Stained-Glass Millennials
We’ve heard the narrative that millennials are done with the institutional church; they’ve packed up and left. This book is an alternative to that story and chronicles the journey of millennials who are investing their lives in the institution because they believe in the church’s resurrecting power. Through anecdotes and interviews, Rob Lee takes readers on a journey toward God’s unfolding future for the church, a beloved institution in desperate need of change.
With a foreword by Bishop William H. Willimon
Praise for Stained-Glass Millennials
Rob Lee’s Stained-Glass Millennials is a beautiful collage of memoir, interview, and analysis that renders concretely the hopes, doubts, and above all, the exuberant energy of his generation. It is a delightful and deeply felt statement of faith that contributes uniquely to our understanding of this much-discussed generation’s energetic search for meaning and truth, rooted in tradition yet constantly reaching to new heights, new frontiers. — The Rev. Dr. Amy Butler, Senior Minister of the Riverside Church (2014-2019)
I have no idea what it means to be a “millennial,” but I am glad Rob Lee does. Even more, I find this a hopeful account of God’s refusal to give up on them. — Dr. Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor Emeritus of Divinity and Law at Duke University Divinity School
Baby boomers, get out of the way! You have held the reins of power long enough. An eager, insightful, skilled generation of millennials is nipping at your heels, and Rob Lee is one of their eloquent advocates. What do they have to say? That main- line Christianity is not finished yet. That authenticity must replace slogans and platitudes. That kindness and honesty indict hierarchy and privilege. That spiritu- ality benefits from community. That disillusionment can be turned to hope. Lee and the other “stained-glass millennials” that he interviews in this book are fully prepared to wrestle with the institutional church until it yields its next blessing. I sure hope they get the chance. — The Rev. Dr. Stephen Chapman, Associate Professor of Old Testament at Duke University Divinity School
What better guide could we find for the fresh, curious, and crucial millennial per- spective on things Christian than Rob Lee? He invites the reader to walk with him in a conversation that is reflective and illuminating. — The Rev. Dr. James C. Howell, Senior Minister of Myers Park United Methodist Church, Charlotte, North Carolina