Millennial Leaders Offers Some Great Insights
As I have mentioned before, working with university age young people 
means that I am always on the lookout for books and resources which help refine my understanding of the current college generation. Unfortunately, it is rare that I find something which doesn’t simply rehash what many others have already said. That is why I was so excited to discover the book Millennial Leaders by Bea Fields, Scott Wilder, Jim Bunch and Rob Newbold. Millennial Leaders is actually a collection of interviews with a broad range of people, ranging from young leaders and entrepreneurs to those who work with Millennials. This is first and foremost a business oriented book, so most of the interviews have something to do with relating to Millennials in the business environment, but this in no way means the book isn’t an excellent resource for pastors wanting to know how to relate to their newest, youngest staff members, university ministers or anyone else wanting to understand what makes Millennials (those born 1980 to 2002) tick. And that has changed drastically from previous generations. For instance, for many Millennials, job location is just as or even more important than the job itself. For instance, does your community have a low "after-hours" index? Then you may well have trouble recruiting that young leader to come and work alongside of you in your ministry. Or would it surprise you to learn that the person interviewing for your ministry opportunity is in reality interviewing you and that part of the consideration of whether they will come and work for you is your attitude towards responsible living in relation to God's creation? Welcome to the newest generation in the workplace.
One of the things I liked most about the book was the fact that I was not just hearing people who are Boomers like myself talk about Millennials (although some of the interviews are with Boomers and Gen Xers who have specific insights into Millennials), but these were primarily young leaders themselves addressing their concerns, their perspectives on life and the workplace. These interviews were fresh and often somewhat surprising. You may not like everything you learn in this book, but unless you never plan on having young leaders involved in your ministry, you need to hear what they have to say. You might even find yourself occasionally being inspired.
Nick Howard
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