Monday, March 3rd, 2008
Gloria Dean Randle Scott is credited with saying, “The critical responsibility for the generation you’re in is to help provide the shoulders, the direction, and the support for those generations who come behind.”
Gloria has certainly lived that out in her life. Born 70 years ago in Texas, she was the first African American woman to graduate with a degree in zoology from Indiana University. She was the first African-American to head the Girl Scouts of the USA (1975-1978). She was the president of Bennett College, a Historically Black College for women, in Greensboro, North Carolina, from 1987-2001.
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Sunday, January 8th, 2006
Chris Seay confesses to generational arrogance in his Counter Culture column at Leadership Journal, Spring 2005. (Vol. 26, No. 2, Page 13)
In his article, “A Casualty in My Own War“, Chris writes about his response to antagonism from an older pastor soon after the establishment of University Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, back in 1995. The local pastor wrote a scathing article about the new start-up in his church newsletter. When Chris called the man to talk it through he encountered a bitter rejection over the phone.
Chris writes, “I look back now and realize I adopted a new posture after that day, my wit sharper, my attitude more jaded, and my mind more skeptical about boomer pastors. My opinions and preferences were cementing into dogma, and without knowing it I was becoming the very thing I hated in others.”
Through the 1990s, Chris admits, he found himself attempting to talk down the approaches taken by the previous generation of ‘church growth practitioners’. Finally he realised that large numbers of people actually enjoyed the contemporary worship style offered by such churches. “If they didn’t mind our worship sounding a bit like Wilco or Coldplay, then theirs could relive the glory days of Neil Diamond.”
Chris is now pastor at Ecclesia, Houston, Texas. In his article he reflects briefly on walking through a transition that is now more about substance than style. He says that living out a gospel that unites rather than divides is easier said than done, particularly when we feel we’re under attack.
I found Chris’ honesty encouraging. I too remember moments when older pastors publicly criticised work I’d started or was working in. Actually, it still happens. But it’s not just older pastors. Developing alternative approaches to church and Christian faith can be threatening to younger leaders as much as older.
Chris is the author of The Gospel According to Tony Soprano, (August 2002), The Tao of Enron: Spiritual Lessons from a Fortune 500 Fallout, (December 2002), The Gospel Reloaded: Exploring Spirituality and Faith in the Matrix (June 2003), and Faith of My Fathers: Conversations with Three Generations of Pastors aout Church, Ministry, and Culture, (September 2005). He was a contributor to Stories of Emergence: Moving From Absolute to Authentic (February 2003) and is working with Brian McLaren to publish “The Dust Off Their Feet: Out of Oppression Comes Success” (June 2006).
I’m looking forward to the publication of the Dust Off Their Feet book which will connect the learnings of the first century church with the explorations of the emerging church conversation in the 21st century.
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Sunday, January 8th, 2006
I’m reading through some back copies of Leadership with articles relating to generational diversity. The Spring 2005 issue takes as its theme, “Bridging Barriers”, and includes three articles with reference to generational culture.
The first article is online at Christianity Today: “A Mad Multi-gen Strategy that Works, Dude - Bring generations together and reduce 20-something dropout, by Mike Breaux.
Breaux, in his late 40s, joined the staff of Willow Creek Community Church, Barrington, Illinois as teaching pastor on September 1, 2003. He was previously pastor at Southland Christian Church in Lexington, KY. Before 1996 Mike was involved in planting a church in Las Vegas and served as pastor in Rochester, IL, Cincinnati, OH, and Harrodsburg, KY.
As a youth pastor Mike made a silent vow that if he ever got to be a senior pastor he would do ‘Youth Ministry For Big People’.
The first opportunity to apply the ‘YM4BP’ principle was a church of 150 in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. One of the first challenges was to model and encourage a culture of openness across all ages. Mike tells the story of Russ, a reformed gambling addict, who helped his church in Harrodsurg talk about real struggle and real questions.
Mike provides cautions for churches that constantly segregate their members by age or generation. He says that churches that remain unchanged by new generations grow out of touch, ineffective, and inwardly focused. They also soon discover an absence of 20-somethings. He says that we need to include teens and 20-somethings in visible ways.
Mike talks about the importance of leaders spending time with each of the generations in ways that relate to their culture. He says that moderns and postmoderns can coexist � with humility, mutual submission and respect for different strengths and passions.
