Why Hong Kong millennial Christians switch from Chinese local churches to international churches: A qualitative study

Abstract

In the past few years, there has been an observable phenomenon of Hong Kong millennial Christians moving from Chinese-speaking local churches to English-speaking international churches. To understand the reasons behind the movement, 30 Hong Kong millennial Christians who moved from local churches to international churches were interviewed in this study in four focus groups. Reasons for their movement include: local churches feel like formal education, churches emphasize works over grace, and churches are out of touch and irrelevant from the needs and struggles of millennials’ everyday lives. The international churches are more welcomed by Hong Kong millennial Christians as they have more to offer, including vulnerable leadership, approachable worship style, and a stronger sense of community. The results indicate the faith experience and challenges faced by Hong Kong millennial Christians in the postmodern culture, especially in the unique context of Hong Kong where Eastern culture meets Western. The research suggests a set of recommendations for churches wishing to attract and retain millennials, including the importance for churches to understand their congregants, be prepared for changes, be open to embrace and build an authentic genuine community of faith, and to own a clearly articulated vision. These will be truly helpful in cultivating the spiritual growth of our younger generations to find their place in these millennial-friendly churches.

Assessing the value orientation preferences and the importance given to principled moral reasoning of Generation Zs: A cross‐generational comparison

“…One approach may be to broaden the sampling of Gen Zs to include multiple samples from across the United States to establish a national Gen Z profile, such as what was conducted using a Millennials sample (Weber et al, 2019). Or, research could broaden to focus on other countries and the Gen Zs' data found there, such as in Ukraine (Khotynska‐Nor, 2022), or in Hong Kong (Snelgrove et al, 2021). This research could be further extended through the exploration of a global (multiple‐country) Gen Z sample, again much like the research investigating Millennials, to see if cultural or other geographic variations might influence Gen Zs' identity (Weber & Urick, 2021; Zaid et al, 2022).…”

Believing and Wanting to Belong: A Mixed-Methods Study of Dechurched Christians in Hong Kong

“…Another study by Snelgrove, Chan, and Alison (2021) helps us to understand the changing scenario of faith community in Hong Kong as they observed Hong Kong millennial Christians are moving from Chinese-speaking local churches to English-speaking international churches because they find the former feel like formal educational institutions, plus they tend to emphasize works over grace Millennial Christians also feel that local churches are out of touch and irrelevant to the needs and struggles of their everyday lives. There are observable struggles among Christians in Hong Kong, especially millennials, to find churches where they feel they belong and where they feel they can grow spiritually.…”

Evangelisasi dan Pendidikan Agama Kristen: Pendidikan Minat dan Pemahaman Injil Generasi Milenial Pantekosta

“…46 Chuon Kwong Cho, "Han and The Pentecostal Experience: A Study of the Growth of the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Korea" (The University of Birmingham, 2021), 3. lokal di Asia, Hongkong misalnya, berTuhan dan beragama di gereja terasa seperti pendidikan formal, dan gereja-gereja semakin tidak menyentuh dan tidak relevan dengan kebutuhan dan pergumulan kehidupan sehari-hari kaum milenial. 48 Banyak orang yang mengusulkan penelitian lanjut sekaligus sebagai implikasi keilmuan untuk menghadapi krisis tersebut.…”