I recently came across an article that I wanted to share with my readers. Here are three things we need to understand about unemployment and the Millennials.
1. The unemployment of Millennials is going to have long-term consequences on them, and the church.
The article states, “While everyone in the work force deals with pay freezes, layoffs, and furloughs in this economy—and certainly, those setbacks can be harder financially on workers raising a family than single 20-somethings—our generation probably won’t ever make up for it. Over their entire careers, those who graduate during a recession make less, save less, and get promoted less often than those during a boom,Marketplace reports.”
The early financial instability of emerging adults (Yes, even the highly educated ones.) will affect their future savings, earnings, and giving to the church. Churches need to engage Millennials in the areas that really matter. Proper teaching on vocation, encouragement to the unemployed, and job networking is essential to church who want to reach Millennials.
2. Vocation is not who you are, but it is the means by which you fulfill God’s purpose for you.
The article quotes Mike Rowe from Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs wrote, “Jobs don’t come from hell. They come from people with money who are willing to pay other people to work for them.” Mike isn’t a theologian, but he is correct. Work isn’t a bad thing. God made us to work. Work is a gift from God, and it is the means that we fulfill our life’s purpose. (The concept of vocation is hard to fully define in a few sentences, but you can read more here.)
3. The hope of Millennial Christians is not that God will bring them a dream job, but in a God who is our HOPE.
I agree with the article’s conclusion that the church shouldn’t judge the Millennials as lazy. Generation-bashing is never helpful, and I often write on that topic. The second part is unclear to me.
The article states, “Know that distraction is not the answer … and real answers do exist if we’re listening.” The author does not define what answers Millennials are looking for. I don’t want to tell Millennials to simply wait on God, and He will give them a dream job, or one that makes more money. The answers which God provides are often different than we are expecting. He wants us to take our hopeful vocational aspirations, and redirect our hope into Him, and Him alone.
Which is not as easy as it sounds.
Dr. G. David Boyd is the Founder and Managing Director of EA Resources. He has a passion to encourage and help churches and parents help Emerging Adults.