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Sunday, July 17th, 2005
Graeme Codrington, who’s thesis on inter-generational relationships is listed on the links here, is blogging in a couple of places worth checking out.
Graeme’s thoughts on the emerging church, 21st century technology and the role of young people in the future of the church can be found at Future Church Regeneration.
Graeme is blogging with a team of consultants at Tomorrow Today dot Biz. Living in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa, Graeme has around him a team in South Africa, USA and the UK. As consultants the company provides training frameworks:
Mind the Gap
Bright Young Things
Balancing Today & Tomorrow
Savvy Leadership
Innovation UnManagement
The Organisation of the Future
The World of Women
The Enneagram
Graeme was very popular with the Anglicans in Wellington back in the 1990s. I wonder if he’s ever spoken here in Australia?
Graeme’s book “Mind the Gap” was written with Sue Grant-Marshall, was published by Penguine Global in May 2005. The editorial blurb says:
“This book is for you if you want to know why your 18-year-old son isn’t interested in being a doctor - he wants to save the whales, or why your grandfather gives you Big Band CDs for your birthday. This book is also for you if your secretary knows more than you do or your grandson calls you Peter instead of granddad. In short, this book aims to promote understanding between the generations. This is vitally important in our most defining relationships-those between parents and children. We are so influenced by our parents that understanding them will help us to understand why they influence us - and, therefore, help us to better understand ourselves.
What can be learned from this book can be extended to all other relationships-with bosses, teachers, grandparents and so on. Once you understand their ‘generational’ behaviour, you’ll have a clearer picture of why they are like they are.
So, chuck the tranquillisers and read this book. Life will never be the same again”
Looks as though Graeme’s writing for Baby Boomers.
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Friday, June 24th, 2005
I have just come across Peter Sheahan’s research blog, focusing on Generation Y and the workplace. Peter’s an entrepreneurial Gen Yer living in Sydney, Australia. He’s made a mark with his business that helps members of Gen Y and leaders of large companies work together more effectively. His book, Generation Y: Thriving (and Surviving with Generation Y at Work) was published last month.
Peter’s Workshop topics are:
1. The Y Factor - Thriving (and Surviving) with Generation Y in the Workplace
2. Cracking the Talent Code - Turning your Potential into Profit
3. Building a Profitable Personal Brand -Stand out from the Competition by building the Brand called YOU!
4. Creating Mind Blowing Customer Experiences
Aqualung blogs about attending Peter’s workshop on Gen Y in the workplace. He wonders if Gen Y are exclusive holders of the cutting edge approaches to work that Peter’s talking about. After all, Aqualung says, Tom Peters (Boomer) and Davd St Lawrence (pre-Boomer) are advocating similar paradigm shifts. David comments that every generation of workers has its share of spoilt whingers, hard workers and entrepreneurs.
I’ll post a review of Peter’s book as soon as I can get hold of it and read it!
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Tuesday, May 24th, 2005
In January 2004 I wrote a brief review of PostMission: World mission by a postmodern generation, published by Paternoster Press, 2002. The book is the result of a roundtable conference of seventeen Gen X mission leaders at ‘Holy Island Roundtable’, Lindisfarne Island in March 2001. They’ve published the book and continue a web presence.
The seventeen were: Mark Bedford & Emma Hayes, Open Doors UK, Carolyn Cole, YWAM UK, Andy Crouch, The Regeneration Forum USA, Matt Gibbins and Paul Harris IVCF/Urbana, Joanne Goode Africa Inland Mission UK, Robin and Sarah Hay International Nepal Fellowship UK, Bevan and Marissa Herangi Open Doors New Zealand, Vaughn le Moss Open Doors USA, Mark Orr International Teams Canada, Peter Stephenson WEC Spain UK, Henrik Sturve Nybygget/InterAct Sweden, Irene and Richard Tiplady Global Connections UK. The two older mentors for the roundtable were Bill and Yvonne Taylor WEF Missions Commission USA.
Bevan Herangi, from Open Doors New Zealand, opens the book up with an exploration of Generation X values and their implications for mission organisations.
Flexibility and Freedom
Bevan writes about the desire to see work as a means to an end. We work to live. He sees a growing trend of paying others to do housework and gardening to free up time for other activity. Play and work tied together. Gen Xers are not tied to traditional expectations regarding gender, work and income. I choose to preserve the things I love in life at the expense of not becoming rich.
