| Title | : | The Millennials: Connecting to America's Largest Generation |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1610451120 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781610451123 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Audio CD |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | First published December 10, 2010 |
The Millennials: Connecting to America's Largest Generation Reviews
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While this book did offer some insightful information on the Millennial generation (of whom I am a member), it mostly disappointed me. The book purports to be "the first major investigative work on Millennials from a Christian worldview perspective," but that perspective is largely lacking. The father-son author team, both of whom are Christians, say repeatedly that they want to present their research data in as unbiased a manner as possible (they save their explicitly Christian discussion mostly for the final chapter). How is that analysis from a Christian worldview? If you're going to discuss a topic through a particular worldview lens, you have no choice but to be "biased."
When I did finally reach the ending chapter on how the church ought to respond to Millennials, I found it to be too general to be of much value. Furthermore, because so few of the Millennials whom the authors interviewed could be considered evangelical Christians, I question the strength of the discussion on Millennial Christians' perspectives of their faith and the local church. In that regard, I wish that the authors could have interviewed 1,200 evangelical Christian Millennials to seek their views on worship, local church life, foreign missions, social justice, evangelism, denominations, etc.
My biggest issue with this book is how poorly it is written—one of the worst-written books I've read in 2019. It is much too long and much too repetitive. In fact, I was seriously considering quitting the book because of its insipid repetitiveness, but I pressed on so that I could glean whatever insights I could. As an example of some of these repetitive offenses:
"[W]e really like this generation." Two sentences later: "Yeah, we like this generation." Three sentences later: "But we still like them."
Opening sentence of a paragraph: "In addition to the two key components, those who have graduate degrees are more involved with social media than others." And the concluding sentence of that same paragraph, just four sentences later: "Millennials with graduate degrees are the most active social media users of the Millennial Generation."
You just said that.
And this kind of mind-numbing repetitiveness happened within paragraphs, within chapters, and across chapters. It is so insulting to the reader to repeat oneself so ridiculously. Apparently we're not capable of remembering what was said earlier in the book, the chapter, or even the same paragraph? No doubt the repetitiveness ultimately stems from trying to make the book 300 pages long, i.e., way longer than it needed to be for the type of discussions presented. Where has all the brevity gone? Regardless, I can’t believe editors let this book make it to publication as is.
So, if I missed out on some really good content that others encountered in this book, it's probably because I was too busy being annoyed. -
This book presents some interesting information, but not having the survey instrument, the actual data, the demographics on the 1200 member study sample or even an index erodes the book's value. There is a lot of "filler", such as more than 10 pages devoted to a description/history of various media. There are a lot of negative references to the Baby Boomers.
If you know the Millennials, many of the conclusions seem to have validity. Millennials and older "Xes" that I know, as well as those depicted in popular culture, socialize and consult with their parents, are skeptical of institutional religion, accept diversity, etc. The authors give some statistics for these and other conclusions, but without more complete data on the method and the subject pool, the conclusions are diminished.
One area I'm skeptical about is in the section on money. It is well documented that the Millennials have significant college debt and this is not even hinted at, suggesting that the 1200 member study group is skewed to either an upper middle class that has not had to borrow for an education and/or to those who have not had much education beyond high school. I'd be interested not only the demographics of the sample, but also the survey questions and if they really help define the Millennials on this topic.
The authors take continuous swipes at the Baby Boomers. For instance, the Boomers anti-authoritarian streak is negatively contrasted with the respect of the Millennials' respect for authority. It should be noted that the Boomers had reason to challenge authority. Authority structures were replete with institutional, de facto, legal and cultural racism and sexism. In the 60's and early 70's it was impossible for all but valedictorian Blacks and women to even consider medical or law school, to say nothing of the job markets they faced. The boomers made it possible for Millennials to face fairer authority structures. The Rainers say "The reality is that many of the leaders, Martin Luther King for example... was born well before the first boomer.." (p. 97) as though Silent Generation and the GI's were the ones who accomplished this.
A lot of their conclusions have intuitive validity if you know many Millennials, and the authors, being evangelical Christians, have no reason to skew their data since what they present it shows the Millennials trending away from the church; however, the lack of documentation, or even an index, and the unnecessary comments on the Boomers mitigate the value and authority of this book and its conclusions. -
I didn't enjoy reading this book at all. I learned that I am not very interested in statistical studies.
