Welcome to the Emotionally Healthy Leader podcast. Great to be with you today. And today,

we're going to talk about five core issues for millennials or leading millennials. Now,

according to a Pew Research study, millennials have surpassed baby boomers as the nation's largest

living generation. Millennials, whom we now define as those ages 20 to 36, number over 75.4 million people.

I mean, that's pretty incredible.

So I've been thinking a lot about this new culture of millennials,

and what are the critical issues that we as a church need to be addressing

if we're going to develop them into mature disciples and build healthy communities and reach the world effectively. Now, it's interesting,

my daughters are right there in the heart of the millennial generation. I have four.

So I have a top five that come out of my own observations and interaction that I think are

worthy of you thinking about in your own leadership and church as you seek to

build for the future. All right, number one, the first core issue that I see is practicing

presence in a digitally connected world. Now, millennials are the first generation where social media

and smartphones, that's like the air they breathe, you know. So, but the gift we bring to the table is how do you practice presence with people? You see

screens and robotics. They can't teach empathy or face-to-face conversation. And Jesus teaches us to love.

I mean, he offers us authentic presence, and we are to offer that to other people.

I'm talking about eye contact, vulnerability, attunement. And so to teach millennials how to be

present is incredible gift, incredibly important, and they're longing for it. And again,

I'm one of my, I think it's part of the reason the great popularity of the

emotionally healthy relationships course and the eight skills among millennials because it meets

such a deep felt need.

If you've not seen Cheryl Turkle's work, digitally connected world in which we're living,

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