New experiences and positive change
Bevan points to the growing extreme sports industry and reality television as an indication of Gen Xers’ seach for new experiences. Gen Xers, he says, are keen to see things happen.
Doubt and Humility
Gen Xers, Herangi explains, are reluctant to show too much certainty about their abilities or the abilities of others. They are reluctant to receive up-front credit and prefer to work in teams. In cross-cultural situations they are reluctant to promote their own lifestyle to others.
Authenticity
Herangi says that Gen Xers must know the truth, even if it is painful. They listen for real-life stories of normal people from normal families. Many leave the church disillusioned because of the behaviour of fallen Christian leaders. Bevan cites the inspiring example of William Wallace at the end of Braveheart refusing mercy and choosing to stay with vision of freedom despite the cost.
Mentoring
Xers, Herangi says, are open to caring, one-on-one personal mentoring by stable secure people. They are open to receiving input, directions, accountability, in a transparent truth-telling environment. They are willing to receive advice from people who will share from their own experiences both success & failures.
Distrust
Herangi picks up on the scepticism and cynicism of Gen Xers. Because of disappointment many Gen Xers are suspicious about promises about future, and consequently will not fully commit themselves to the schemes or vision of other people. They are cynical about ideologically driven agenda such as the continuation of the Cold War.
Tolerance and Diversity
Gen Xers, Herangi writes, tend to be more accepting of the views of others. The are open for suggestion on their own views. They see the need for many colours, not just black & white. They are not afraid to mix as equals with people of different cultures. They value the opportunity to share faith in two- way conversations that respect the opinions of the other person. Herangi concedes that Gen Xers can become indifferent to the impact of “un-Christian practices”.
Real leadership, not controlling authority
Gen Xers, Herangi writes, respond best to leaders who inspire through courage. He gives the examples of Peter Blake (NZ yachtsman) & Brother Andrew (Open Doors). They are cynical about leaders who sacrifice families and friends for the sake of their cause, or leaders who act as though their authority means ultimate lordship. Once again Herangi quotes from Braveheart: “Men dont follow titles, they follow courage”.
Community and Sense of Belonging
Herangi writes about an awareness of the boundaries between neighbours in suburbs. Gen Xers choose small communities where people can be themselves rather than large communities where conformity is expected.
Implications
This list of values takes us to the heart of many points of contention between generations. Time and time again I’ve seen older leaders discount the contribution of emerging leaders, because of their lack of a driven work ethic. Likewise I’ve seen Gen Xers leaving churches in disgust as they see older leaders attempting to cover cracks in organisation or character.
No doubt churches or mission organisations started by these emerging leaders will exhibit characteristics that seem strange to older leaders with more traditional values.
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Friday, May 13th, 2005
Rob McAlpine, from Winnipeg, Canada, wrote an article for Next Wave a couple of years ago, “Clique Maintenance: Dividing the Generations”.
He started off with Douglas Coupland’s wry definition:
Clique Maintenance: The need of one generation to see the next generation as deficient so as to bolster its own collective ego.
Rob rewrote that definition to describe the cliquey behaviour he’s seen at conferences:
Clique Maintenance: The need of one generation to see the next generation as deficient so as to bolster its own collective ego.
I’m sure both definitions are at work all the time.
Part of Rob’s concern was the conference speaker or writer who tells young people that they are the ones who will bring in the new revival. I’ve heard it too. “It is your generation who will enter the promised land. You will bring revival”. “The previous generation missed the boat. Now it’s your turn”.
Winkie Pratney takes this line in his book, “Fire on the Horizon: How the Revival Generation Will Change the World“, published in 1999. Winkie’s a New Zealander living in the States. I’ve heard Winkie talk and I can tell you he’s one inspiring guy. He tells great stories. He helps people feel passionately in response to the heart cries of their peers. He does a great job at mobilising and motivating young adults. But there is something worrying when a generation is set aside as the messiah generation.
What worries me is the messiah complex that develops, usually associated with polarisation. Twenty something young adults being fed the dream of a widespread revival sweeping the land, and being told “This is not your father’s revival”. And with that, the challenge to see the world and the church with clear black and white thinking. The problem with ‘black and white’ is that it leads to ‘in and out’, ‘right and wrong’, ‘us and them’, and ‘winners and losers’.
