Date
2-2021
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Chair
Reginald Weems
Keywords
Discipleship, Millennials, COVID-19 Pandemic, Leadership, Church
Disciplines
Christianity | Practical Theology | Religion
Recommended Citation
Parrish, Katherine Noell, "Bringing Millennials Back to Church" (2021). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 2824.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/2824
Abstract
This study is focused on the millennial age group at Mechanicsville Baptist Church in Gordonsville, Virginia. The overall purpose of this study is to increase the attendance of the millennial age group at MBC. If the church gains a better understanding of the dropout problem, increases communication, and improves discipleship, then it should increase millennials at MBC by 20% over four weeks. There were several events planned, along with increased communication, in the hope of meeting this goal. Some of these events had to be modified or cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic limits for any gatherings in Virginia. The unforeseen event was one of the reasons why the study’s goal was not met. Another reason for falling short is that the study group was too small, causing the outreach work to be limited. COVID-19 pandemic also disrupted communication with the community because of the changes and restrictions in being able to meet. Lastly, it became apparent that this type of study is not something that can be done over a short time or a particular period, as it is about ongoing seasonal events and programs for improving communication and leadership to increase the number of MBC millennials actively.