Generations: What Impact on Faith Formation?

Beth Lewis, President & CEOAugsburg Fortress

August 2010

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© 2010 Augsburg Fortress

2010: Five Living Generations• G.I. 1901-1926 (84+)• Builder 1927-1945 (65-83)• Boomer 1946-1964 (46-64)• Gen X 1965-1981 (29-45)• Millennial 1982-Present (0-28)

Who is in our mainline churches?

65% 35% 18% 4%

The Builders 1927-1945 (65-83)

The Builders 1927-1945 (65-83)

• Wealthier, physically fit, and savvy consumers• Unique formative years: 1930’s to 1960’s

(suffering thru depression and threat of cold war, yet enjoyed prosperity of the 50’s and 60’s

• Conservative—don’t rock the boat!• As they age a) connect with grandchildren; b)

think and act young; c) travel; d) loyalty

The Boomers 1946-1964 (46-64)

The Boomers 1946-1964 (46-64) • Formative years: 50’s to early ’80’s• Values: powerful message of idealism, sense of

right/wrong• Activism of first wave of Boomers (Viet Nam war

protests)• Empowerment: “We can make a difference!”• Experienced family of origin as a strong unit• Live life to the fullest, unlimited opportunities,

career-driven/ competitive

Adulthood of Boomers1946-1964 (46-64)

• Dual career generation• Struggle w/ marriage: high divorce rate• Struggle w/ parenting: neglecting children• Brilliant in the workplace:

--Define self in terms of accomplishment--No rush to retirement

• Forever young mentality• Free-spirited, boisterous• Comfortable in the spotlight• Consumption-oriented

Gen-X 1965-1981 (29-45)

Gen-X 1965-1981 (29-45) • First generation of latch-key kids• Formative years: ‘70’s, ‘80’s, ‘90’s• Much of their life is about survival:

– Widespread divorce (40% raised in single parent household)

– Parents lacked time to spend with kids (dual career or single parent households)

– Permissiveness (parents compensating for lack of time)

• Mobile society (multiple schools)

Core Values of Gen-X 1965-1981 (29-45)

• Independence• High expectations of “having it all…now”• Self-reliance• Marriage is disposable• Us-against-them (generationally)• Non-racist, non-judgmental generation• Strong female generation (males seeking

identity/masculinity) • “The Computer Generation”

A few ways to reach the Gen X generation 1965-1981 (29-45)

• A high quality website as an entry point to church

• More intentional connection w/ preschool & school age families

• Community events/Service events (connect)• Inspiring, multi-sensory worship• Authenticity/transparency

Then, how do we keep them?• Small groups to build and enrich community…often

outside traditional church settings• Kid friendly worship (children’s time, cry-room)• Hands-on service opportunities• Educational programs that relate to life issues (parenting, financial planning)• Help them become significant leaders in the church community• Communicate using technology (emails, good website, Facebook, etc.)

Millennial 1982-2006 (4-28)

Millennial 1982-2006 (4-28)• Formative years: 1980’s to 2010• Two events that define this generation: September

11 and Hurricane Katrina• Most adult-supervised kids ever (vs. Gen X)• Raised with strong family ties & parental involvement• Optimistic and enthusiastic

Millennial world-view1982-2006 (4-28)

• Focused on education• Team players• Active in the world: social service activities, concern about

the environment, etc. • “The Giving Generation”: Helping others in record numbers• Declining teen pathologies (compared to Boomers & Gen X)• Digital “natives”• Active in social networks• Non-judgmental re: race, ethnicity, religion, sexual

preference

A few ways to reach Millennials

• Websites & social networking taken for granted• Text-messaging: their communications tool of

choice• Many service event options• Intergenerational activities• Inspiring, multi-sensory worship

Then, how do we keep them?• Communication via social networking

& text messaging• Small groups to build and enrich

community…often outside traditional church settings

• Kid friendly worship• Hands-on service opportunities• Educational programs that relate to

life issues

• Intergenerational faith formation activities• Help them become involved in church with small, flexible commitments of time

American Cultural Challenges• From 1984 to 2007, those who identify themselves as

Christian dropped from 85% to 77%* • Americans with no religious identification: 1998 8% vs.

2009 16%*• Regular attendees in the average congregation were

older than age 60: **– 25% in 1998– 30% in 2007

• Regular adult participants younger than age 35: **– 25% in 1998– 20% in 2007

* Gallup, 2009** General Social Surveys, 2010

Congregationalprogramming reflects the relative absence of young

adults (or vice versa?)Religious education offered for those: • age 12 and younger = 82%• 13-14 year olds = 64%• 15-19 year olds = 53%• Young adults or college students = 37%

* National Congregations Study, 2009

Research

How Young People View Their Lives, Futures, Religion, and Politics: A Portrait of Generation “Next” http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/300.pdf

Religion Among the Millenials http://pewforum.org/uploadedFiles/Topics/Demographics/Age/millennials-report.pdf

National Congregations Study: American Congregations at the Beginning of the 21st Century http://www.soc.duke.edu/natcong/Docs/NCSII_report_final.pdf

Some good news for the church…

• Teens & young adults want to serve others• Teens & young adults care about social justice

issues• Teens & young adults often self-identify as

“spiritual”• Teens & young adults crave community

At Augsburg Fortress and sparkhouse, we think that we in the church have a chance to engage

teens and young adults if we focus less on how

“we’ve always done faith formation” and more on

“helping them follow Jesus”

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if we may assist you!

Beth Lewisbeth.lewis@augsburgfortress.org

http://twitter.com/bethalewis www.augsburgfortress.org/blog