I’d be happy if each generational cohort and generational unit were given the challenge of making a difference in their society, making a difference in their church, and making a difference to the environment. But with that they need a technicolor vision - in which they see the role of the previous generations, and the generations to come. This is the challenge given by Peter in his message to the crowd during the feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem, some two thousand years ago. The Spirit is empowering old and young, and will be poured out on our children and their children too.
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Thursday, May 12th, 2005
I’m wondering about people born on the cusp of new generations, who take a lead in developing their younger siblings.
Bob Hunter, one of the original founders of Greenpeace, died a few days ago. He was born in Canada in 1941, which makes him a bit older than the oldest Baby Boomers. This backs up comments from people I know who were born around the time of the second world war. They remember very clearly spearheading the movements that are attributed to the Baby Boomers. It was this group who were sharing the ideals that inspired a generation.
Germaine Greer, feminist leader, was born in 1939. John Lennon was born in 1940, Bob Dylan in 1941, Paul McCartney in 1942, Janis Joplin and Mick Jagger in 1943. There will a few others that come to mind…
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Friday, May 6th, 2005
Rick and Kathy Hicks published their book, “Boomers, Xers and Other Strangers” with Focus on the Family in 1999. The focus of this book is intergenerational relationships, in extended families, churches and workplaces. They work on an approach to generational development that goes right back to formative influence in the family home.
1. Developing Our Difference
Rick and Kathy introduce their readers to psychological/sociological processes behind the development of distinctive values and behaviours in different generations. They draw heavily on the work of Morris Massey, written up in his 1979 book, “The People Puzzle“.
In early childhood, up to the age of seven, children are developing an ‘imprint’ or pattern mostly through observation. Through to the age of thirteen they are modelling or identifying themselves after their heroes. Through the teenage years they are developing through socialisation by peers or significant others. In early adulthood they change or replace values in response to significant emotional events.
On another tack, the Hicks introduce eight factors contributing to value development: family, formal education, other formal & informal teachers, religion, media, friends, income and geographic location. This is very useful - helping us move beyond simplistic global generalisations about members of any generational cohort.
2. Your Decade of Destiny
The Hicks provide a fascinating overview of the formative effects of each decade, covering the 1920s to the 1990s in the United States. They cover trends, American events, inventions, fads, popular radio and television, movies, publications, popular music, fashion, heroes, and religion. They draw on the research done for the American Decades series, published by Gale Research, Detroit, and America in the Twentieth Century series, published by Marshall Cavendish, New York.
As can be expected, the Hicks provide a short ‘Focus on the Family’ style commentary at the end, outlining the move from traditional Judaeo Christian values in the 1920s through to non-traditional values in the 1990s. I wasn’t present in the 1920s, and I don’t live in the United States. But I’m under the impression that permissiveness, violence, backyard abortions, and drug abuse were all found in American cities, towns and countrysides throughout the twentieth century. It could be said, however, that these trends have become more mainstream over time.
3. Defining the Generations
Rick and Kathy explain their approach to distinguishing between generations. They look for population increase and decrease. So the Baby Boom starts with the increase in child birth and ends with the decrease. They talk about the Boomers as a ‘pig in a python’ and the N Geners as a ‘camel in a cobra’. I’m not impressed by the simplicity of this approach. It ignores the sociological factors they have explored earlier in the book. I suspect that they have projected a Baby Boom self-understanding on to other generations.
The Hicks do acknowledge the limits of their generalisations, indicating that the values referred to are primarily typical white, male, middle class values. They refer to “mean values” held by most people during time period.
Kathy and Rick tie the ‘GI Generation’ (born 19011924) and the ‘Silent Generation’ (1925-1945) together as the Builder Generation, a group who value deferred gratification, embracing personal sacrifice in the interests of a big job or task.
The Boomers (1946-1964) experience a generation gap with their parents because of differences in education levels and the approach to consumerism they have grown up with. This generation, say the Hicks, is characterised by permissive morality and instant gratification (as in television).
The Hicks refer to George Barna’s ten characteristics of Generation X (1965-1976): disillusioned, abandoned, wanting a high quality of life, independent, defensive, comfortable with change, more sensitive to people, pluralist, flexible, pragmatic.
