The Gift of Prophecy

Millennials and Their Methods

How can the writings of Ellen White become relevant to a generation that does not read? Having pastored on a university campus for three decades, I have asked the question and I have heard it asked again and again. In reality, it is not so much a question of what this generation will read, but rather the more basic question: Does this generation read at all? GOP 378.3

As it turns out, the answer is a surprising yes. The Web site Millennial Marketing reports: GOP 378.4

Reading may not be a priority, but Millennials do spend more time reading than older generations. According to [a] fascinating interactive graphic by the New York Times, those over 64 spent by far the most time reading per day: 1 hour and 24 minutes. But 15-24-year-olds spend on average: 50 minutes a day reading and pursuing other interests. This is much higher than 25-64-year-olds, who spend just 32 minutes. ²² GOP 378.5

The site also noted that a United Kingdom study has reported that news consumption has increased to “72 minutes of news a day, compared with just 60 minutes in 2006. . . . The increase was driven almost entirely by people under the age of 35.” ²³ So the notion that millennials do not read is unfounded. GOP 378.6

What is also clear is that millennials read differently. Millennial Marketing explains: GOP 378.7

In his book, Grown Up Digital, Don Tapscott describes Joe O’Shea, a 22-year-old student leader from Florida State who was on his way to study at Oxford. O’Shea had this to say about reading books: “I don’t read books per se, I go to Google and I can absorb relevant information quickly. Some of this comes from books. But sitting down and going through a book from cover to cover doesn’t make sense. It’s not a good use of my time as I [can] get all the information I need faster through the web. You need to know how to do it—to be a skilled hunter.” ²⁴ GOP 378.8

Most of us do the same, because it is the nature of high-tech reading (via the Web, a laptop computer, a smartphone, a tablet, or an electronic reader) to learn and practice the art of scanning. But is scanning for information the bane of reading in the third millennium? Tapscott sees a silver lining to this generation’s resort to scanning: I believe the challenges of the Internet can actually provide the net gener [millennial] to do the hard thinking to make sense of a broader scope of information than the one that would have been available to the boomer. . . . The net gen brain may be able to execute certain perceptual tasks more rapidly, and may maintain more items in working memory. In order to deal with all that incoming information you have to be a great scanner. Digital immersion has given the net generation the visual skills that make them superior scanners. They’ve learned to develop the filters they need to sort out what’s important from what’s not. ²⁵ GOP 378.9

So how does this generation’s reading modus operandi inform the church’s quest to assist millennials in becoming acquainted with Ellen White’s writings? Recalling Paul’s advocacy of contextualization to communicate the gospel to his own generation (dominantly pagan), does it not follow that we, too, must adopt the language of the people group we are seeking to reach? And if the reading “language” of millennials is highly visual and dominantly electronic, would it not be imperative for the church to embrace their modus operandi to communicate to them? GOP 379.1

The advertising group Millennial Marketing, in making their case for designing reading for millennials, quoted Jeannie, a university coed blogger: GOP 379.2

Even if I had the money to buy every textbook I ever needed in college, most of them would have collected dust on my shelves all semester. One could chalk it up to having a typical millennial attention span—one that understands thoughts in 140 characters or less—but just like my textbooks, I don’t buy that. Part of my complete disinterest in textbooks comes from the fact that the second a book is published today, it is pretty much obsolete. Since I was in fifth grade, I have been able to access almost any information on the Internet more quickly and accurately than I ever could in a textbook. Furthermore, this online information is free (or if it’s not free, I’ll go look on another site until I find it for free). With a limited budget and unlimited free resources, is there any kind of textbook that could ever capture my interest? ²⁶ GOP 379.3

Up against that perspective, what kind of book would attract millennial readers? Here is how Millennial Marketing characterizes a successful millennial-friendly book: (1) it is highly visual (the text is treated as a graphic element, with big colorful pictures); (2) “the writing style was approachable, not dumbed down but meant to be interesting”; (3) the text of the book “provided just what was required, with the ‘extras’ provided through integrated online content” (i.e., multiple Web links included in the text connecting the reader with extra/bonus information, illustrations, material). ²⁷ GOP 379.4

While it is not the intent of this paper to serve as a publishing primer (suggesting printing parameters or design templates for books that will attract new millennial readers), the inescapable point, however, is that in order for the church to connect Ellen White’s writings with a new generation of readers, it is imperative we stylistically contextualize and graphically design our reading material to “speak” in the language of third millennials. GOP 380.1

Visually, consideration should be given to a reformatting of her most influential writings, certainly the Conflict of the Ages series, beginning with The Great Controversy and The Desire of Ages. Visual reformatting in both print and e-book editions could include numerous pictorial illustrations (new artist-rendered depictions of scenes from the Bible or historical narrative, ²⁸ along with current photographs of sites) and footnoted Web links for further study or background material and interactive maps. And as Millennial Marketing noted above, treating the text as a part of the graphics package (from creative font changes to break-out text or application boxes) is a millennial-friendly strategy. GOP 380.2

Audio books are popular for all ages, and a creative audio dramatization of the Conflict of the Ages series, while a major cost enterprise, could provide an attractive and effective connect with millennial readers/listeners. GOP 380.3

One of the valuable assets in the church’s presentation of Ellen White and her writings to both the community of faith and the world around it are its Ellen White Web sites—www.egwwritings.org and www.ellenwhite.org. Global 24/7 accessibility to these sites is a major contributing factor in expanding the influence of her writings. However, the most compelling content in the world cannot override an outdated or antiquated graphics presentation. Having a team of spiritually committed and artistically and technologically savvy millennials to review both sites would be a major step toward achieving the interface with this generation the church seeks. While the content is fresh, the artwork and graphic layout on www.ellenwhite.org has been dated and archaic. A brief perusal of global Web sites that are attracting all ages of visitors provides sufficient cause—by way of comparison—for a major redesign of church Web sites promoting Ellen White to both the public and the church. The Web today is the most influential “best foot forward” the church possesses to connect with this generation. We must harness our brightest talent and employ our most creative Web designers to achieve a strategically successful interface between this generation and the writings of Ellen White. GOP 380.4

The persistent point is that the church must be willing to contextualize the packaging of the Spirit of Prophecy, if we are serious about reaching a new generation with the writings of Ellen White. Such a recontextualization is not a betrayal of these divinely inspired writings, but rather an obedience to the mission-driven strategy of Holy Scripture to speak in the language of the world we seek to reach for Christ (see 1 Cor. 9:19-23). GOP 380.5