While I know the authors' findings are based on in-depth and thorough research, I don't identify with generalizations about people, however statistically based they are. Generalizations encourage and foster stereotypes, and stereotypes encourage us to make uninformed decisions about the way we perceive and treat people.
I'd rather experience people with an open, optimistic mindset, regardless of what generation they hail from. -
The father and son duo of Thom Rainer and Jess Rainer offer their unique perspectives in the book, The Millennials–– Thom as the Baby Boomer father of Millennials and boss to Millennials at Lifeway Resources and Jess as well, the actual Millenial.
The repeated notion that was told throughout the book The Millennials by Thom and Jess Rainer was that the Millennial generation wants to be a force for positive change in the world. Although I’m really encouraged by this positive take from my generation, I do have a gentle one-word question– how? I ask this as a Millennial who was mainly brought up in the public school system where the teachers would have vague, moral neutral pep talks, encouraging us to “change the world!”
Again, I love the optimism that a generation can infuse a positive change, but I’m concerned my generation doesn’t have the proper grounding in their minds to fulfill these efforts. After all, Hitler wanted to become a world changer, and well, he did become one.
Overall the book The Millennials by Thom and Jess Rainer had a positive view of the generation from the study and was genuinely an interesting read. If you enjoy sociology, current events, history, are a Millennial yourself, or even if you simply care about the Millennial generation, I think you’ll enjoy the book and have some lasting takeaways.
One area that took me aback some was the area in which the book, The Millennials from Thom and Jess Rainer delved into feedback from Millennials. According to their study and as Thom’s experience as a CEO and President at Lifeway Resources, Millennials not only engage with feedback, they feel they need feedback— both positive and negative. This may surprise some given the stigma that Millennials are touchy and thin-skinned.
The one area that both Thom and Jess were alarmed about was the high aversion towards the Christian faith which they address sprinkled throughout the book and then in a chapter of its own called “Their Strange Religious Views.” If you care at all about the future of faith in America and about why the Millennial generation has such a distrust towards Christianity, the chapter alone would be beneficial for you, even if you don’t plan on reading the book in its entirety.
One critique I do have of the book, The Millennials by Thom and Jess Rainer comes down to the continual comparing and contrasting of the Millennials to the Baby Boomers. Yes, I enjoy the contrasting beliefs and thoughts between the generations and seeing some of their similarities, but I would love to see some of the contrasting elements with the GenXers, “The Greatest Generation,” and others as well. I do think as well that the Baby Boomers may be critical of the book since the book’s authors largely elevated the Millennial generation and had a number of criticisms towards the Baby Boomers. But all in all, the book was still a refreshing read with some interesting takeaways for almost anyone. You can read more here:
http://bit.ly/ALookAtMillennials
I received this book for free from B&H and the opinions I have expressed are my own. -
This is a 300 page book that could so easily be a booklet (I think it'd be more valuable at 30 pages than 300). There are some helpful insights and information, but just a lot of fluff. The book primarily targets older millennials, not younger ones, and I did find that, as an older millennial, I resonated with much of what was described about us in the book. On the other hand, I think, in 2019, this 2011 book is already quite dated, especially on topics on how Millennials use technology, think about the future, their aspirations to accomplish great things, and how they view and interact with family. I was 26 when the book was written, and at 34, so much of what was being described in this book has changed significantly for me. I would be curious how typical I am for my generation, in that way. I suspect the answer is my experience is somewhat typical of my generation in this way.
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This book looks at the Millennials, a generation after Gen X sometimes referred to as Gen Y. I had great hopes for this book, but I was disappointed due to this books failure in many ways. This review will have both the pro's and con's.
Data: Thom and Jess did a great job with the depth of their research and compiling the statistics. I appreciated the depth of not only gathering data, but the extra detail and personal stories that accompanied the numbers. It made the numbers come alive. However, when all was said and done, I felt that their interpretation of the data was very hit and miss. Sometimes I felt like they nailed it right on, but often I found myself thinking that they were focusing on surface issues that are present in Millennials and ignoring the true definition of why they do the things they do. The authors could have benefited from looking at the psychological state that many Millennials are in as many of those polled are young adults and I felt like some of the data was much more a definition of where they are developmentally rather than a unique thing for this generation.
