LifeWay Press Nashville, Tennessee
2009 LifeWay Press No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing by the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to LifeWay Press ; One LifeWay Plaza; Nashville, TN 37234-0175. ISBN 978-1-4158-6705-1 Item 005189413 Dewey decimal classification: 259.3 Subject headings: BABY BOOM GENERATION \ CHURCH WORK WITH THE BABY BOOM GENERATION \ EVANGELISTIC WORK Acknowledgements Boomer Research, LifeWay Kano Model Product Definition (LKMPD) by Market Research and Intelligence (MRI), LifeWay Christian Resources, 2007. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. To order additional copies of this resource: write to LifeWay Church Resources Customer Service; One LifeWay Plaza; Nashville, TN 37234-0113; fax (615) 251-5933; phone toll free (800) 458-2772; order online at www.lifeway.com; e-mail orderentry@lifeway.com; or visit the LifeWay Christian Store serving you. Printed in the United States of America Leadership and Adult Publishing LifeWay Church Resources One LifeWay Plaza Nashville, TN 37234-0175
CONTENTS The Times They Are A Changin Meaningful Ministry to Baby Boomers in Your Church and Community......... 4 My Generation Who Are Boomers?........... 10 Satisfaction (I Can t Get No ) Boomers and the Church Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow........ 16 Fun, Fun, Fun First Steps to Starting Meaningful Boomer Ministry in Your Church and Community..................... 23 Come Together: CONNECT Establishing Relationships Between Boomers and God, the Church, and Each Other..................... 32 Blowin in the Wind: GROW Leading Boomers to Know God s Word and How It Makes a Difference Every Day................ 41 Light My Fire: SERVE Enlisting Boomers to Invest Themselves in Meaningful Ministry Through the Church........... 49 Pass It On: GO Challenging Boomers to Reach Others with the Gospel of Jesus Christ... 56 I Wish We d All Been Ready A Challenge......................... 60 Boomer Adult Ministry Survey................ 63 Endnotes............................. 64
The Times They Are A Changin Meaningful Ministry to Baby Boomers in Your Church and Community The meeting started out like any of the dozens of large meetings at LifeWay I ve attended over the years. We had prayer for the needs of our coworkers and friends. We sat through an update of how well we were accomplishing our ministry and business goals. Then the tone of the meeting changed subtly at first, but it changed. John Kramp, our division vice-president, began to challenge us with his vision of the work and ministry we need to do over the next 20 years to accomplish our mission of serving churches. Our focus is usually on the work we need to do in the next 12 months. How should we think about what the churches need over the next 20 years? What John did next really startled me. He displayed an upcoming edition of Open Windows, LifeWay s oldest devotional guide for adults. On the cover was a photograph of two beautiful, peaceful-looking swans. It is one of the resources assigned to the team I lead. I m proud of the ministry and history of this devotional guide. In fact, if my memory serves me, I had even written one week of the devotions in this particular edition. This little devotional provides hundreds of thousands of Southern Baptists with a daily guide to reading the Bible and praying. It is a tool that has served us well for generations. But what John said next was the real shock. He said, What we ve been doing for senior adults just isn t relevant for the next generation of adults who are approaching this stage in life. As an example, look at this cover (the swans) I m not going to be using a devotional guide with pictures of swans on it ever! He went on to say he wasn t interested in bus tours, gospel quartet concerts, or monthly potluck lunches. Twenty years from now, ministry to older adults in our churches will be radically different than it has been for the last 20 or 30 years. 4
Introduction Strategic Intent I knew he was right. I don t recall everything John said next; but the basic message to this large group of employees was this: the team I am assigned to work with to plan strategy for adults would be (1) researching what baby boomers relationship to the church is going to be like for the next 20 years and (2) finding ways to help the churches do the right things for this generation. We would focus our attention on a unique generation of adults: a generation that has changed every stage of life they ve lived through and every institution and organization of which they ve been a part. We would help churches understand the changes that are coming with this generation of adults and recommend ways they could be effective in keeping, reaching, and ministering to the baby boomer adults in their congregations and communities. Research Intent That employee meeting kicked off an exciting year for the Leadership and Adult Ministry team at LifeWay. Some of us had already participated in and seen the results of what focusing on a generation of adults could produce. Our Young Adult Ministry team had completed a year of work that led to the creation of LifeWay s revolutionary Threads Ministry (see www.threadsmedia.com). We quickly determined that the focus of our research would be on how this generation of people, known everywhere as Baby Boomers, were relating to the church and to each other and how they might relate in the years to come. That decision put us on a journey that led to hundreds of conversations in cities large and small all across the United States. From Florida to Los Angeles, from New York to Texas, from Virginia to Arizona, we talked with people who were 50- to 65-yearsold and to church leaders who minister with them on a daily basis. We interviewed church members, Sunday School teachers, deacons, pastors, ministers of education, and Senior Adult ministers and taking the research one step further, we even talked with individuals who had no ongoing relationship with the church. Following our research process, we recorded and transcribed every conversation. From those transcripts we created an image of what the environment of Baby Boomers is like in relation to the church and 5
