For the first time in U.S. history, singles outnumber those who are married. Millennials are setting two new trends: fewer are getting married and fewer are attending church.
CBN News reports that these new trends suggest millennials are hesitant to commit to marriage due to the pain many have experienced seeing their parents or other adults go through a divorce.
Some of those millennials who are not part of this trend, however, believe something needs to be done.
"25 percent of Millennials do not get married at all," stated Jennifer Murff of Millennials for Marriage. "They don't want to get married. They've said 'this is not for me.'"
Murff often speaks to young people on this issue and addresseds their concerns.
Josh Craddock of Personhood U.S.A. is also concerned about the plummeting marriage rate.
"Millennials have considered marriage to be more of a capstone than a cornerstone institution,” said Craddock. “You have to have education, you have to have a job, you have to have your life together before you get married. That's just not true. When you get married, that's something that you're going to build on. You can support one another through getting an education, through getting jobs and all of that. So I find it to be a mutual support system."
In addition to their hesitancy regarding marriage, many millennials also have rejected church.
A majority 72 percent of millennials reportedly do not attend church. In contrast, 51 percent of older generation Americans attend church.
Marriage and church are both traditional institutions that the non-traditional millennial generation often balks at.
Pastor Matt Chewning, a millennial himself, believes that the solution to these problems is to be open and genuine, especially in the church.
Thus, at Chewning’s church, “we talk a lot about sin,” he says, adding that he lets people know that he faces the same temptations and problems they do, but that we are all saved by grace through faith in Christ.
"That rawness, that element of authenticity, really marks our generation," Chewning stated. "Therefore it ought to mark the churches that are trying to reach our generation."
Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com
Publication date: December 20, 2016