Purpose: I felt like this book suffered from a dual identity. One was an impartial look at the statistics and who they are. The other was a Christian book looking at how to reach the Millennial generation. I felt like each independently were good, but together, they felt dishonest. I felt like they were saying "we're trying to be impartial", but all the while attempting to be Christian. They could've/should've released 2 versions of this book - one that is simply an impartial look, and the other strictly an approach for how to reach the Millennial Generation for Christ. I bought the book thinking it would be more on the Christian side and was pretty disappointed. As I've read from other reviews from atheists, they felt that the book was what they were hoping for apart from the Christian parts.
Writing Style: This book was very personal in its writing, taking real people and displaying them out to help us to understand this generation. But overall, I felt like the writing style was not very good. There was so much repetition that was unnecessary. I had to start skimming over and thought my ebook was broken at times because of how repetitive it was. If I have to read one more time that Millennials value family one more time, I'm going to shoot myself. Sometimes it felt like this was a research paper done for a junior college class.
Information Layout: Although the book had great data, and I would love to reference some of it later, I would have loved to have some charts or some different layout to help to be able to look at the stastistics more in detail.
Overall, I found this book tedious and boring, but useful because of some of the information and definitions, but not a perfect source. I am on the older side of the Millennial Generation and a youth pastor in a church that I hope we can transition from a Boomer church to a Millennial church. I got this book hoping to give me some insight into how to better reach Millennials, and got a tiny bit of that, but I was really disappointed. I think for Baby Boomers, this might be a good book to help to understand, but for me, I didn't gain all that much. -
It is not the fault of the authors that things change fast and a lot of their info is already outdated (a thing they freely admit in the course of the book--that this book would have a short shelf life). The point of the book is to provide insights into this generation for church leaders, which is a good idea, and quite frankly I'm glad people writing for churches have learned from the mistakes of the past (i.e., churches spending years treating Gen X members like a less interesting version of the Baby Boom and then wondering where all the Xers went) and are attempting to give church leaders the tools they need to reach a generation that is unlike them.
However, this book reads like a first-year college essay for the first several chapters. Even after it got better, my irritation lingered. Add the repetition and needless explanation that made the book a lot longer than necessary, and you have the reason I kept this as a bus read only--I could only take small doses. It was interesting enough that I didn't give up altogether, but not one I could recommend or not re-read.
The survey results they provide and the quotes from interviewees were the high points. As a cranky late Gen Xer, I have a lot in common with early Millennials, and could agree with many points made. But I can't help feeling this project would have been better as a blog than as a book, and perhaps the feedback the authors would have received from readers would have helped them to shape the data and their voice into something more readable and helpful for their target audience. -
Overall, this was an interesting and somewhat enlightening read (well, audiobook), but suffered from a few flaws. As a book, it strengths include the anecdotal stories and ease with which the authors present the results of their survey. However, there is quite a bit of unnecessary repetition which could have been left out, thus streamlining the book.
As far as interpreting the survey data, it will take some time to see how the results bear out, and there is difficulty in harmonizing the survey results regarding ambition, lack of racial divides, and concern for others with the stories that seem to make the news. I find this to be especially the case when it comes to the survey results showing high ambition and the growing social issue of "boys who shave". Perhaps it is only the anecdotal stories that make the news; time will tell. Another limitation is that it is difficult to make comparisons to other generations given the lack of similar data from those generations when they were at the same age of the responders to this survey. Were data of that type available, the reader would have a better idea of how much predictive power this survey data has. Unfortunately that is not the case. -
I was very intrigued to read an analysis of my generation. Instead I got a bunch of statistics with weak larger relevancy. On top of this, the same points were repeated ad naseum regardless of the chapter. While I appreciate their attempt to be objective with their religion, it didn't really work. They might as well have approached it from a Christian mindset from the beginning. I did like that they were clear that their conclusions were being funneled through this lens. But the spirituality of those in the generation that claim association with other religions was not considered.
