• What events or
experiences most
significantly shaped
your generation?
• What music or
movies most closely
represent your
generation?
The complexity of intergenerational relations has been heightened by the fact that so many generations are living together at the same time, a result of the increased life expectancy of our population.
“[W]hat pleases one generation often doesn’t
satisfy the next generation, much less the third,
fourth, or fifth….generations have different
preferences for how they worship, learn, lead,
relate, do ministry, and interact with one another.
They have different personal preferences and
lifestyles, styles of music, and attire.” ~E. H. Hammett & J. R. Pierce, Reaching People under 40 While Keeping People over 60: Being
Church for All Generations (St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2007), p. 30
Potential Points of Intergenerational Tension
Music Leadership
Sacred Space Mission
Appropriate Dress Programs
Segmented and targeted
groups of consumers with a
shared identification by age,
gender, race, socioeconomic
standing. ~G. Rendle, The Multigenerational Congregation: Meeting the
Leadership Challenge (Bethesda, MD: Alban Institute, 2002) 19.
“[C]ongregations
have been caught in
the awkward
position of being
‘impure markets’ in
a time when people
have come to
expect that attention
will be given to
their differences.” ~Rendle
DISCUSSION:
• Where have you seen
challenges arise
between generations
in the church?
• How have you been
personally impacted
by these experiences?
DEFINITION:
An ability to reflect and act with an
awareness of our own and others’
generational identities.
1. As leaders, we find ourselves confronted with
generational differences within the church.
2. As leaders, we have been shaped by a particular
generational experience that influences how we
perceive, feel about, and behave toward others.
To lead our churches
effectively, we likely
will need to discover
how to navigate the
generational dynamics
that we encounter
within our churches and
within ourselves.
Generational
Artifacts:
Pop culture,
clothing, language,
organizations, etc. Generational
Values &
Assumptions:
Unconscious,
taken-for-granted
beliefs,
perceptions, and
feelings.
1. Becoming aware
2. Empathizing with the Other
3. Monitoring my internal and external World
4. Seeking information to confirm or negate my interpretations
Perseverance GQ refers to our level of interest, drive, and motivation to adapt in intergenerational situations.
1. Preparation
2. Encounter
3. Transformation
As we accept one another “as Christ has accepted [us]”, we are provided “a new orientation”, one that “opens us up for others as they really are so that we gain a longing for and an interest in them.” This invites us beyond friendship “within a closed circle of the faithful and pious,” toward “open friendship” with those who are different than ourselves.
~ Moltmann, The Open Church: Invitation to a Messianic Life-style (London: SCM Press, 1978) pp. 30-31, 60-61
Type 1 Behaviours:
Those of the Other that
annoy or confuse us.
Type 2 Behaviours:
Our behaviours that
might annoy or confuse
the other.
Our new identity
in Christ calls us
beyond “clean”
identities that
group “us” over
against “them”. ~M. Volf, Exclusion and
Embrace: A Theological
Exploration of Identity, Otherness
, and Reconciliation (Nashville:
Abingdon Press, 1996), p. 126
This concept is inspired by Dan Sheffield, The Multicultural Leader: Developing a Catholic Personality (Robert D. Clements, 2005)
“The business of the body of Christ is to build bridges between the generations, and the wood used for the bridge is the cross of Christ.” ~ P. G. Hill. “”Youth and Family Ministry as Congregational and Community Renewal,” 162
• coryseibel.wordpress.com
• Some additional resources in development:
• Suggested Resource List
• Self-Assessment Tools
• Case studies