A new report by a nonprofit research organization explores why Millennials (people 30 and under) are increasingly rejecting church attendance and involvement and the reasons may surprise some.

The Barna Group report takes a look at why, even among those who grew up in church, nearly six in 10 Millennials have dropped out of church involvement, why more than half have been absent from church for at least six months and why three in 10 say church is not at all important while an additional four in ten feel ambivalent, saying church is ether somewhat or somewhat not important.

Barna Group (which includes its research division, Barna Research Group) is a private, non-partisan, for-profit organization under the umbrella of the Issachar Companies. Located in Ventura, California, Barna Group has been conducting and analyzing primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors since 1984.

The researchers asked Millennials why they do or don’t think church is important. Their answers reveal a general feeling that church is simply not necessary—and, for some, that it is harmful.

“Among those who say church is not important, most are split between two reasons: two in five say church is not important because they can find God elsewhere (39 percent), and one-third say it’s because church is not personally relevant to them (35 percent),” the researchers reported. “One in three simply find church boring (31 percent) and one in five say it feels like God is missing from church (20 percent). Only 8 percent say they don’t attend because church is ‘out of date,’ undercutting the notion that all churches need to do for Millennials is to make worship ‘cooler.’”

That’s important, the researchers concluded because congregations can be tempted “to think of church as one part of the ‘religious services industry’ — the sector of the economy that provides spiritual goods and experiences to consumers” and actually end up turning Millennials off to the idea of church.

“If the church were just another business seeking market share, this frame of mind would be harmless or even beneficial. But the church is not. And many of the very people churches are trying to reach — Millennials — are hyperaware and deeply suspicious of the intersection of church and consumer culture. This doesn’t mean they’re not avid consumers, for most certainly are. But many also have a sense that church should be different somehow, above or beyond the dirty business of sell, sell, sell,” the researchers concluded.

A significant number of young adults have deeper complaints about church. More than one-third say their negative perceptions are a result of moral failures in church leadership (35 percent). And substantial majorities of Millennials who don’t go to church say they see Christians as judgmental (87 percent), hypocritical (85 percent), anti-homosexual (91 percent) and insensitive to others (70 percent).

In a national, multi-phase research program among Millennials, conducted by Barna in partnership with Cornerstone Knowledge Network, participants were asked to rate how well each statement in a series describes the Christian community in America. “Fewer than half of Millennials agree that the statement ‘The people at church are tolerant of those with different beliefs’ describes the church. … About the same proportion say ‘The church seems too much like an exclusive club.’ … Taken together, a significant number of young adults perceive a lack of relational generosity within the U.S. Christian community,” the researchers reported. “Perhaps more concerning are the two-thirds of Millennials who believe that American churchgoers are a lot or somewhat hypocritical (66 percent). To a generation that prides itself on the ability to smell a fake at ten paces, hypocrisy is a worrisome indictment.”

Not all of the findings involved negative views of the church. Millennials were also asked what they find valuable in church and the researchers believe their answers can provide some insight for what churches can prioritize in ministry to and with Millennials

“A plurality say they attend church to be closer to God (44 percent) and more than one-third say they go to learn more about God (37 percent),” the researchers noted. “Getting outside the humdrum of their everyday lives to experience transcendence — in worship, in prayer, in teaching — is a key desire for many Millennials when it comes to church.”

What can churches glean from the research?

“Ignoring visitors is not the solution, but consider how your church could defer social status to your guests,” said Clint Jenkin, vice president of research at Barna Group and the lead developer and analyst on the study. “When Millennials visit your faith community, are they welcomed and respected, or harassed and put on the spot? Think about how you can respect and respond, rather than assert and demand. Perhaps a smile and a nod or wave from a greeter, rather than a handshake. Maybe a clearly marked welcome kiosk instead of someone intercepting them the minute they set foot in the door. The leader who welcomes everyone to the worship service could communicate where, how and from whom to get more information, putting your guest in the driver’s seat, socially speaking.”

For more visit Barna.org.