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Manages a broad-brushed statistical portrait with the personal touch of study participants in their own words. Some surprises in terms of the generation's mature willingness to learn from others and commitment to saving. Establishes beyond doubt that parents and other mentors can make a major difference. Faith blindspot indicates the eternal need for such links.
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actually didn't finish it - was very redundant
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As someone considered to be an older Millennial by this book, I was interested to see what Rainer's research had to say about this generation. And I was surprised. I expected a (sometimes-deserved) dour outlook, but the optimism of this book was refreshing. The values of Millennials seem to parallel those of the "Greatest Generation" in many ways. For instance, the view on family is surprisingly strong, as Millennials have grown weary of the effect of divorce upon their lives. They are also surprisingly pro-life. They are perhaps the least racist and most ethnically-diverse generation. Sure, some left-leaning tendencies are high, such as environmentalism and a questioning of capitalistic economics, but not as high as one might suspect. They are also more positive about the future than their parents' generation, and more eager to get involved personally to affect change.
Of course, there are still real concerns from a Christian perspective. Religion ranks low in Millennial priorities, and Rainer estimates that perhaps 15% of Millennials are actually Christian. Church is largely irrelevant. But, where church is relevant, it's because members seem to genuinely believe their faith and are not seeking to sell them a bill of goods (contra the Christian country club mentality or the seeker-sensitive models plaguing Gen X churches). There are certain lessons we can take to heart as we seek to win Millennial souls to Christ. -
As part of the “largest generation” called “The Millenials” (born 1980-2000), I was mostly surprised by the research and perspectives shared in this book, which were largely positive (shared by a Baby Boomer and his son, a Millennial). If you take a good look, you'll see a generation that is tired of superficiality, materialism, and self-centeredness. This generation believes they can contribute and make a significant difference, and families and relationships are of utmost importance to them. Many are distrusting of government and disillusioned by churches, which they tend to see as religious social clubs that are more inwardly focused and self-serving than outwardly focused. They value honesty, integrity, and transparency. Millenials often get a bad rap, so if you’re tired of hearing the negative, this is a good book to read. However, this book does tend to have its own biases toward Millenials, and the views are almost entirely favorable which leads me to believe that the authors are not completely objective. The Millenial Generation is only ever viewed favorably, highlighting many of the strengths and disregarding any drawbacks.
In sum, this book does a good job of sharing the positive aspects of the Millenial Generation but tends to stay quiet about any flaws. A good read, but with what appear to be biased, generalized, and one-sided perspectives. -
Much has changed in the 7 years since this book was released. However, I believe many of the values and themes unpacked throughout the book have only continued to develop even more. It would be interesting to have an updated edition with many of the survey respondents being revisited.
I fall right in the middle of the Millennial Generation, which forced me to do much reflecting and evaluating as I went. As a pastor, I am extremely challenged to tap into and equip my generation to see the value of family they already have through the lens of God's plan for the world. I am also encouraged by my generations strong commitment to love and serve their neighbor and the nations. -
As a millennial, I read this to learn more about my generation because sometimes I need others to help me give words to how I think and operate. For this reason, I appreciated the chapter on 'the mediating generation,' because this is what I feel makes me different from my siblings, all of whom are Gen X.
Three stars because the subtitle seems to suggest the authors will recommend how to connect to millennials, and I didn't get that sense until the chapter addressing what kinds of churches will and won't connect with millennials. It's not a book I could hand my siblings or parents because it's very factual with little practical application. -
Most of Rainer’s books are too packed with numbers to be enjoyed. This time, perhaps because of his son’s co-writing, he has written a much more readable book. In general, I was positive about the description of the Millennials. The Rainers paint them as a mostly positive generation, convinced they can make a difference, passionately committed to social causes. The downside is they are less religious and so therefore have limited Biblical understanding. What I have noticed is they believe in equality, justice and fairness by their standards rather than God’s.
