The Post-Church Christian || A Unitive Interview

You’ve heard the stats by now: the Millennial generation is leaving the church.

Walking away in disillusionment and frustration, they are looking for new communities to welcome them. As they seek to follow Jesus, there are many leaving the churches of their childhood.

This is the conversation Carson Nyquist, and his dad, Paul Nyquist, tackle in their new book, The Post-Church Christian: Dealing with the Generational Baggage of our Faith. (Moody Publishers – Feb. 1st, 2013)

The Unitive sat down with Carson this week to learn more…

What’s the story behind this book? Why a father/son conversation?

The idea of a book came up over breakfast about a year ago.

At that time I was in my last semester at seminary, yet growing more frustrated at the church and Western Christianity. There were moments when I thought about walking away from the church. As I shared these thoughts with my dad, we decided to spend more time thinking and writing on this topic.

This book gave me a chance to process that frustration and continue a conversation between generations.

What’s your goal in writing about the Millennials’ experience?

A couple things.

First, that we would be heard. While this book does not represent everyones’ story, I try to write about what I’ve heard and experienced in my generation.

For a long time I didn’t have language or categories for my frustration. Hopefully this book can be a resource others who are struggling with the church.

Second, I hope this book can lead to greater understanding between generations.

Millennials are passionate about changing the world. But it looks very different than previous generations. We hope this book can answer some of those questions and lead to greater collaboration between generations.

What have you learned through this process?

In the end, I’ve learned this: The burden of each generation is to follow Jesus as best they can.

For Boomers, that meant revamping the church and introducing fresh ways to reach people and impact the community. For Millennials, we will continue to re-think faith and church in today’s world.

The disconnect occurs when older leadership is ready to hand the baton to the next generation, and no one is there.

What does a multi-generational approach look like within faith communities? What can one look for when seeking one?

I think it’s characterized by love and acceptance.

To be in community, living life with others, you’re bound to have conflict. But if there is an attitude of acceptance and honest communication, community can be a huge blessing. In fact, the varying levels of experience, culture, and values can provide a greater context for discipleship and growth. This type of community, filled with others who are unlike us, is a beautiful thing.

Click on the banner for more info on the book