Generational Thinking

Our family went up to Michigan this Thanksgiving to spend time with my wife's brother and wife. It was good to get away and we even were blessed to see some lake affect snow since they live right next to Lake Michigan. Since we were only there less than an entire day we spent time talking. In our conversations I brought up a Church that I had recommended to my brother-in-law some months ago since they were having a tough time getting connected to a congregation. His response was that they were getting connected with a Church that they had been attending for about a year. I was happy for them because they seemed to be enjoying their fellowship time with this congregation. They have had a tough time finding the right place to fit in which seems to be the case with their generation.

My brother-in-law and his wife are in their early 20's which would classify them as the Millennial Generation or what some describe as Generation Y. I began to probe them about their life of faith and their expectations of Church. For me this is research that has to be done by Church leaders everywhere. Every generation has a different outlook on what the Church should be and how to handle the functions within. As we talked I realized more than ever what big differences there is between them and those of us who are Generation X. They want a place that is more community centered and want to feel like they belong from the start. They are not as concerned about doctrinal issues as we are perhaps and want love and grace to supersede every aspect of the community that they attach themselves to. While I think that doctrine is significant I was blown away by the genuineness that this generation is looking for. So much of the time those who are younger adults get pushed to the side because of their age. Every generation has something to learn from one another and from this one grace is the lesson I believe that they want to teach.

Reflecting on my conversations with my brother-in-law and his wife took me forward to compare them to my parents generation. The boomer's as we call them are at the other end of the spectrum. They are more concerned with the structure and power in the Church in greater ways than any other generation. They cling to tradition which they attribute to true spirituality and in that process they smother the Church. While no generation has it completely right with the functionality of the local congregation these 2 generations have a lot to learn from one another. Grace is needed in greater ways in our lives together and structure in the Church most definitely has its place.

So much of the time in the Church we run in packs with people of our generation or those who think exactly like we do. 1 Corinthians is very clear that all of us have been brought together to bring glory and honor to Jesus as a community of believers. The Church that listens and communicates with each other is a Church that will go places together. The Church in America is losing ground and part of the problem is the selfishness of every generation wanting their own way. If we take James' advice to be "quick to listen, and slow to speak" we will gain ground within our local communities. Every generation is significant and every Christian that makes up the Church you belong to matters to God.