Some quotes:
p. 3-The Millenials are on track to become America’s most educated generation. In 2007…30 percent had attained a college degree. That is the highest rate ever recorded for that age group
About 65% percent of young adults cohabit at least once prior to marriage…
p. 18-Millenials will become the greatest adopting generation our nation has known. Children are valued. Hope is instilled in them
The Millennials tend to be upbeat, positive and happy. But they are realists as well. They know that not all is well with the world. The Boomer Generation knew that and protested it. The Gen X Generation knew that and was depressed about it. And the Millennials know that, but they believe they can have a role in changing it.
p. 31-Millennials have traditional attitudes about family. More than 80 percent of Millennials believe they will marry only once.
p. 56 Eighty-seven percent of Millennials view their parents as a positive source of influence.
p. 60-More than nine out of ten Millennials have great respect for older generations.
p. 74-The most important aspect in life for the Millennials is family. Sixty-one percent of the Millennial generation stated family was really important in life
p. 137-Nearly nine out of ten Millennials told us that the ability to have fun on the job was a significant factor in choosing a job or staying with a current employer. Amazingly, 41 percent of this generation said that fun on the job was “extremely important” to them.
p. 164-…the key issue for the Millennials is working together. They see the blame game as having no value. To the contrary, for them it is wasted energy that takes our focus off what really needs to be done.
p. 229-First a Millennial is more likely than not to have a syncretistic belief system. He or she tends to take portions of belief from various faiths and nonfaiths and blend them into a unique spiritual system. Second, a Millennial is likely to care less about religious or spiritual matters than his or her predecessor generations.
p. 233-More than one-fourth (26 percent) said they believe they will go to heaven when they die because they have accepted Christ as their Savior. Remember, 65 percent of this generation expressed a broadly Christian religious preference, but no more than 20 percent has a biblical understanding of Jesus and matters of salvation. Apparently some Millennials who are Christians in name only believe the label is sufficient to get them to heaven.
p. 250 A Millenial named Leslie who grew up in a Christian home…”I’m not anti-church but so much of what takes place in my parents’ church is just keeping the doors open. Pay the staff. Keep the building nice. And give 10 percent or more of the church’s income for someone else to do missions…But that’s plodding Christianity. It has no urgency about it. It’s more concerned about the people in the church than those outside the church. It breaks my heart that people are going to hell each day while so many churches have members who argue about Roberts Rules of Order or which members will serve on the personnel committee. We just don’t have time for such foolishness.”
p. 255-Millennial Christians are not content with business-as-usual churches. To the contrary, they will connect with churches only if those churches are willing to sell out for the sake of the gospel. The Millennial Christians abhor churches that focus inwardly, and they are more concerned about meeting their own needs than those of the community and the nations.
The Millennial Christians will commit themselves to churches. But those churches cannot look like and act like most American churches today. The Millennial church will be a radically committed church.
p. 261-Millennial Christians will reject churches that tend to view the community as little more than a population pool from which growth in attendance and budget can come. But they will embrace churches that teach members to love the community.
p. 267-Rebecca, a 26 year old Millennial…”The boomers give money to the church, but it comes right back to them to keep them content. They hire the staff to do the ministry they won’t do. The money goes to make the building more comfortable for them. And then churches begin all kinds of ministries for boomers and their families to keep them happy. Most churches today suffer from Baby Boomer reflux”. We didn’t have to ask Rebecca if she would attend that kind of church. “I’ll never go to that kind of church,” she responded without a question. “That’s not New Testament Christianity. That’s a religious social club.”
In summary
-They are more educated
-They get married later
-96% think they can make a difference in the world
-They have a great respect for older generations.
-They are highly relational
-They are hopeful
-They are learners
-They are looking less to religion
-They want a connected family
-They are passionate about community and making a difference -
Een jaar geleden geluisterd als audioboek. Het staat vol met aansprekende voorbeelden, en maar weinig ruwe data. Dat moet ook wel als audioboek. Toch is het niet alleen een boek vol annekdotes, ik merk dat sommige inzichten me bij zijn gebleven. Zeker ook als sociologie niet je hobby is, geeft dit boek een leuk inkijkje in hoe verschillende leeftijdsgroepen in het westen hun leven vorm geven. En dat is weer belangrijk voor de kerk in de westerse wereld.
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A helpful book. Filled with stories from actual millennials, along with Rainer's penchant for numbers, numbers, numbers, this helped those of us outside the millennial age range to understand this better.
