The Boomer, Buster & iParents (Part I)

My dad is 87. Ray still walks to church every Sunday, sings in the choir, and feels guilty if he misses a practice "because they might not have enough basses!"

That generation will be gone before we know it.

 

Replacing them - or choosing not to replace them in the church - will be the Baby Boomer and Baby Buster parents. Speaking from experience (after all, I am one) the bulk of my Boomer generation is  more "ask what your country/church can do for you" and less "ask what you can do for your country/church." We lost confidence in authority as we came of age, rebelled against everything during the 60s/70s, and ran away from institutions in droves. Today, as adults, we don't like authority - even when we are in charge - which presents an interesting dilemma. When it comes to the institutional church, we are now in charge, and we don't know what to do about it. As church members, if we don't like what we see in one church, we take a walk, set up our own fellowship, or quit altogether. We get what we want and think we can get away with anything. (After all, our poster-boy is Bill Clinton - the first boomer president).

Boomers parents are "What's in it for me?"

Keep that thought a moment.

 

Replacing the Boomer parent is the Buster parent. The Buster parents "still haven't found what they're looking for." Busters don't have a problem with authority like the Boomers. They simply dismiss authority as irrelevant. They don't have a problem with the church. The church was and is just not that much a part of their lives. They could take it or leave it, but most likely not have to leave it, because you can't leave something if you were never emotionally a part of it in the first place. Wonder why the Busters don't come back to church when they have kids of their own? They can't come back.

You can't come back to a place you've never been.

Replacing the Buster parents will be the Millennials or the iParent. To them, the world is a myriad of choices, friends, and interactions. Personal input, engagement and interaction is the expectation. This was  the first generation who spent more time on the internet than on television. They don't buy a "one way street" of communication like the TV generation. They won't listen to a one-way sermon, either. If they aren't engaged, involved in the shaping of the discussion, entangled in meaningful relationships in your setting, and doing "hands-on-make-a-difference-that-i-can-see" work, they will simply click away to a more meaningful setting. Oh, they'll click back from time to time to see what's up with you (staying for 4.2 seconds if they don't find anyone engaging in meaningful life) but they won't stay. Unless the system you have in place invites their gifts and talents and interests and comments directly in the worship and education experiences, and unless your place becomes a place for them to meet and relate to their friends, they've got far too many other options to mess with your faith community.

So, there's the challenge. How do you reach these folks?

 

I'll give you my opinion tomorrow. And, if you care enough to come back, you'll:

A. Disagree with it entirely (Boomer)
B. Both disagree and agree at the same time... and feel strongly both ways about it (Buster)
C. Not show up at all tomorrow because as an iParent you've got way too many things on your plate anyway, unless a couple of your friends show up and you find out about it and don't want to miss out on the fun (iParent)