Prodigal Millennial, I See You: A Pathway to Discovery, Reimagined Faith, and Effective Communication

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
“I see you” is a greeting used by the Na’vi on the planet Pandora in the Avatar films. Translated from “Oel ngati kameie” in the fictional native language, it means to see someone’s spiritual essence and goodness and to put aside preconceived notions of who they are. “I see you” is a colloquial phrase used by young millennials who value truly knowing others and being known without judgment. The spirit of this project is to see the prodigal millennial. Curiosity about why millennials are leaving the church, the Christian faith, or both, led to awareness that when they leave, they often experience breakdowns in communication within their church and family systems. The goal of this project is to model seeing prodigal millennials—to facilitate a process of discovery about the young millennial journey as impacted by the ecclesiastical, societal, and philosophical culture within which they live; reimagined faith through theological reflection; and effective communication cultivated by informed practice. The hope is that New Story Church will benefit from the intention of this project to reimagine and recapture the ethos of the gospel as part of God’s unfolding plan for a new world.