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Great helpful book on ministering to the Millennials. This book is co-authored by his son, who is a millennial. Good and important read for any church that desires to reach its community and continue to grow. It's not hopeless, they can be reached.
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Found this quick eye opening. Though I do think that their data sample was quite small and does not fully embrace all that we millennials believe, value and think, I did find this work quite impressive.
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Fascinating look at the Millennial generation through the lens of faith. Would be a helpful book for anyone in ministry.
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Highly recommended reading for anyone that is a millenial or knows or loves a millenial.
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This book had really good potential. I began reading it as I wanted to learn more about my generation as a whole and how I compared myself with them. What I got was a father/son duo that continuously slung their religious beliefs at me.
There were however, a few things the father/son went over that I did enjoy. The two took the results of a (small, in my opinion 1200 millennials) and broke down their findings. And I found myself relating to and agreeing with what many of their interviewees had to say. Degrees and letters after a name are just that to me: letters. With the millennial generation being the most educated generation so far going to college and beyond has become expected from us. I admit getting my degree wasn't that big of a deal. Some days it was nothing more than a hassle dealing with admissions and what have you at the university.
Another section I agreed with was how the millennial generation found it difficult to work in some situations. The millennial generation works different from the previous two generations and that can get sticky. I've encountered situations first hand when I find myself working with Generation Xer's and their "do as your told" attitude and my attitude of "but that doesn't make sense let's do this logically". I find that millennials are challenging the status quo at work as well as butting heads with employers who still think they're employing people born in the 60's. That's not getting us anywhere and a part of me would really like to ship this book off to a bunch of people.
Speaking of work, the book also talks about how much the millennial values their family and friendships. That they're willing to take extra vacation days when offered over a financial raise. That there is more to life than work and I couldn't agree more. My job is not who I am.
The last topic I found myself nodding in agreement with was the topic of religion. For whatever reason my generation doesn't practice a structured religion that much. We are spread out in a vast array of believers, nonbelievers, confused, and open-minded. The book concluded that organized religion just isn’t' doing much for us these days. And I agree. Again, churches are run by Baby Boomers who are having a tough time reaching out to younger generations-if they're doing so at all. My generation likes to take action rather than throwing money at the problem. Go on missionaries rather than donate the money to it. Also, the book states how we've seen such corruption in the church in recent years that we're turned off by it. We've gone onto practicing and worshiping on our own ways and we're fine with that. It's the other generations that have a problem.
Where the book fell flat for me, besides the terrible writing and editing and blatant opinions, were how much the millennial seemed to rely on their parents. Perhaps I'm just a minority here but I didn't understand. I got how our parents, most of them from the Baby Boom generation became "helicopter" parents to us in a way to overcompensate not getting what they needed from their parents as a child, but wouldn't that make us reel away from them? I know it did to me. The clingier my mom is, the less I call. But coming back to that helicopter parent notion, it makes sense why the millennials are so confused about financials and saving money and all that good stuff. Because our parents did all that for us. Now we've found ourselves grown and on our own and can't comprehend what's happening when we try to use our debit card with no money in the bank. But don’t worry, our helicopter parents will just write a check to cover us.
All that being said, I think this book could have been cut down to half. There was a lot of fluff that did not belong in this book and much more that was repeated more than twice. I could have done without a rundown of the history of communication devices, different family sitcoms throughout the years and Bible passages, but what can you do? While I read the book and got a glimpse of the childhood of the co-author, I began to get a sense of how well off his family is. Having a laptop with internet access in '95 wasn't common. Neither was having a cell phone in the eighth grade.
I'm not sure who this book is directed towards. The cover art suggests the millennial generation but the over-descriptive paragraphs that explain how the internet came to be are geared more towards my parents.
Trust me; you do not brief me on The Oregon Trail. -
Deep inside of us we all want to think that we are unique – some special and different than everyone around us. And on one level that is true as our personalities, physical features, background and the essences that make us “us” is unique and different.
Yet on larger level we are not unique. Instead we all tend to take on the characteristics of our culture and, to a certain level, the characteristics of our generation.