R E S P E C T to one another. Consider the very thoughts some of these individuals expressed to us and let their words create an image in your mind. I see time fleeting and I say, I need to get a bunch of things done The new 60 is really 45 it s not going to be our parents retirement it s going to look different, and I find that exciting. I can t imagine retiring. I m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. Many of us are sandwiched we have elderly parents we want to take care of and we have children and grandchildren we delight to take care of we just have a lot of pulls on us We ve lived through a lot of the fluff in life and maybe we ve come to realize the things that count we re interested in things that have more substance because we ve been there, done that. We re starting a new life, my husband and I, trying to find each other I feel much closer to God today. I feel much more spiritual today but I m not doing anything with it. Participating in these conversations was an eye-opening experience for me, and I m a member of this generation. Most of the time when these folks began to talk, I connected immediately with what they were saying and feeling. Those quotes helped us create an image of boomers and their lives in and around the church. We summarized the image this way: Boomers, still the Me Generation, want to be in control and actively engaged in life. Pressured by family, finances, and the future, they re not ready for the rocking chair yet! 6
Introduction As eye-opening as it was for the team assigned to this project, I wish you could have seen the faces of church leaders especially those who were younger than the audience we were talking about. When they began to think through the questions we were asking about 50- to 65-year-olds, what they were doing in their churches and communities and what it would be like 5 to 10 years down the road it was like a lightbulb coming on. I can t count the number of staff members who sat back, looked us in the eye, and said something like, I hadn t given this a thought. These people have been the heart of our church leadership, giving, and ministries. They re already beginning to disconnect, but I didn t realize this was going to become a trend. Tell me, what should I do? Maybe you find yourself thinking the same way. And that s the reason for this book. Oh not that I m going to be able to tell you exactly what to do, but maybe I can suggest a few things that will start you down the right paths for creating meaningful ministry with and for the baby boomers in your church. So, whether you re a baby boomer yourself or someone younger, a pastor, church staff member, or volunteer leader; this book is designed to help you get started on a journey that will prepare you to meet the changes that are coming for your church. Ministry Must Be Meaningful One of the first things we learned about boomers is that they will define meaningful for themselves. The idea that you, as a church leader, will be able to tell them what should be important and meaningful to them disrespects who they are, the journey they ve been on for 50 or more years, and the skills, interests, and motivations they have acquired. You ll find that meaningful ministry to this generation will happen as you respect who they are and engage them in the process of developing ministry with them, for them, and to them. Focus on the Leading Edge One more idea before we jump in with both feet. The baby-boom generation is not only made up of a lot of people, it also spans a significant number of birth years. That means there will be shifting needs, trends, and practices for the next 25 years or more as baby boomers approach the traditional age when people reached retirement. To keep this book a reasonable length and have some immediate impact, I ve chosen to focus 7
R E S P E C T on boomers during the transitional stage of life as they approach age 65. Boomers at the younger end of the generation are still likely raising children, sending kids off to college, moving up the ladder in their jobs, and staying very connected to their core church ministries. But think with me about a few transitional issues that leading-edge older boomers are facing. Sandwiched Many are sandwiched between aging parents and boomerang kids who are still looking to Mom and Dad for financial support. Health issues Mostly just minor, the aches and pains and medical conditions of aging are beginning to affect the way boomers live. Re-careering Some have options for how they will spend the next 10 to 20 years. Will they continue to work at the same place in the same occupation they ve had all their adult years, or will they start a new career, begin their own business, join a humanitarian cause, or leave work behind altogether to experience the life of which they ve always dreamed? Traveling for family Many have grandchildren in another city. How will boomers stay active in church since they will be traveling several times a month to visit grandchildren? Seeking meaning Adults at this stage have acquired many skills and talents, with some being the most highly educated and trained people who will ever be a part of your church. They re no longer satisfied to greet people on Sunday mornings, collect the offering, or assist with the same ministries at church. They want to engage in activities that are meaningful to them. Financial crises Some boomers are financially secure. But others have gotten to the age when they thought they would be able to retire and take it easy but instead find themselves deeply in debt and unprepared for retirement. They are shocked by the bleak outlook for the next few years of their lives. These and many other life issues will begin to shape and define the kind of relationship that boomers will have with your church. Which problems should you seek to address first? How can your church help? Who will take the lead with ministry to these folks? How can you make meaningful the ministry you offer to them? What will gain their attention and respect? That s what this book is about. 8
