Sociologist Paul Taylor, journalist Judy Woodruff lead discussion on Millennials

Rev. Rob Schenck, president of Faith & Action and its lead missionary, is participating today in an all-day meeting at Washington’s Freedom Forum on the emerging generation and its impact on America’s religious, social and political landscape.

The meeting, convened by the Pew Research Center, will explore how the country’s 50 million 18-29 year olds differ from previous generations. Those differences are significant. Research already shows they exhibit the most pronounced differences with their elders of any generation in modern times. The differences, though, are not all negative. For example, a majority of today’s young people say the older generation is “superior on moral values.” This is a very different attitude from that of their parents’ generation. On the negative side, the millennials are the least church-affilliated group, with only 24% associated with a specific church or religious body.

“Meeting the challenge of reaching this generation is critical for our ministry,” said Rob Schenck. “They are already crafting much of American law and policy as government staff, and we even have our first millennial in Congress.”

Faith & Action has recently launched a formal ministry outreach to young Americans. Among other programs, Faith & Action regularly hosts youth and young adult groups at the ministry center on Capitol Hill.