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CHALLENGE

Bridging the generation gap

The concept of generation has become a big issue, but what does it mean for the Church? MATT BIRD and STEVE SPRIGGS report

"For every generation" is the latest advertising slogan used by Gap. We would hope that it is also true of the Church but, sadly, all too often it is not the case. Some of us are part of congregations that have a healthy number of younger people, but statistics show attendance is disproportionately high among the older generations and lower among younger generations.

The concept of generation has not always been such a big issue. It is true that it can be found in the Bible, Shakespeare and other ancient texts, but in our society it has a greater significance. Particularly during the last three decades or so, it has become common for church growth experts, sociologists of religion and congregational leaders to segment both society and the congregation into groups defined in one way or another as ‘generations’.

The growing importance of the concept of generation can be traced back to the Sixties. In March 1967 evangelical magazine Crusade featured an article entitled, The Drifting Generation. Even those of us who weren’t around at the time know that the Sixties and Seventies are famous for rebellion amongst the young. The associated dramatic changes in social values of that time led to the first use of the term ‘generation gap’ in 1967 to reflect the growing conflict between parent and child.

This generational consciousness began with the children of those who had fought in the Second World War. They wanted to rebel against the conformity and austerity of their parents, which was needed by their parents to help to win the war. Because they were part of a large increase in the birth rate, they became known as Boomers.

The children of the Boomers have become known as Busters (as the birth rate then dipped massively) or Generation X. They are much more cynical than their idealistic parents – they have seen hippies of the Sixties become the materialists of the Nineties. Revolution is off the agenda because no one has faith in big ideas, although that does not mean they are happy with the established order.

The Millennials (those who have come of age since the turn of the millennium) are the youngest generation, again defined by their differences to the generation before them.

There are four main factors that help to create a generational identity. These factors are kinship, worldview, social events and age.

Kinship is the relationships we have between members of our family, as child, parent and grandparent. Phrases like the ‘hippie generation’ and the ‘chemical generation’ are based upon worldview. Social events have defined the identity of the Vietnam generation in the US and Thatcher’s children here in Britain. Finally, age as a factor in generational identity has brought terms like the 'grey pound' into common usage.

Generations are very different in our society. The big question is: how should we respond?
God is a God of history; his promise to Abraham was to bless him with descendants. In our post-modern culture the significance of family as a community has diminished and the idea of intergenerational households converting en masse to Christianity as happened on occasions in the New Testament seems alien. We need to rediscover the deep family bonds that have existed in the past and how family is a key to the passing on of faith from generation to generation. In doing so we will be going against powerful sociological trends such as family disintegration.

Evangelicals have always stressed the need for personal conversion and would rightly want to avoid faith being synonymous with family allegiance, but the fact of the matter is that family should be a greater resource for the transmission of the Christian faith.

The beginning of the book of Judges tells us that after Joshua a new generation grew up not knowing God. Although it is perhaps an exaggeration to suggest that in the present day the older generations know God, but the younger generations don’t, statistics do show that there is a significant discontinuity. We need to work to ensure that succession, rather than schism (division), stoppage (end) or stereotyping (cloning) occurs.

This means that more than ever we need to be investing in the development of younger leaders and actually allowing them to lead. This will cost us in terms of the investment of our time, money and resources, but also we will need to forgo our own preferences.

Consider the age of the leaders in your congregation. If they are all in their 50s, is it any wonder why teens and twenties don’t seem to find it relevant? Nationally, the age of church leaders has increased significantly this century. If it means today’s young people are going to be a generation who miss their turn to lead the Church then it should be no surprise if we miss their presence.

There are, of course, some new forms of church developing among the young. Youth church is an important part of our nation’s Christian life. It is sometimes criticised for being divisive and failing to live up to the New Testament ideal of Christian unity. However, unity does not require everyone to meet together in the same room – if it did, how much unity does the Church show?

Class, race, geography, musical taste and so on often shape individual congregations. In fact, you could say youth church is only a response to 'normal' congregations being focused on meeting the needs of other generations.

In our great, great, great-grandparents' day, the issue of whether the Church is for every generation would not have been such a significant issue. However, it is an important issue now and we need to understand its significance and work towards making sure that we present the Gospel in a form accessible to everyone.

Matt Bird and Steve Spriggs work with Joshua Generation, a team developing leaders to make a transforming contribution in society www.joshgen.org
This article is a reflection on the new Evangelical Alliance report God and the Generations: Youth, Age and the Church Today co-edited by Matt Bird and David Hilborn. Copies are available from Joshua Generation on resources@joshgen.org or 020 8947 1313.

© Christian Family Network
is run by CPO, supported by
Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting,
Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.


