Have you heard about China's aging population problem? From 1980 to 2015 the Chinese government instituted the ONE CHILD POLICY, limiting families to having only one child in order to slow their population growth. It was a horrible policy for TONS of reasons, one of them being the glaring problem of an over-aged population on their horizon. Over the next 50 years China will see 2/3 of its population over the age of 65, leaving the other 1/3 to sustain the economy and provide for the populace. That's unfeasible.

The same crisis is on the horizon for the Church. According to a BARNA study, only 1 in 7 pastors are under the age of 40. Over the past 30 years the amount of pastors over the age of 65 has tripled and the amount of Pastors under the age of 40 has been cut in half.

The problem is not how much older the average pastor is becoming, but rather how absent the coming generations are from the pulpit. There are large generational divides within the Church that need to be mended if we hope to not only win those coming behind us but also commission them.

THE WORD

One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.

Psalm 145:4

Last weekend I had the privilege of presenting to a room full of pastors and church leaders from across the state within our denomination. I was asked to speak on how we should approach developing the next generation of leaders. It was an honor to be with many great men and women of God who have influenced and shaped my spiritual life over the years. However, as I looked out over the room of about 100 or so pastors, it was clear the statistics are more than just research, they are reality.

We're having to accept the hard truth that my generation is missing from our churches, not just within our leadership structures but even in attendance. While we may have a good understanding of the gospel, I believe we have struggled to understand generational divides. Without knowing what it is that makes each generation unique, we will have a difficult time reaching them with the gospel.

I don't have all the answers nor do I fully understand all the intricacies that apply to each generation. I don't like to speak in generalities, so please know that I'm fully aware what I say here does not apply to everyone. People are unique and individualistic. I'm merely speaking about trends.

For clarity, typically the generations are defined as such:

Baby Boomers - Born 1946-1964

Generation X - Born 1965-1979

Millennials - Born 1980-1994

Generation Z - Born 1995-2012

3 GENERATIONAL DIVIDES

1. I am what I DO vs. I am what I FEEL

Identity is perhaps the most central issue of today. From my limited perspective, it appears that each generation has shifted in how they approached defining their identity. Boomers found it in their PROFESSION, Gen-Xers in their PRACTICES, Millennials in their PASSIONS, and Gen-Z in their PRONOUNS.

Boomers take pride in their work and what they accomplish for society. They are the HARD-WORKING generation who appreciates any kind of work, so long as it's done right. It's not uncommon for them to introduce themselves to others and talk about their job within the first few minutes of meeting someone.

With Gen-Xers it seems to have deviated slightly. Gen-X continued a lot of what was instilled in them from childhood. They continued to go to church, for the most part, because that was standard practice. They also continued going to college, devoting themselves to conventional work, and contributing to society. They're the healthiest generation in terms of work-life balance and I truly think we have the most to learn from this generation to find the middle ground between working hard and working smart.

Fair warning, I'm a millennial, so I tend to be more critical of my generation than others. Between Gen-X and Millennials is where I believe we see the biggest shift in identity progression. Millennials grew up in a tech-based society, having internet access almost their entire adolescent and adult lives, exposing them to a world of ideas, creativity, and yes, evil. Instead of defining themselves by what they do, they define themselves by what they FEEL. They are notorious for prioritizing their passions above everything else. They choose their jobs based on how much vacation time they can get, search for community by way of their hobbies, and invented the "side-hustle." They got married later (and less) as well as had kids later (and less) because these milestones took second seat to their passions.

Which brings us to Gen-Z, the generation of pronouns. The shift in identity seems to have moved from "WHAT I feel passionate about" to "HOW I feel" period. Gen-Z is the first generation to grow up with the internet from birth and they are exposed to more ideas before breakfast than Boomers were before the age of 20. Loads of knowledge, wisdom, counsel, deception, lies, and myths are now condensed into 30-second, attention-grabbing videos that feel entertaining but are really educating (and rarely the good kind). Gen-Z has been raised in a beyond post-modern context where truth is what we possess in and of ourselves and therefore pursuing truth means embracing whatever you feel in the moment.

COMMON GROUND

As vastly different as each of these trends may seem they are all an attempt to find identity apart from God, which is destructive. Often in scripture, when God changes the trajectory of someone's life, He changes their identity in the process. Abram becomes Abraham. Sarai becomes Sarah. Jacob becomes Israel. Jesus came not only to redeem our souls but to reclaim our identity as sons and daughters of a Heavenly Father. It should be no surprise that one of man's greatest struggles in being separated from God is confusion about who he is. Though each generation has attempted to identify themselves in a different way, they all have the same struggle.

2. Value the WHAT vs. Value the WHY

Let me start by saying I think there is nobility on both sides of the coin here. Older generations seem to have a huge value for loyalty and obedience. Boomers and Gen-Xers alike demonstrate a devotion to their churches, businesses, brands, and more. We used to pick on my dad all the time because when his pair of loafers wore out he would just go and buy the EXACT same pair to replace them. That's loyalty.

