How To Appeal To Millenials And Gen Z Families in Your Church Interior Design
Millennials and Gen Zers are quickly becoming the dominant force in our culture. Those born from 1981 to 1996 are considered Millenials, and Generation Z are those who were born from 1997 to 2012. These two categories comprise over 42% of the US population, making them the most considerable population sector. If our church interior design doesn’t appeal to them and instead drives them away, we’re missing a huge opportunity to reach these generations with the hope of the gospel.
The Future of the Church
About one-quarter of Millenials are practicing Christians, meaning they attend church at least once a month and strongly affirm that their religious faith is vital to their life. However, Gen Z is notably less religious than any other generation. Since they are the church's future, we must understand what drives them, what they’re looking for when they walk into a church, and, maybe more importantly, what they’re not looking for, so that our spaces can serve their needs.
What Message Are You Sending?
Traditional design elements like stained glass windows and carved wood details will always have a place in many houses of worship. However, if your church is more reflective of a design aesthetic of Generation X or Boomers, it could subconsciously communicate to young families that they don’t belong. If it looks nothing like the environments they frequent in their everyday lives, such as their favorite shops, coffee spots, or restaurants, and instead looks like a space catered to another generation, it sends a clear message: This church isn’t designed for someone like you.
It is vital to make sure that our spaces welcome modern families. By incorporating some of the following tips into your church's design plan, you can ensure that your congregation will continue to grow for years to come.
Provide Spaces for Connection
When asked what they want in a church, Millennials use words like authenticity, purpose, relationships, and serving. Millennials and Gen Z alike place an exceptionally high value on community. Although constantly linked to others via technology, Gen Z has been dubbed “The Loneliest Generation,” making genuine, face-to-face connection more important to them than ever. When designing a church space, we would do well to consider these factors. Church lobbies and gathering spaces should intentionally include areas for relationships to begin and grow.
Create “A Table”
The church coffee bar can sometimes be misunderstood as frivolous by people who don’t understand its value. However, a discipleship strategy lies behind offering coffee, drinks, and baked goods in your church's common spaces. People have gathered around food and drink for generations. Deep relationships are formed around the table. The book of Acts describes early church meetings centered around breaking bread together (Acts 2:46). Therefore, the simple act of adding communal seating areas and providing a coffee bar or water station sends a message to people: “You’re welcome here.” It subconsciously invites people to sit, stay, and talk. In these conversations, people open up, share their struggles, pray for one another, and become a true family.
Connection Is Consequential
Providing places where connections are made can be the difference between retaining individuals and families in your church or losing them permanently. In a poll of Millenials who walked away from the church, seven out of ten did not have one close relationship in the church, and nearly nine out of ten never had a mentor at their church. Relationship building is consequential, and church spaces designed for connection can help support that.
Good Design Matters
Millennials love well-designed spaces. And while they aren’t a monolith and can’t be pigeon-holed into a certain design style, they do prefer unique spaces meaningful to that specific place. In a poll of Millenials about what design elements they like in spaces, they noted that these things contributed to a space’s enjoyability:
Attention to modern finishes
Natural lighting
Comfortable seating
Incorporating local artwork
Unique to the community
Avoid Copy/Paste
Good news - you do not have to be a copy and paste version of the church down the street or the most famous church on YouTube. In fact, going that route may turn off the very people you’re trying to attract. Authenticity is a high value for both Millenials and Gen Z. You are free to be yourself and who God has called you to be as a church body. So settle into it, own it, and let your environments reflect that unique calling.
Get an Outside Perspective
Sometimes you might need an outside perspective to capture the essence of who you are and then translate that into design plans. I work with many churches for their design projects, and I get great feedback on my consultation process. I have designed my process to key in on your originality and what sets you apart in your community. I complete a full discovery of your story, how you were founded, your mission and vision, and key moments in your church history. I then base my design plan around the findings so that it is specifically tailored to you. Sometimes it takes having someone from the outside to ask the right questions and give you a fresh perspective on what makes you stand out to a young, modern person or family.
The church is changing. Millenials and Gen Z are the future, and we need to take the message seriously that our church environments send to them. They’re not interested in uninspired spaces; they want connection. They want to gather in places that allow them to form relationships with others. Good design matters (both to God and to Millenials and Gen Z), and we must pursue originality instead of duplicate what we see elsewhere. Get an outside perspective; someone who isn’t a part of your church body can help you see your space with fresh eyes. When planning for your next remodel or redesign, keep Millenials and Gen Z in mind. Let us know if you need help getting started – we are more than happy to assist you!
