A Millennial-Empowered Congregation

National surveys show an increasing number of millennials claiming no religious affiliation. Yet one of the fastest-growing congregations in the Assemblies of God is seeing thousands of young adults flocking to its four metro Denver campuses.

Among them is Keaton Tucker, who turned his back on his childhood faith after some disillusioning experiences. Ironically, he rededicated his life to Christ before ever attending a service at Red Rocks Church.

It happened after Tucker — then living in Texas — learned about the multisite church from his mother. Keaton watched several messages online, but the one that touched his heart was Lead Pastor Shawn Johnson’s sermon on the Prodigal Son.

“When Shawn finished, he said, ‘Are you ready to come home?’ ” says Tucker, a student at Colorado Christian University. “I said, ‘Yes.’”

Though already intending to get involved in the church when he moved back to Denver, Tucker’s first visit to the flagship campus in Golden made a positive impression. Volunteers and staff members alike offered enthusiastic greetings and followed up to make sure he got involved.

Today, Tucker leads a small group for 17-year-old boys at the newest campus in suburban Arvada. He is also is part of the volunteer team at Thursday night’s young adults (YA) service in Lakewood.

“It didn’t matter who I met, they were always glad to see me,” the 24-year-old says of the welcoming atmosphere. “You can feel the energy when you walk through the doors.”

Siam Ortiz had a similar experience. She was exploring reconnecting to church after two years of partying regularly and not paying much attention to God.

“There was just a warmth there,” says Ortiz, 24. “I had been to different churches, trying to find a place where I fit in. The people here made it a great experience, from the moment I walked in the door.”

The sermons hit home, too, particularly one by Teaching Pastor Chad Bruegman. He talked not only about his checkered past but current struggles.

Raised in a nondenominational environment, Ortiz couldn’t believe a preacher could be as broken as her. That helped her recognize how Satan had tried to make her think she was the only one with problems.

“I decided I wanted to be a part of this church, to move it forward,” says Ortiz, who oversees volunteers at the YA service. “There’s a lot of life here.”

Red Rocks never specifically targeted millennials. When Johnson and co-founders Scott Bruegman, Chad Bruegman, Todd Ballard, Brian Zibell and Scott Zibell launched the church a decade ago, they simply wanted to reach non-Christians.

“For a long time when we did our graphics we would say, ‘We’re creating this for a 28-year-old single mother with a bachelor’s degree and who snowboards,’” Johnson recalls. “It’s the same for students who come to church on Sunday. If every illustration we use is about you and your kids, pretty soon people without kids are going to feel they’re not the target audience.”

Johnson’s motivation to appeal to non-Christians stemmed from his post-college years, when he moved to Hollywood and wound up an alcoholic with suicidal thoughts.

A call to Eric Parks, his college roommate — a onetime drug user who had become a Christian — resulted in Johnson moving to Rockford, Illinois, where he accepted Christ as Savior at Rockford First , one of the nation’s fastest-growing congregations.

After serving as a pastoral intern, overseeing the college group, and meeting his wife, Jill, Johnson sensed God calling him to help start a church. Denver’s young median age, highly educated, largely unchurched populace seemed the perfect fit.

Johnson says the team that guides Red Rocks today (which includes Parks as a director) still relies on an approach that centers on authenticity, humility, unity, and generosity.

“Those four things seem to be pretty enticing to millennials,” he says. “One thing we do is get 20-somethings highly involved in leading the church. Our whole creative team is made up of people in their 20s. We’re not a church run by 40-year-olds and every so often we ask the 20-year-olds what they think.”

To say the message has resonated would be an understatement. Red Rocks started small, renting space in a failing amusement park. After two years attendance had reached 300 and now it’s over 9,000, according to Johnson.

Although the lease on its Golden property expires March 31, the church hopes to open two new campuses in 2016.

YA Ministry Leader Jessie Davis estimates a fourth of Red Rocks’ attendance is folks in their 20s. Though on the cusp of millennial life at age 33, she looks to 20-somethings and teens for input on leadership and fresh ideas.

Davis says churches can reach and empower millennials by appreciating their potential, instead of frowning on their nontraditional tastes.

“The millennial generation sometimes gets a bad rap, but in our church, they’re the people who are serving,” she says. “Older generations do millennials a disservice when they say they’re self-centered, because they’re not. They’re very giving and altruistic. They just need people to empower them and give them space to lead.”

Kenneth C. Walker

Kenneth C. Walker is a freelance writer, co-author, and book editor from Huntington, West Virginia. He has more than 4,500 article bylines and has written, edited, or contributed to more than 90 books.