This is a simplistic approach to life. These generations were brought up with far fewer options than are available today so they cultivated an appreciation for sticking with what they knew. This translates to a WHAT-FOCUSED OUTLOOK. "Just tell me WHAT you want, WHAT you need from me, WHAT is expected and that's enough for me."

This is completely at odds with the mindset of Millennials and Gen-Zers. Stemming from an abundance of options, younger generations have struggled to develop a value for loyalty in almost every area of life. Just go down the chip aisle of your local grocery store to see what I'm talking about. The amount of options has left them with decision-fatigue. They deal with it by skipping around from thing to thing. They use multiple apps with the same general features, get in multiple dating relationships within short-periods of time, support multiple causes which often contradict one another, and when they do go to church, they usually attend multiple churches or at the very least attend one and listen to sermons from several others.

This has, in part, developed the WHY-FOCUSED OUTLOOK. Millennials and Gen-Zers do NOTHING on principle. They won't just attend church because "they should." They won't just vote because it's "the right thing to do." They won't just go to college because generations before them did (college enrollment is currently plummeting, by the way). They want to know, "why?" These are the generations that coined the term FOMO - "fear of missing out." To choose one thing means to miss out on all others so they are motivated by the WHY behind every choice.

I've found young people are actually open to hearing the Word as long as you're willing to join them in wrestling with the "whys." And therein lies what I believe to be the biggest generational gap. If the older generation is simply motivated by the WHAT and the younger generation demands the WHY, they often completely miss each other. A generation raised on the WHAT has a very difficult time answering the questions they were never allowed to ask themselves.

COMMON GROUND

The WHAT mindset embodies what true faith is:"confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." (Heb. 11:1) Jesus said blessed is the one who has NOT seen yet still believes. The gospel calls for simple obedience and God doesn't owe us an explanation for everything He commands of us. We also know He is unchanging in His character and therefore we need older generations to demonstrate His nature for us in that way.

On the other side, however, Jesus tells us "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." (John 15:15) God is ok with us seeking the WHY and the Bible is FULL of people wrestling with it. Jesus even quoted a Psalm on the cross saying, "My God WHY have you forsaken me?" WHY is not a bad question, but it can be a difficult one. Whether young or old, we all wrestle with it. Who better to help the younger and more impressionable than the wise and more experienced?

3. CONFIDENCE vs. CRITICISM

I think this divide has the most impact on the Church and is one of the major reasons why younger generations are straying away from the faith. Years ago a study was done to determine how much confidence adults have in the institutional church. In 1973 68% of the American population reported having "a great deal of confidence" in the Church. By 2013 it had dropped to 43% with the largest drop happening between the years of 2000 and 2002, when Millennials began to reach adulthood and were integrated into the study. Today that number is down to 31%.

Boomers have always had a lot of confidence in institutions, mainly because they built them! The bigger the institution, the more they tend to trust it. However Millennials are the complete opposite. The bigger it is, the less they trust it. My generation has become convinced that the only way to get big is to be corrupt. This is cynicism, and I'd say it's mostly a result of all the scandals that colored the front pages throughout our upbringing. Everything from the Monica Lewinski fiasco and the exposure of ENRON, to witnessing tons of ministers lie, steal, cheat, and rob the people who follow them. Not to mention the ones who have openly lived lavish lifestyles and parade their wealth around as a result of their twisted theology.

Sadly the Church has lost a ton of influence and respect in the eyes of younger generations, mostly because of the bad decisions of a few. The overwhelming majority of pastors have the right heart, the right motives, and the right teachings. They all make mistakes and they all have sin, but they aren't all wicked.

COMMON GROUND

We can be upset at the younger generations for making assumptions and even more upset at the bad apples for making it harder for the rest of us. But what will likely help the most is to see one another through the lens of this reality.

The younger must learn to trust or we'll be eaten alive by our cynicism. We've already seen the collapse of "cancel culture" as the cancellers found the mob coming for them too. It will eventually come for us all. If we don't make any room at the table for people who fall, we have to rip out whole sections of our Bible written by those who committed murder and adultery.

The Church must be sensitive to the hurt and criticism young people are coming with. We may have to change our methods or recreate our systems, but if you want to reach the next generation it's going to require next-level transparency and accountability.

CONCLUSION

You're probably as tired from reading this as I am from writing it. Maybe some of what you see here is surprising but more than likely you've known it but perhaps have never thought much about it. That is what I'm simply trying to address. If we believe in training missionaries for foreign cultures to bring them the gospel we must see generations as mission fields as well. And that requires us to educate ourselves often on how we can bridge the gaps between ourselves and those coming before and after us.