Millennials, Faith and Philanthropy: Who Will be Transformed?

Bridge/Work, Jan 2016

By David P. King, Published on 01/20/16

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Millennials, Faith and Philanthropy: Who Will be Transformed?

Millennials, Faith and Philanthropy: W ho Will be Transformed? Be Transformed? 0 David P. King 0 0 Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy , USA Follow this and additional works at: http://scholar.valpo.edu/ilasbw Recommended Citation King, David P. () "Millennials, Faith and Philanthropy: Who Will be Transformed?," Bridge/Work: Vol. 1: Iss. 1, Article 2. Available at: http://scholar.valpo.edu/ilasbw/vol1/iss1/2 - Dwhat you see might tell us a bit about who you are, your outlook on life, and iscussing millennials is a bit of a Rorschach test. People see different things and your opinion of this emerging generation. It can also lead to some serious emotion. Depending on how you view this millennial generation, your outlook might be quite hopeful or quite anxiety producing. Some view millennials as a breath of fresh air: altruistic and civic-minded. Others fear a generation that is materialistic and selfabsorbed. These are the debates that have made millennials the most talked about generation. Dialogue around millennial engagement often takes the form of either laments or commendations in addition to a lot of “how-tos”: how to work with millennials, change millennials, market goods and services to millennials. And lest I forget to mention, I do realize that I am addressing many millennials. When I speak on these topics, I am often aware that most often there are millennials in the room that quickly grow tired of people telling you who you are. Let this simply be the start of our conversation, not the end. Who Are Millennials? Most scholars generally agree on delineating the millennial generation as those born between 1980 and 2000. Now the largest generation, there are more than 80 million millennials, just under 30 percent of the population. While people disagree on the characteristics defining millennials, there are some important traits to consider. First, they are the most ethnically and racially diverse generation. Second, millennials are more educated than any other generation—even if that education has not always translated into economic opportunity. Third, they have delayed marriage. In 1950, the average age for first marriage was 20.3 for women and 22.8 for men. Today, the median age for first marriage is the highest in modern history—27 for women and 29 for men.1 This leads to interesting cultural questions around issues such as family structure, birth control, and cohabitation. Fourth, millennials are more socially tolerant of diversity and difference. For example, the rapidly expanding acceptance of gay marriage among millennials is much higher than among other generations.2 Fourth, millennials are global citizens, often quite connected to what is happening in other parts of the world. It is estimated that 20 to 25 percent of all U.S. church members will go overseas on a short-term mission trip during their lifetime. The percentage is even higher for millennials. Yet it isn’t just the movement of people and goods that makes globalization real, it is also the instant access we have to information that has expanded our global awareness. We are simply more conscious of living in a global context. Even as we are rooted in local communities, it is increasingly difficult to overlook the world 1 Christian Smith with Patricia Snell, Souls in Transition: The Religious & Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009): 5; Pew Research Center, “Millennials in Adulthood: Detached from Institutions, Networked with Friends,” Mar. 7, 2014, http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/03/07/millennials-inadulthood/ (accessed Oct. 23, 2015). 2 The Council of Economic Advisers, “15 Economic Facts about Millennials,” Oct. 2014 https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/millennials_report.pdf (accessed Oct. 23, 2015); Derrick Feldmann, The 2012 Millennial Impact Report. Johnson Grossnickle Associates, 2012. (CNN, Al Jazeera, BBC are on 24 hours a day around the world, not to mention our ability to follow revolutions via Twitter).3 So millennials are multicultural, more socially tolerant than older generational cohorts, and internationalist in outlook. However, if you ask millennials themselves what sets them apart, the answer will be technology. They are digital natives. They see themselves at ease with technology and could not consider their life without it. According to one study, 53 percent of millennials said they would rather give up their sense of smell than their technology.4 I am on the edge of the millennial generation, but I do not identify as one. I confess it would be hard to live without technology, but I am no digital native. I remember dial-up internet. I remember receiving my first email address in college and was shocked freshmen year when one of my “early adopter” professors forced us to turn in a paper via email. Such memories clearly “out” me as a non-millennial. The other significant point here is the fact that millennials themselves understand (...truncated)


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David P King. Millennials, Faith and Philanthropy: Who Will be Transformed?, Bridge/Work, 2016, Volume 1, Issue 1,