Focus on Experiences
Craig Miller
When it comes to being in ministry to particular generations, must we divide and conquer? One approach to meeting the needs of different generations is to create separate programs for specific groups. For the GI's, travel clubs would be good. For the youth, youth camp could be offered. And when it comes to worship? How about one service for the '50 and above' set and one for those under 40?
Although this may sound reasonable, there is another way to meet the needs of different generations without putting each one in a separate box: experienced-based ministry.
Generations Birth Dates Characteristics GIs 1910-1927 Also known as Builders. The Depression and WWII shaped their values. Pioneers 1928-1945 Also known as Silents. They have led social change in music and culture. The Korean War and the Civil Rights Movement influenced their young adult years. Baby Boomers 1946-1963 Led by the high school class of 1964, they were shaped by the events in the 1960's and 1970's. Postmoderns 1964-1981 Also known as Gen X and Busters. They were born right after the assassination of President Kennedy and are the first generation to live out of a Postmodern perspective. Millennials 1982-1999 Led by the high school class of 2000, they will set the trends in the first two decades of the twenty-first century. Look at religious life in the U.S. in the 1950's . . . most people joined a denomination because they agreed with a specific set of beliefs and practices. People became Methodists or Baptists or Catholics because their identity was linked to a particular denomination and all it represented.
Today people become active in a church because of the experiences it offers. To believe something, they must experience it first. As a result, what happens in worship, Sunday school, and small groups is formational to their undestanding and experience of God. After the experience, they are interested in the underlying beliefs.
Where does this happen? Walk to Emmaus, a weekend experience, has changed many lives. By encountering God in a new way, people see the world and their lives differently. Disciple Bible Study has also changed people's understanding of themselves and their relationship to God. Why are these so sucessful? Because they invite people into a life-changing experience.
This way of thinking is true across the generations. As you create worship, rather than targeting a specific age group, focus on the experience of the grace of God that people will have every week at that hour. At my local church the 8:45 service focuses on recovery. Every week, through music, prayer, healing, and communion, people seek to heal relationships and physical illness, overcome addictions, and find emotional well-being.
This is different from the new 11:00 service that will focus on celebration. God as creator will be the focus of the experience. "Jesus who calls you to use your gifts to build up the Body of Christ" will be a dominant theme. Worship elements will include drama, video clips, Top 40 hits, and contemporary praise songs. Who will attend? People new to the faith, seekers, and those wanting to use all their spiritual gifts for the work of God in transforming this world.
These experiences are multigenerational. They offer people who are at particular points in the spiritual journey a faith community where they can grow and worship together.
As you create ministry for people in your faith community, ask how this experience speaks to their hearts and helps them grow in faith in Christ. How does it shape their beliefs and values over the long term? Start at this point and you will create ministry that speaks to people of all ages.
Craig Kennet Miller is Director of the Center for Evangelism Through New Congregational Development at the United Methodist General Board of Discipleship. You may reach Craig at cmiller@gbod.org.