In the reading the book “The Millennials: Connecting to America's Largest Generation” by Thom S. Rainer and Jess Rainer I was really struck by how much of my thinking and values were shared across the 77.9 million people born in the United States between 1980 and 2000. (Being born in the first half of 1980, I am on the forefront of this generation – the largest, by the way, since the 75.5 million Baby Boomers of 1946-1964.)
For example, for years now dating back to high school, I have stated that my goal in life was to ‘change the world.’ I remember singing worships songs on that theme and wanting to live life that made a mark on history versus simply existing. What I didn’t know that that this value of making a differences is a common across the Millennnial generation regardless of religious affiliation.
Another common value is the Millennials desire to be relational and to seek out mentors and teachers who can help them move forward through the twists and turns of life. This value is vastly different than the previous two generations (Boomers and X) who typically valued independence and threw off the ‘chains’ of their elders and struck out on their own. Given that the Millennials saw the difficulties caused by this, it is not too surprising to me that we decided to seek out advice and guidance.
The third shared value is that Millennials tend to have an innate desire to learn. If things continue, this generation is on track to being the most educated generation in the world with over 30% of the generation graduating college. Again, this perpetual desire to learn is something that has defined my life as I have continued to read widely and pursue postgraduate education.
The last common statistic that this book highlight was yet another one that I have personally experienced over the years. By far and large the Millennials generation are not religious. They have forsaken the churches, synagogues, temples, mosques and whatever of their parents and typically opted for agnosticism – that is, they tend to place religious matters on the back burner and just focus on the here-and-now. On the good side, those Millennials who have chosen a particular religion or faith have typically jumped in with both feet. On an experiential level I have seen this very thing with folks my age either forsaking the church or giving everything they had to Jesus and His body. I myself am a perfect example of this as is my wife.
All in all this book was eye opening and very informative about myself and my generation (abet, being a forerunner, I do have some Gen X characteristics as well).
However before I end this review, I do want to point out that I was disappointed in how the authors dealt with the faith issue and how they defined Christianity. Namely they narrowly defined Christianity to only include evangelicals who believed the way they do – which, in all honestly, they did admit up front in the chapters before discussing the matter. It is just that the more I follow Jesus the more I realize that His followers have no boundaries and we would be wise to remember that. But, like I said, the authors do mention their biases and so this one item is not a deal-breaker, instead it is more like a pet-peeve. :p
Blessings. -
OK, some useful stuff here. Thom and Jess Rainer believe their research suggests that this generation of young adults (they only surveyed the older half of the millenial generation) is family-oriented, relationship centered, and color-blind (not their word). They also see them as interested in making lots of money, feeling like they are bursting with unused potential, and being "spiritual but not religious."
The two major problems I see with this book may have to do with the popular nature of it. It seems to be one of those books that reveal someone's opinion, but mascarades as research. They talk a lot about their findings, but they say nothing about how it relates to other research. This raises several significant issues. Like, how can you state that the things they identify are different for this generation, when you do not demonstrate how other generations responded to similar questions. They also seem to make lots of inferences that seemed like a stretch to me.
Of course, part of my concern about these things may grow from my own suspicion about Generational Theory. Hard research seems to only support these issues if you use the widest possible brush. No person would actually be the typical representative of the generation because the forming issues of people are simply too personal for that.
One other odd note about this book. The Rainers make the assumption that the parents of millenials are boomers. That is so strange to me. By definition, the parents of one generation should be the previous generation . . . not Boomers, but Xers. OK, a lot of Boomers did have kids later in life. So maybe some of the Millennials will be children of Boomers. Perhaps with current trends, most of those in the sample would be Boomer kids. But, this sort of calls up a need to talk about "cuspers." The older Millenials should (if the theory holds out) have many characteristics in common with Xers. And the Boomer parents tauted by the book would also be "cuspers" having similar relationships with Xers. THis complicates the simplistic conclusions the Rainers made quite a bit I think. Perhaps it is important to ask who the parents of Xers were. Of course, by and large, the parents of Xers were Boomers. So, how does the discussion of Boomers' influence on Millenials make sense? In the end, I don't suppose that changes the results of the Rainer's research . . . just their interpretation. -
The Millennial Generation – the group of people born from 1980 to 2000 – is the largest generation in America’s history, a title previously held by the Baby Boomer Generation of 1946 to 1964. This generation promises to make a tremendous impact on the US and the world due to both its sheer size and its approach to life. Thom Rainer and Jess Rainer, a father-and-son team, set out to find what defines this generation. They and a team of researchers conducted a study of 1,200 adult Millennials and found both great diversity and many characteristics that unite Millennials. They published the results of the study in their book entitled, appropriately enough, The Millennials.
