The
Baby Boomer, Sunday School, And God
On January 1, 1946, one second after midnight, Kathleen Casey Wilkins,
the first baby boomer, was born in Haddon Heights, New Jersey. Between
that moment and midnight December 31, 1964, 76 million more babies were
born. The explosive number of births gave this generation the name "baby
boomers" ("Nationline," USA Today, January 1, 1988).
The grandparents of the boomers are called the "survivor generation."
They lived through World War I, the Great Depression, and World War
II. Their mentality is that of survival.
The parents of the baby boomers are called the "consumer generation."
This generation of Americans experienced the greatest economic and industrial
expansion in the history of civilization. Prosperity and materialism
led them away from the church.
The Boomers' Uniqueness
The baby boomers have many subgroups, but they are united in attitude
and perspective by common cultural experiences. They remember campus
riots, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream, the Beatles,
and Vietnam.
Their uniqueness results from several factors. They are:
- The first generation to be raised on television.
- The first generation to be raised largely with absentee fathers.
- The most educated generation in history.
- The wealthiest yet most indebted generation in history.
- The first generation whose grandparents had little influence on
their life preparation and job skills.
- The first generation that can't afford to live at the standard in
which they were raised.
- The first generation to live under the threat of nuclear war.
The Boomers' Belief System
The church and Sunday school must understand baby boomers before it
can effectively reach and minister to them. In his book, The Baby Boomerang,
Doug Murren says there are at least nine aspects of the boomer's belief
system that must be understood if the church and Sunday school's ministry
approaches and methods are to have any impact on them.
Boomers are not belongers. They are not as interested in membership
as they are in participation. They are more interested in the individual
than the institution.
Boomers detest formality. They are looking for a church that
provides warm, friendly environment for developing relationships, yet
is casual and practical in its approach to life. They have a low sense
of denominational loyalty and won't tolerate anyone putting guilt trips
on them because they are not committed to the institutional church.
Boomers have grown up wanting experience rather than theory.
They want to experience life personally rather than be told about it.
Their approach to spiritual life is no different. John Naisbitt, in
Megatrends 2000, says that the decade of the 90s will be a time in which
people will seek a "spiritual experience."
Boomers come to church to get something applicable to their lives.
They are interested in how-to sermons and teaching. They look for relevancy,
not simple, pat answers.
Boomers expect women to be treated as equals and to be given leadership
roles. Husband and wife teams in ministry are a great way to help
meet this expectation.
Boomers want the contribution of singles to be celebrated and expected.
By the year 2000, singles will comprise more than 50 percent of the
adult population over 18 years old. Churches must accept, understand,
and minister to the diversity and needs of singles. The church must
be willing also to encourage the contribution of singles to the life
and ministry of the church.
Boomers believe that the high level of dysfunctionality within their
group needs to be addressed. They have grown up with major life
problems: alcohol and drug abuse, broken homes, and sexual promiscuity.
One in four women has been sexually abused. Deliverance, recovery, and
support groups are part of the healing process. Sunday school classes
that function as recovery and support groups should be very effective.
Boomers applaud innovation. They like to try new, adventurous
things. They enjoy variety and spontaneity, expect challenge, and despise
mediocrity.
Boomers have a sense of destiny. They want to make a difference.
They support what they feel will make the greatest impact. They are
looking for a cause that is challenging and worthy of commitment. They
are active rather than passive in their general approach to life. They
are busy and want to stay that way. Time is more important than money
to them. Therefore, they will get involved in what they feel is the
best use of their time.
The Boomer and God
The baby boomer is returning to church. In the 1970s only 33 percent
of the people in this age group attended church or synagogue. Today
nearly 43 percent of persons born between 1946 and 1958 attend religious
services. But they are not returning to just any church. Jack Simms,
a nationally known authority on the baby boom, lists 10 characteristics
common in churches that are effective in reaching the baby boom generation:
- They are open to a spiritual experience.
- Their Bible teaching stresses practical living.
