American Family Association Introduces New ‘Engage’ Ministry for Millennials
TUPELO, Miss.—Extensive research has been conducted in an attempt to figure out the inner workings of the minds of the Millennial generation. This sometimes-elusive group of 20- and 30-year-olds has been studied by marketers, politicians and churches, all trying to get a glimpse into their lives, their values and their priorities.
A new ministry from American Family Association (AFA, www.afa.net) called “Engage” is aiming to reach this passionate and influential generation.
“All of us at American Family Association are excited to offer this new ministry and new resource for Millennials—a very passionate, outspoken and active generation who will truly be game-changers in our world, in politics, in churches, in education and in their communities,” said AFA President Tim Wildmon. “Our ‘Engage’ team has worked tirelessly to bring this new ministry to Millennials who crave interaction, thrive in social media and are forthright about their beliefs. We look forward to all the amazing connections that will be made through ‘Engage.’”
The Millennial-driven site, EngageMagazine.net, exists to help this generation build their own worldview grounded in Scripture and the truth of the gospel. Created by Millennials for Millennials, EngageMagazine.net is using the platform of AFA to reach their generation with the gospel and provide them with the tools necessary to build a biblical worldview for themselves and bring understanding and meaning to life in a fallen world.
“As a Millennial myself, I realize that the worldview spoon-fed to Millennials is full of concepts and philosophies that ultimately leave us empty and still searching for fulfillment,” said AFA’s Teddy James, one of the lead communicators for “Engage.” “Each latest trend and fad is tried and found wanting. We are a generation skeptical of anything promising fulfillment but still optimistic enough to give it a chance. Our generation’s perspective is like a tangled web intertwining the supposed best ideas of modernism, postmodernism, Eastern mysticism, consumerism, and any other –ism that can be expressed behind a hashtag.
“The work ahead of EngageMagazine.net is to deconstruct the worldview culture shoves toward us and build a new worldview that, in reality, is anything but new,” he continued. “It finds its origins in Genesis and has been embraced and applied for thousands of years by great Christian minds. It is now our responsibility to press on, still expressing the unchanging truths of Scripture, yet doing so in a way that resonates with our ever-changing world.”
James is part of a group that has worked for the past 18 months on the project. The “Engage” team is made up of men and women from varying walks of life—some married, some single and some new parents—with different skill sets and passions.
“Our team is not full of experts who have spent years studying Millennials,” James said. “We are a part of our own audience. We have the same concerns, questions, doubts and fears as the people we are writing for. What we know well is that the gospel is not just for the lost. Christians have a perpetual, second-by-second need of the gospel. It is that need that drove each of us to sacrifice our time and energy to take EngageMagazine.net from an idea to a reality.”
A few of the recent blog posts and columns on EngageMagazine.net include, “Preparing to be The One,” “How Christians Love” and “10 Distractions to Studying Scripture.”
To connect with the new “Engage” ministry, visit www.EngageMagazine.net, its Facebook page, or find the ministry on Twitter and Instagram. For more information, email engagefaq@afa.net.