Introduction A Personal Word of Thanks I m deeply grateful to Donna Gandy, coauthor of this ministry guide, who has taken the research and many of the ideas I ve had for this book and developed them into the helpful resource we envisioned it could be. Just as we completed and turned in this manuscript, Donna announced her retirement from LifeWay. Donna is a wonderful example of the generation for whom this book is written. She has been, and will continue to be, a faithful servant of our Lord in her church and to millions of others through her ministry at LifeWay. In this next step in her journey Donna will embody the truths and principles in this book. She ll lead the way in ministry with boomers, for boomers, and to boomers wherever she is. May her tribe increase! About the Authors Leading our conversation is Bill Craig, director of LifeWay Leadership and Adult Ministry. You can get better acquainted with Bill and his passion for boomer adults by visiting his blog http://billtheboomer.wordpress.com. He and his wife, Sarah, have one daughter and son-in-law, and one granddaughter. Bill also serves as Minister to Median and Older Adults at Gladeville Baptist Church, where he is working to establish ministry with and for the boomers of Gladeville, Tennessee. Donna Gandy is a free-lance writer, consultant, and conference leader living in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Donna s second-half career goal is to equip people, through training and encouragement, to optimize their God-given gifts in ministry service. She and her husband, Bill, enjoy travel, missions, and leading English as a Second Language classes. They share pride in five grandchildren: Jacob, Joshua, Ryan, Alexia, and Faigen. 9
My Generation Who Are Boomers? Beginning in 1946, a baby was born in the United States an average of every 8 seconds, approximately 11,000 a day, 4 million a year for 18 years! That would make me (Donna) baby boomer number 745,200 (give or take 1,000). This massive generational cohort (78 million strong) clambered onto the American scene, upsetting and overloading almost every area it impacted: education, health care, culture, industry, the economy, entertainment, technology, politics, and religion. It is an American generation that began when, after years of separation during World War II, young couples started and grew their families in a thriving American economy and era of relative peace. The impact of this cohort has continued to grow and evolve through each decade as they matured and aged. Boomers currently comprise approximately 25 percent of the American population. Every generation has its defining scientific, cultural, economic, national, and global events. These experiences shape their thinking, perspective, lifestyle, and dreams. For baby boomers, it seems their formative years were overloaded with such events. Check the defining moments that you personally remember. School polio vaccinations It s Howdy Doody time! The rise of suburbia Civil rights movement Kent State Roe v. Wade Women s liberation Peace Corps Cold War McCarthy hearings Rock n Roll Elvis The Beatles Woodstock Sexual revolution AIDS Birth control The Greenhouse effect/concern for the environment Television becoming a fixture in homes School desegregation (sit-ins, marches) The rise of Little League and other children s sports teams 10
My Generation Space exploration: One small step for man one giant leap for mankind. Political assassinations: John and Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr. Vietnam War and its spawning of the draft and draft dodgers Anti-war protests and student demonstrations Drug experimentation and recreational drug use Zero-population growth Perhaps you have thought of others. Go ahead add them to the list. You may not be a boomer but who you are today was significantly affected by these landmark happenings and the ways they influenced the boomer generation. Just how did these historic and cultural milestones impact boomers themselves? Some described boomers, in their teens and twenties, as pampered, self-absorbed, rebellious, and independent. They were the first television generation, and TV shaped their concept of suburban home life, marriage, and child-rearing. Known as the Me Generation, boomers grew up asking What s in it for me? Free-spirited, they either rejected or redefined traditional values and institutions, championing social change and individual rights. They questioned authority for the contradictions they saw in society, disdaining hypocrisy and injustice. Their idealistic moral sense focused on how life should be, not on how it was. Boomers embraced change and wanted to make a difference. Surprisingly, as they approached their middle years with young families to support, careers to build, and the talent and bravado to turn nerdish hobbies into world-changing technology (such as the advent of the digital age), they became more mainstream. Better educated than previous generations, many became affluent by climbing or redesigning the corporate ladder. Baby boomers have been described as materialistic, especially as boomer women began to have their own career dreams and entered the workforce in droves. They were indulgent to their latch-key children, often out of guilt from failed marriages and overworked parents, even as 11