Ever wake up on a Monday morning and think to yourself, "Everything is Changing"?
Well... turns out it is. Even Cheese.
Take Millennials, for example. They love cheeses just as much as the rest of the U. S. population. But their love of cheeses takes on a little different 'flavor' than their older counterparts like you and me.
In fact, the recent trends in the cheese industry (yes, there IS a cheese industry), has Kraft Foods a little worried. Seems that the decades-long "American cheese" market is diminishing... down 1.6% this year alone. According to a recent report from Bloomberg:
"The product, made famous by the greatest generation, devoured by boomers on the go and touted as the basis for macaroni and cheese, the well-documented love object of Gen X, has met its match with millennials demanding nourishment from ingredients that are both recognizable and pronounceable."
(I've heard the Millennial generation blamed for many things, but changing cheese, up until this point, has not been one of them.)
Anyways... the market is taking notice. McDonald's, Wendy's and other fast-food restaurants are moving away from processed American cheese to offer things like "Asiago" and "Real Cheddar" (whatever those things are).
Millennials are also now being accused of killing mayonnaise... but don't get me started.
What's my point?
Everything IS changing... just like you suspected. Everything from cheeses to church.
(If you haven't picked up on my wordplay yet, just try replacing 'cheeses' with 'Jesus').
We should expect Millennials to change things up a little when it comes to Church as well.
Just like the previous generations have done.
Just like we did.
And while we often resist change, it's natural... and actually healthy.
Now not all change is good... but much of it actually is. It is our job as church leaders to forward the baton to the next generation, passing what we've learned on to them and allowing them to modify and adapt to reach their own generation (and generations to come).
That's not easy.
They won't do it the same way we would (or the same way we have).
Most changes are not theological. Most are cultural or have to do with methodology. That's ok.
What I'm seeing in Millennial leadership in the church is actually very positive. This is a generation that is raising up some great church leaders. We need to support them however we can.
The challenge is sharing our leadership with them, even sometimes before we think they're totally ready.
Just like the generation before us did (reluctantly) for each of us.
Things ARE changing. And Monday mornings can seem to highlight the change that's happening or the change that needs to happen.
Our job is to make that change happen in a healthy way that serves the church and future generations.
And there's nothing cheesy about that.
CHALLENGE: What change can you help facilitate this week that will position your church/ministry for the future? What young leader could you encourage by asking them to lunch this week?