each location and again in both Spanish and English.

• Cultural Unity
• How do we get fallen away Catholics back
• How do we keep youth/young adults in the faith?

Regarding #3, “How do we keep youth/young adults in the faith”, I read an article in a blog by Fast Company titled A MILLENNIA’S VERSION OF "THE AMERICAN DREAM" GEN-Y HASN'T BOUGHT INTO THE DREAM OF BIG HOUSES AND FANCY CARS. SO HOW DO YOU SELL TO THEIR DEMOGRAPHIC? FIRST THINGS FIRST, FORGET WHAT YOU KNEW.

After reading this article I immediately thought, “the 20 somethings are not the consumers my generation is and they still don’t come to church". "After all, aren’t the isms such as consumerism the driving factor why the 40ish something group don’t come to church?" If consumerism is not the reason Gen Y skips out then it is back to the drawing board.

The article explains four ways to sell stuff to Gen Y. We in parish life do not sell stuff, rather, promote a life in Jesus Christ. Below I take the four instructions companies use to sell stuff and reverse engineered them so parishes can help Gen Y see Jesus in us and grow in the relationship with him.

Flexibility – It is safe to say that Gen Y was not raised the way I was or as generations before. It is not all bad, it is not all good. It just is. Therefore we in church need to accept these people as they are where they are with no expectation their faith life will look like our own. Does Gen Y need to say the Divine Mercy Chaplet and pray the Rosary with regularity? Sure it would be nice but that is only two ways to pray. Exposing this group of people to a variety of ways to pray would be better and help them find what works best for them. Think flexible.

Vision – Why does a parish exist? Why does ministry in our parish exist? I firmly believe that a person whose relationship to Jesus, Mass, and Eucharist is flimsy, those wonderful things about our faith will not be enough to get them through our doors. Especially, if lack luster hospitality, poor music and preaching exist. Asking "why" is important so Gen Y can see the parish vision. The function of the parish in more than a series of motions on Saturday night and Sunday morning. The parish needs to show that the values it holds are bigger than it’s self.

Legacy – Many reading this grew up with this notion: Go to school and get good grades so we can go to a good college to get good job to save money for retirement and on and on. This whole idea is being abandoned by Gen Y. As a group, Gen Y needs more than good grades, money, and retirement at the end of the day. They are on a mission and want their lives to stand for more than traditional results of a life lived. A parish should help Gen Y create their legacy. Whether it is missionary work overseas, here at home, or creating a brand new ministry, this group is legacy driven. Help them create it. (Pssst, this idea works with other age groups too)

Connection – “we also value connecting to each other and the world around us. From Instagram to Snapchat to WhatsApp, millennials are hungry for new and innovative ways to keep in touch, see things in a new way, and share what’s important to them.” It is so true it is cliché, Gen Y is connected and the phones are at the ready….all the time. Each parish should discern how it uses the varieties of communication to speak to and allow others to speak back. Except for practical matters, it seems that most parish communication is one way. Gen Y needs a method to interact with their church in a valuable way. An area to test ideas even flawed ideas, as they search for meaning and wrestle with challenging aspects of Jesus teaching.

This group can be brought into the life of Jesus but it will take devoted and creative leadership. This group has much to offer the world if we speak their language.

Leave a comment and tell me what you think. The best conversations happen after the article.

Eric