“Black Millennials” and the Black Church

THE FRONT PORCH
By Thabiti Anyabwife

Black Millenials raised in the black church are staying in the black church

Rather than leave the church in large numbers, it seems many African-American millennials look for churches that seem to “fit” their preferences. We’re not seeing attrition as much as we’re seeing shifting. The apparent unfamiliarity of African-American and Hispanic young adults with being treated as “special” hints at another reason why the general trend toward irreligion among millennials hasn’t taken root among African-Americans.  While overall numbers and rates of “irreligious” millennials have been growing in recent years, the same has not been true of African-American millennials. So-called “Black millennials” make up about 24 percent of Black church attendance, essentially unchanged from their parents and grandparents’ generations. [link]

• Are Black Millennials Being Pushed Out of the Church? Reflecting on a number of recent events where millennials were disciplined or removed from the church
• Why Aren’t Black Millennials Leaving the Church?”looked beneath the general statistics to discover some interesting differences between White and Black religious involvement.