		CHALLENGE Bridging the generation gap The concept of generation has become a big issue, but what does it mean for the Church? MATT BIRD and STEVE SPRIGGS report "For every generation" is the latest advertising slogan used by Gap. We would hope that it is also true of the Church but, sadly, all too often it is not the case. Some of us are part of congregations that have a healthy number of younger people, but statistics show attendance is disproportionately high among the older generations and lower among younger generations. The concept of generation has not always been such a big issue. It is true that it can be found in the Bible, Shakespeare and other ancient texts, but in our society it has a greater significance. Particularly during the last three decades or so, it has become common for church growth experts, sociologists of religion and congregational leaders to segment both society and the congregation into groups defined in one way or another as ‘generations’. The growing importance of the concept of generation can be traced back to the Sixties. In March 1967 evangelical magazine Crusade featured an article entitled, The Drifting Generation. Even those of us who weren’t around at the time know that the Sixties and Seventies are famous for rebellion amongst the young. The associated dramatic changes in social values of that time led to the first use of the term ‘generation gap’ in 1967 to reflect the growing conflict between parent and child. This generational consciousness began with the children of those who had fought in the Second World War. They wanted to rebel against the conformity and austerity of their parents, which was needed by their parents to help to win the war. Because they were part of a large increase in the birth rate, they became known as Boomers. The children of the Boomers have become known as Busters (as the birth rate then dipped massively) or Generation X. They are much more cynical than their idealistic parents – they have seen hippies of the Sixties become the materialists of the Nineties. Revolution is off the agenda because no one has faith in big ideas, although that does not mean they are happy with the established order. The Millennials (those who have come of age since the turn of the millennium) are the youngest generation, again defined by their differences to the generation before them. There are four main factors that help to create a generational identity. These factors are kinship, worldview, social events and age. Kinship is the relationships we have between members of our family, as child, parent and grandparent. Phrases like the ‘hippie generation’ and the ‘chemical generation’ are based upon worldview. Social events have defined the identity of the Vietnam generation in the US and Thatcher’s children here in Britain. Finally, age as a factor in generational identity has brought terms like the 'grey pound' into common usage. Generations are very different in our society. The big question is: how should we respond? God is a God of history; his promise to Abraham was to bless him with descendants. In our post-modern culture the significance of family as a community has diminished and the idea of intergenerational households converting en masse to Christianity as happened on occasions in the New Testament seems alien. We need to rediscover the deep family bonds that have existed in the past and how family is a key to the passing on of faith from generation to generation. In doing so we will be going against powerful sociological trends such as family disintegration. Evangelicals have always stressed the need for personal conversion and would rightly want to avoid faith being synonymous with family allegiance, but the fact of the matter is that family should be a greater resource for the transmission of the Christian faith. The beginning of the book of Judges tells us that after Joshua a new generation grew up not knowing God. Although it is perhaps an exaggeration to suggest that in the present day the older generations know God, but the younger generations don’t, statistics do show that there is a significant discontinuity. We need to work to ensure that succession, rather than schism (division), stoppage (end) or stereotyping (cloning) occurs. This means that more than ever we need to be investing in the development of younger leaders and actually allowing them to lead. This will cost us in terms of the investment of our time, money and resources, but also we will need to forgo our own preferences. Consider the age of the leaders in your congregation. If they are all in their 50s, is it any wonder why teens and twenties don’t seem to find it relevant? Nationally, the age of church leaders has increased significantly this century. If it means today’s young people are going to be a generation who miss their turn to lead the Church then it should be no surprise if we miss their presence. There are, of course, some new forms of church developing among the young. Youth church is an important part of our nation’s Christian life. It is sometimes criticised for being divisive and failing to live up to the New Testament ideal of Christian unity. However, unity does not require everyone to meet together in the same room – if it did, how much unity does the Church show? Class, race, geography, musical taste and so on often shape individual congregations. In fact, you could say youth church is only a response to 'normal' congregations being focused on meeting the needs of other generations. In our great, great, great-grandparents' day, the issue of whether the Church is for every generation would not have been such a significant issue. However, it is an important issue now and we need to understand its significance and work towards making sure that we present the Gospel in a form accessible to everyone. Matt Bird and Steve Spriggs work with Joshua Generation, a team developing leaders to make a transforming contribution in society www.joshgen.org This article is a reflection on the new Evangelical Alliance report God and the Generations: Youth, Age and the Church Today co-edited by Matt Bird and David Hilborn. Copies are available from Joshua Generation on resources@joshgen.org or 020 8947 1313. © Christian Family Network is run by CPO, supported by Care for the Family, Marriage Resource, Positive Parenting, Care, Women Alive, Christian Herald and many others.