I listened to the audiobook edition, read by Ray Porter, and found it fascinating. The information that the researchers revealed about the generation that I and Jess Rainer share is truly remarkable. The book includes many personal stories of the research subjects as well as statistics on everything from religion to family relations to media to money and work ethic. The authors look at not only the raw statistics but also the “why.” Millennials, for the most part, have closer relationships with their parents than adults in earlier generations and they explore possible reasons for this. Millennials are not satisfied with getting high-paying jobs and buying “stuff” – they want to make an impact and the authors offer some insight into this statistic as well.
Although one could argue that members of other generations might find this book more beneficial than I would, I came away from it with a better understanding of my approach to life and the differences between my generation and other generations. This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it.
Regarding the audio recording, I found it exceptional. The narrator did an excellent job and the quality of the recording was also excellent. I will be looking for other books read by Ray Porter.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this audiobook free from the christianaudio Reviewers Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” -
I’ve been wanting to read The Millennials for a while, but there were other books and interruptions that stood in the way. The lesson gained was that I should I have read this sooner. In my strong desire to finally read the book, I used the “Whisper Sync” function on my kindle to listen to the book on the way to and from work and read when I wasn’t in the car. The result was a weeklong immersion into the world of Millennials.
One important discovery I gained from the book was the Millennials’ desire for mentorship. This is an area that I am interested in taking part in and it is exciting to see that there is the desire, as a group, on this as well. I see mentoring as a key opportunity to reaching that generation and our world for Christ. I also gained an appreciation for the Millennials’ impatience with progression. While I have noticed this tendency through the Army, the authors explained that while there was an impatience to get ahead—it seemed to be more of an impatience to actually achieve more. This is the generation of 9-11, and they understand more than anyone how short life can be. While they are impatient to get ahead, I also saw that they are made up of peace makers. They have seen battles in politics, in churches, and in their homes. They want peace. The book addressed these different areas and many more through a very positive outlook. This positivity was probably the biggest encouragement I received from reading.
The biggest point I will remember from the book is that the Millennials top priority is the family. This emphasis on family helps me understand many of the counseling sessions that I have had with Millennial Soldiers. I see it constantly played out in how they interact and how they look forward to their future. I also see it in how their lives are affected when the family is not there.
The Millennials is a great book for understanding the rising generation. They are slowly growing into the entire fabric of our nation and culture. This book gives me hope for what they may bring to the table. -
This was an insightful look into the current generation as they enter the workforce, influence elections and start raising their families. They are the largest generation numerically and have begun to replace the influence of their Boomer parents. I was encouraged to read the the Millenials (those born between 1980 and 91) have a very high view of marriage, family and relationships in general. The book describes them as generous, involved in their communities and ready to make a difference in their world. They have forsaken the American Dream as their greatest ambition and have placed their focus on relationships instead. This is an encouraging insight. One other interesting point that the authors made is that they are generally very respectful both to those of different nationalities as well as older generations. In fact they are not just tolerating their parents generation they are looking for input and have a desire to be mentored. There is a refreshing degree of humility associated with this generation.
While there are many great attributes of the Millenials, they are disinterested in church and government in general. In spite of this those of this generation, who admit that they know Christ as their Savior (based on specific doctrinal questions), are passionate about their walk with God and are seeking for authentic, Bible-based Christianity. The generation as a whole is also still pursuing themselves. While some of their characteristics and attitudes are admirable they are still seeking self-fulfillment in things that will ultimately let them down. What a great opportunity for God's people to reach an open-minded generation with the good news that only Christ satisfies.
Good research and thought in this book, but many places felt repetitive. I thought it could have been more concise. Great read overall. I would recommend it to all those seeking to minister among those of this generation. It will be important to understand how they think.
