Millennials Find Their Voice in Obama's Win

A look at generations in this year's elections tells an interesting story. In Making God Real for a New Generation which was published in 2002, I talked about the emergence of a new Youth Boom that would hit in 2006 as the Millennial Generation, those born from 1982 to 1999, entered into their young adult and youth years. Today we are seeing the fruit of that Youth Boom in the election of President Obama. Now that Millennials are age 7 to 26 they are in their Youth Boom years.

When previous generations hit this age mark, transformation in the rest of the society took place. In the 1930s, new technology introduced color movies, comic books, and Big Band Music. Towards the end of the decade, the GI Generation fought in World War II. In the 1950s, the birth of the Civil Rights Movement and the emergence of Rock'n'Roll Music were the hallmarks of the Pioneer Generation. The Baby Boomers ruled the 1970s with the culmination of the anti-War movement and growth of the Women's Movement. In the late 1980s, the Postmodern Generation saw the collapse of the Berlin Wall and ushered in many aspects that are seen in the Emergent Movement and the growth of the digital age.

Now that the Millennials are coming into their own, key factors are coming into play in the wider society as seen in the election of Obama:

1. 10% of the voters were age 18-24 and 66% of them voted for Obama. In comparison, only 45% of those over 65 voted for the new president.

2. Obama tapped into the youth vote by using their primary means of communication: the Internet and Cell Phones. Notice that major announcements, like the selection of Vice-President Biden, were sent out as Text Messages before given to traditional media. By doing so the Obama campaign sought to create a personal connection with the young voters who supported him. This also allowed him to ask for donations to the campaign using the Internet as well.

3. Obama's slogan: "Yes we Can," tapped into the mindset of a generation who sees themselves as ones who want to make a difference in this world. Rather than fear, his message of hope connected with young people who desire a positive direction for the country and the world.

4. Obama also connected to another major aspect of the Millennial Generation, the ability and desire to reach across racial, ethnic, and national lines. A great number of the Millennial Generation are the children of immigrants from countries around the world. A look at the crowds that were seen at Obama's rallies shows us the new face of America, one that is multi-ethnic and young.

As Millennials make their voice heard the church has much to learn from the Obama campaign.

1. Millennials want to make a personal connection and do so through digital media.

2. Millennials are a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural generation. Churches that will grow and flourish in the future will be ones that reflect their diversity. This is the greatest challenge churches now face as the vast majority of congregations worship in mono-ethnic gatherings.

3. Millennials are attracted to a message of hope and desire to be part of something bigger than themselves to make a difference.

The Millennials are just starting to let their voice be heard. The church, like it has in eras past, has a choice to make. It can listen deeply and look for ways in which God is speaking through the Millennials to challenge us to grow in faith and maturity. It can put up walls and ignore them or forbid practices that seem so unGodly (like dancing, wearing make-up, or watching movies). Or it can ignore them completely, going our separate ways until the Church itself has lost its voice.

My hope is that the church and the culture at large will listen and learn, and look for ways to connect to this new generation as it influences us all.