Who are the disciples? Identity perceptions about millennials and the church

Abstract

This article specifically focusses on understanding the discipleship process of the millennial generation (15–35 years of age) in Africa. The millennial generation is the largest population group in Africa, with more than 200 million individuals in Africa. Focussing on developing a disciple identity with African millennials from a missional ecclesiology, the question attended to is: What is the church’s perception of the identity of these African millennials and how can the church disciple them? Discipleship is understood as to engage with people to discover their true identity and vocation in God. Discipleship takes place on three different levels according to the modern worldview: the spiritual world (Gospel-as-word), the seen world (Gospel-as-deed) and the excluded middle (Gospel-as-sign). These distinctions have, for example, the implication that discipling is located not only at the church but also in the world. Millennials are motivated as much by their personal relationships and human connections as they are by the influences of their technological skills, social media and group pressure. It is observed in this article that millennials are currently discipling the world in different ways. Therefore, four suggested steps are discussed for the churches to involve millennials in their discipleship programmes.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: It is believed that this article has definite intra- and interdisciplinary implications. Although this article is written from a missiological departure, it also covers other theological disciplines like Practical Theology and Youth work. It also includes articles from communications and sociology and would make valuable contributions to the field of, especially, sociology as well as anthropology.

The Calling of the Church in Ethiopia: A Conflicted Society

“…In other words, for humans to have the conscious recognition of their being in the image of God means that they are the creatures through whom God's plan and purposes can be made known and actualised; in this way, humans can be seen as participants in the missio Dei (cf. Knoetze, 2017: 3). This concept leads us to the second characteristic of real transformation, namely true vocation, and it is closely related to the above thought.…”

“…Myers (1999: 14) argues that genuine transformation coupled with holistic reconciliation is vital to form a changed society. This is the kind of society the church of Christ is commissioned to produce, where disciples have rediscovered and recovered the fullness and purpose of their lives (Knoetze, 2017: 3). Put differently, it focuses on restoring relationships in all dimensions and seeks truth, justice and righteousness (Myers, 1999: 15).…”

Social Media and Contextual Evangelism for Millennial Generation

“…When used responsibly in Christian ethics, the various facilities mentioned above will be an effective tool for evangelism. This facility goes beyond social, cultural, religious, economic, and other boundaries as we encounter in the context of a pluralistic society [16].…”

Why Hong Kong millennial Christians switch from Chinese local churches to international churches: A qualitative study

“…Houston (2015) echoed the importance of involving millennials in leadership and intergenerational ministry and that churches must reach out to learn the realities of the millennials’ cultural context (Houston, 2015). Taking it a step forward, Knoetze (2017) observed that it is crucial to empower millennials through building their identity and role in discipleship training as they will become active and great disciple-makers in introducing God’s story to the community. In Hong Kong, this empowerment in leadership and discipleship training is also an important direction, especially after the rough sociopolitical situation where millennials strive to explore their role in serving society, especially those with their Christian faith to contribute beyond the church walls.…”