| abstract | The African American rural faith community is significant among African Americans. The faith community is the place where
many people receive their foundation for spiritual and life skills. However, the millennial generation's sources of influence have shifted due to modern-day
technology. This paper is a source of reminding and guiding African American rural faith communities to remain connected to the millennial generation. As
younger generations disperse for social, economic and business pursuits, the challenge is to foster relationships which will stand the test of time. How this
connection is developed may vary among a specific church but it will be a method to maintain a relationship in its efforts to secure the future of the rural
faith community. The Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Ansonville, North Carolina, faces the challenge of connecting and maintaining relationships with those
who have left for a number of reasons and serves as the context for the project. The project consisted of utilizing preliminary meetings, interviews and survey
questions with young adults between ages 18-35 to gather information that detected young adult's perception and connection with the rural faith community. As a
part of the project, The Pleasant Hill Baptist Church launched a Millennial Spiritual Reunion with efforts to deepen the cohesiveness among the Millennials.
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