I spent the first half of 2025 interviewing and reflecting with young “Nones” and “Dones”: nonreligious 18- to 44-year-olds who either never affiliated with faith (the “Nones”) or walked away from it (the “Dones”).
Considering I’ve spent half my life as a “None,” I thought I had a handle on what makes them tick. I should’ve known better. In my latest book, Church Tomorrow?: What the ‘Nones’ and ‘Dones’ Teach Us About the Future of Faith, I’ve tried to capture the wide-ranging wisdom my conversation partners shared with me.
This incredibly diverse group can’t be boxed in, but some themes arose too often to ignore. If you want to preach in a manner mindful of the Nones and Dones—in person, online, and hovering just beyond reach—here’s some wisdom straight from them:
Give ’em Jesus
In 2021, The Episcopal Church commissioned the “Jesus in America” survey to discover what people think about Jesus and church. The findings were plain: People don’t have many issues with Jesus (85% of Americans recognize him as a meaningful spiritual figure; the bulk also recognize and appreciate his teachings). The problem is Christians who don’t actually follow him (more than half of nonreligious people said they don’t see Jesus in Christians).
I heard the same concern regularly from the Millennial and Gen Z Nones and Dones I interviewed across America. There was Caroline, who admitted, “My friends who are not religious think every religious person is a bigot.” There was Craig, who asked, “Are you walking in Jesus’ footsteps? Because he walked next to the homeless. He helped the prostitutes. He fed the hungry.” Many Nones and Dones wish we were more like Jesus.
That said, keep in mind that some people see Jesus as the bully who judged and excluded them from the church of their youth. Make clear that’s not the Jesus of the gospels, and it’s not the Jesus you know. Invite those who miss Jesus to reclaim him, and invite those who’ve been wounded to get to know the real Jesus.
Bring your real self
For better or worse, “authenticity” is the byword of our age. Everyone is encouraged to find your voice, trust your inner authority, and above all, be true to yourself. The downside of this ethos is an overwhelming obsession with self. The upside: We can finally walk into church without leaving our real lives, bodies, cultures, and wisdom outside.
How do we strike the right balance? Preachers can model bringing our whole selves into community in healthy ways. When we share our own stories and incorporate embodied experience, we give others permission to do the same.
Don’t get me wrong: The pulpit isn’t the therapist’s couch, but it is a holy place where we can demonstrate exactly how the gospel of Jesus Christ and the communion of saints speak to our enfleshed existence. Tell stories. Cry, laugh, and shake your fist. Admit what you don’t know or what’s got you wrestling with God. That vulnerability invites others to show up, wrestle, and be real too.
Share your testimony
The most frequent critique I heard of mainline Protestantism is that we seem ambivalent about God, suspicious of Jesus, and dismissive of the Holy Spirit. In our zeal to prove we’re smart and enlightened, we’ve sometimes winked and hinted that this whole faith enterprise may not really matter at all.
Nonreligious people, especially younger ones, are calling us on our bluff. If faith doesn’t change your life, if it’s just nice behaviors and good ideas without any stakes, why would anyone bother making time for church in an otherwise busy life? Preachers need to take 1 Peter 3:15 seriously and be prepared to answer anybody who wonders about the hope that is in you. Make the case. Tell why God is worth the trouble, and why your life wouldn’t be the same without relationship with Jesus or the power of his Spirit.
Let us participate
Social media has trained younger generations to expect to offer comments and likes, tag collaborators, and repost the best bits. In other words, they want to participate. What’s a preacher to do?
We try to answer that question Thursday nights in the Imagine Worship gathering at St. Bartholomew’s–New York. We start worship with “Turn and Talk,” inviting folks to pair off and share around a question related to the sermon. These brief conversations prime the pump for the preached word (not always by a clergyperson!). After the sermon, we move straight to a prayer time where people can offer to God whatever has stirred. And after worship, we share a meal with conversation around tables. The word of God belongs to us all.
Watch the jargon and theological code
Speaking of words, it’s so easy for preachers—especially those trained in seminary or rooted in a lifetime of church—to presume everyone present draws on a well of shared insider knowledge. Nones and Dones remind preachers to take extra care to identify jargon and theological concepts. Read or listen to yourself and wonder, “How would someone who doesn’t know the faith hear what I just said?”
Don’t eliminate the rich concepts, but do break them open. We’re not talking about an extended historical or linguistic treatise suitable for div school. “Break them open” means make plain both the meaning and why it matters to anybody following Jesus today.
The good news: Efforts like these will improve your preaching with all God’s people—Nones and Dones, old-timers, and everyone in between.