They then give us nine generational unifiers of Gen Y (1977 - 1997) as seen in Coca Cola’s Teen Planet Survey results. As published in Young Life Magazine in Spring 1998 these were: self reliance, love of family, looking to global icons, consumerism, Americentrism, itchy feet, mediavores, unabashed fun seekers, with hope. The tenth characteristic, not quoted by the Hicks, is questioning of tradition.
The Hicks go on to provide a useful analysis of change in generational values, covering motherhood, family, marriage patterns, hair, clothes, music, money, purchasing, marketing, high tech, war, morals, work style and marketing. They list potentially explosive situations in which these values will be working:
A family reunion for a 50th wedding anniversary. What will people wear? A church is looking at building extensions. Will they use cash in hand or take out a loan? Office management is looking at music over intercom. What style of music should be used? A family is deciding on an ultimate holiday. A company is revising its policy manual. The point is that generational values affect us at all levels of life.
4.Overcoming Generational Walls that Divide Us
The Hicks invite their readers to begin the process of integenerational reconciliation by understanding their differences. They provide ten questions to help their readers analyse their own values. Readers explore the impact of their childhood location, their family situation, the role of faith, church and religion in their upbringing. The identify significant people in their development, as well as formative events. Educational influences are explored. Media is explored, including the impact of television, music and movies. Readers are invited to consider who or what influenced their attitudes or beliefs about marriage/family, money, God, work, education, government and authority. The final questions, “Have you had a significant change in any of your values as you’ve grown up? What caused that change?”
Rick and Kathy go on to practical and theoretical steps for resolving differences, focusing on understanding, acceptance and forgiveness. They finish by focusing on the development of positive values in members of emerging generations, particularly in the family context. They ask their readers to take seriously the interaction between parental values and the values of people beyond the home. Conversation is the key.
Rick Hicks is President of Operation Mobilization USA. Kathy Hicks continues to write, recently publishing, “Scaling the Wall“, looking at overcoming perceived barriers to entering the international mission field. A useful summary of Boomers, Xers and Other Strangers, written in the same year as the book, appears at the Focus on the Family site.
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Sunday, December 5th, 2004
Wade Clark Roof and Jackson Carroll, in their book, Bridging Divided Worlds
, use the word ‘reflexivity’ to develop their alternative for complacent approaches to generational diversity.
They’re talking about self-understanding, generationally conscious reflection. They challenge congregations to cultivate awareness of themselves in social and historic religious contexts. Congregations as well as individuals can use the skills of reflexive thinking: sociological imagination, recognition of one’s own views, values, and identity in relation to others. In some ways Carroll and Roof are talking about theological reflection (see my blog: GodPost for more on this)
The Chambers Dictionary gives us a definition of reflexive:
“Indicating that the action turns back upon the subject”.
as in “He cut himself”
There are a few steps suggested by Carroll and Roof for reflexivity:
1. Recognise that generations have varied, and at times conflicted, views about the meaning of religious involvement itself.
2. Make it possible for institutions to evolve as clientele and circumstance change.
3. Ensure that individuals from different generations are able to express themselves, put their faith into action in ways that are meaningful to them.
4. Bring generational awareness into ongoing strategic structural planning.
5. Recognise that traditions, if they are to be living traditions, are constantly being renegotiated and retraditioned through a reflexive conversation with the culture.
6. Redefine congregational strength in terms of inclusiveness: capacity to accept others, their beliefs and values, even if they are different to the interpretations of those presently in control of the institution.
7. Keep traditions with a small ‘t’ in perspective. They are historically and contextually bound expressions of the ‘Tradition’ with a big ‘T’.
Carroll and Roof call for researchers in this field to explore the ways in which religious traditions are transformed by emerging generations. We need to see new generations as ‘carriers of culture and religious styles’.
I appreciate the authors’ avoidance of ‘how-to’ solutions for congregations. Contextualisation is so important. We’re given an example of a boomer program based around country music and line dancing - an approach specific to the local environment rather than a global culture.
What the authors do offer is a call to do the hard work that leads to self-aware approaches to generational diversity rather than arbitrary borrowing of programs. They lead their readers to explore deep cultural change rather than dabble with of superficial communication styles.
At times, the authors show their sympathy for a middle-ground liberal Protestant interpretation of Christian tradition. They appear to be comfortable in the negotiated blended approach to generational diversity. However they have made a strong effort to cast their research over a wide variety of congregational responses to emerging generations.
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