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
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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)