Authenticity in Non-Denominational Churches and Millennial Christians

When I joined my first non-denominational church in college, I also joined a small group. The megachurch had over 2,000 members, so the staff encouraged what they called “connection groups.” It was new to me, but I enjoyed being part of a smaller get-together.

The part that surprised me was how the other members of the group talked. They kept using the word authentic. “I just want to be authentic.” “Authenticity is what I’m looking for.” “So and so is inauthentic.” It seemed to be a big part of their philosophy on life.

Coming from a Christian bubble, I didn’t understand the comments. My parent’s church never focused on being genuine. Being authentic had never crossed my mind. Why would I be fake? As my Christian bubble popped during college, I started to understand the sentiments.

It was a time when the general public snubbed Christians and praised Atheists. The world viewed Christians as hypocritical, fake, and moral authoritarian. You hid the fact that you believed in Jesus rising from the dead for fear of what people would think of you.

Young people were leaving the church and not coming back. They all had the same complaints. The top five reasons individuals left the church were because they moved to college, members seemed judgmental, didn’t…