- They place a healthy emphasis on relationships.
- They have fewer titles and less formality.
- They understand the new family in America.
- They share their faith by what they say and do.
- They recognize the ability of women.
- They place an emphasis on worship.
- They have a high tolerance for diversity.
- They are action-oriented.
Simms suggests that the church that wants to reach baby boomers should
evaluate itself on a scale of 1-10 in each category listed above.
If the score is:
- 65 or less -- The church needs dramatic improvement.
- 66 to 80 -- The church is not doing badly.
- 81 or more -- Folk will miss the NFL pregame show and arrive 30
minutes early to get a parking spot.
Robert Bast adds the following as characteristic of a church that attracts
the baby boomers:
- A strong worship focus.
- A meaningful educational program for all ages.
- An orientation toward experience and practical action rather than
intellectual and theoretical approaches.
- A high degree of tolerance and an acceptance of diversity.
- An emphasis on inclusion, with a particular concern to include women
and newcomers in leadership.
- An informal style that is highly relational.
How can your church and Sunday school
reach baby boomers?
Let me suggest at least six ways:
- Provide multiple options in programs and ministries. Elective classes
give options and choices. In a society where people are struggling
with major life problems, such as alcoholism, addictions of many kinds,
and immorality, recovery and support groups provide a positive means
to health and growth. Some classes can meet at different times during
the week other than the traditional Sunday school time. With a class
or group meeting on Tuesday night, as well as the normal Sunday school
time, more people might become involved. The traditional concept of
church and Sunday school must give way to new methods and approaches
to reach this generation.
- Keep the teaching practical, positive, and personal. The self-help
and how-to sections of a bookstore reveal subjects of interest, such
as how to have a happier marriage, how to be a better parent, how
to manage your money, how to deal with your job and boss, how to deal
with life problems and addictions, how to deal with your past successfully,
and how to know that the Bible is God's Word. In a world marked by
hopelessness, the good news is that Jesus is the answer. But we must
present the good news in everyday terms to which people can relate.
- Provide opportunities for relationships to develop. In an impersonal,
high-tech society, people are searching for a place in which they
feel loved, cared for, and significant. Sunday school classes need
to be structured so people have time to develop significant relationships.
This can be done in small group interaction during the class, by fellowship
time before class, or by group activities outside of class. Three
things can help you have a successful class----a coffee pot, good
discussion, and ministry to personal needs of those in the class.
These help build a sense of community, a need which this generation
feels.
- Develop active lay ministry involvement. The baby boomer wants to
make a difference. These people will give time to things they feel
make the most difference. Causes that stimulate action include social
problems, children, poverty, abortion, illiteracy, elder care, substance
abuse, AIDS, and environmental protection. The Sunday school class
can take advantage of these interest areas and use them for ministry
and evangelism.
- Cultivate a casual, informal atmosphere. People are looking for
a place where they can be themselves. The Sunday school class can
be relaxed, informal, and interactive by using more participation
and less lecture. Even the way people dress can cause the atmosphere
to be cold and formal. Let people know you are more interested in
them as individuals than you are about how they dress.
- Develop a quality children's ministry. The decline of the nuclear
family, the growing divorce rate, working mothers, single parent families,
mixed families, and economic hardships on families provide great opportunities
for the church to minister. The church and Sunday school that provide
quality ministry for children attract baby boomers. Emphasize children
and provide special ministries and activities for them. Train and
equip workers to provide the highest quality ministry possible, and
baby boomers will be excited about their children's involvement.
The church cannot cater to every whim of the baby boom generation.
Yet to ignore or refuse to be attentive to their needs and desires will
render the church ineffective. To understand, adapt, and change will
help us reach this generation.
If you want to do more study about baby boomers and how to reach them,
see the following:
- The Baby Boomerang by Doug Murren, Regal Books.
- Help! I'm a Baby Boomer by Hans Finzel, Victor Books.
- Dying for Change by Leith Anderson, Bethany House Publishers.
