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A Church Beyond Belief

Get Ready for Generation Z

3/11/2015

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Just when we thought we understood a new generation, things are going to change. Meet Generation Z!

Generation Z is the current label for those who follow the millennials. They have yet to receive a catchy moniker, and people have yet to agree when this generation began. Some say the mid 1990s while others begin in the early 2000s.

Whatever we end up calling them and whenever they began, this cohort shares some interesting characteristics.

·      While millennials are known for oversharing on social media, Generation Z values their privacy. They are more apt to turn off GPS locators on their phones and use social media that self-destructs (Snapchat).

·      They prefer image-laden forms of communication (Instagram).

·      They suffer from FOMO (fear of missing out), so the speed of response is valued over accuracy. Maybe this is giving rise to the sentiment that “Texting is a brilliant way to miscommunicate what you feel and to misinterpret what other people mean.”

·      Their attention span is much shorter than that of millennials, and therefore they seek “snackable content.” They give something a glance, and if it appears too much to read, they move on.

·      Nearly two-thirds say that online gaming is their favorite form of entertainment. They’re driving the Twitch phenomenon, which is a gaming/e-sports social network.

·      When not in school, they’re virtually always online.

·      They’re quite sedentary, and health issues and obesity will be a concern. 

·      They care about the world and want to be involved in causes that make a positive impact.

I have no answer as to how to best connect with Generation Z, but it is clear that it will be different than with previous generations.

What I do know is that it may be time to end our fixation with millennials (of which I’m guilty!) and broaden our focus.  We risk being so obsessed with one generation that another generation may pass us by. 


Michael S. Bos

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Generations

2/10/2015

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Who coined the term “millennial” and why is it important?

In 2000, William Strauss and Neil Howe published Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation, and with it the term “millennial” quickly became a part of our generational parlance.

What most people don’t know is that they introduced the concept of “millennial” within a larger framework for understanding generations. In their seminal work Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069 (1990), they put forth the thesis that there is a fourfold cycle in American history. In understanding each cycle, they believe one can better understand the role and identity each generation takes in it.

They state it this way: “The cycle draws forward energy from each generation's need to redefine the social role of each new phase of life it enters.  And it draws circular energy from each generation's tendency to fill perceived gaps and to correct indeed, overcorrect) the excesses of its elders.”

The four cycles are as follows:

·      The first cycle is “High” in which institutions are strong, and society has a strong sense of cohesiveness and consensus, which also leads to conformity.

·      The second cycle is “Awakening” in which a new generation looks upon the “High” as a time of cultural poverty and attacks institutions in the name of personal and spiritual autonomy.

·      The third cycle is “Unraveling” in which institutions are weak and distrusted, and individualism flourishes.

·      The fourth cycle is “Crisis” in which institutional life is torn down and rebuilt. Civic authority revives, cultural expression finds a community purpose, and people begin to locate themselves as members of a larger group.

·      After a period of “crisis,” there is a turn to a societal “high” and the fourfold cycle continues.

Strauss and Howe label our current era a time of crisis, and they predict that millennials will become the new civic leaders who will rebuild institutions and promote social cohesion. This flies in the face of the current trend of labeling millennials as detached from institutions and distrustful of people. If we give any credence to Strauss and Howe’s thesis, we may be overlooking an important role millennials will play in the future.

We are quick to define and confine generations to labels we have given them. But whatever we think of the fourfold cycle of history, it reminds us that a generation’s self-understanding and role changes over time. Therefore we had better be ready for some surprises as millennials age and (re)define who they are.

Michael S. Bos


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Describe Your "Ideal" Church

11/21/2014

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What millennials say may surprise you. The Barna Research Group did a study of their views on worship space, and the results show they prefer:

·      A sense of community (78%) more than privacy (22%)
·      A sanctuary (77%) more than an auditorium (23%)
·      A classic setting (67%) more than a trendy one (33%)
·      A quiet space (65%) more than a loud one (35%)
·      A casual environment (65%) more than a dignified one (36%)
·      A modern feel (60%) more than a traditional one (40%).

These preferences don’t necessarily mesh together. Barna summarizes it this way: “herein lies a cognitive dissonance common to the young adults interviewed in the survey. Many of them aspire to a more traditional church experience, in a beautiful building steeped in history and religious symbolism, but they are more at ease in a modern space that feels more familiar than mysterious.”

This reminds us that the reasons people have for attending church can be complex and complicated. For church leaders, it is a temptation to boil down a generation’s spiritual quest to the “one thing” that will resonate with all. If only it were so simple.

What we do know is that those who seek a church, including millennials, do so because they desire to connect with a community that welcomes them to share in the journey of faith. And it’s easy for us to forget how risky a step this can be.

When people enter a church for the first time, it can be a tense, anxiety producing moment. They are intensely searching for any clues that will help them know what kind of church it is, whether they’ll be welcome, and what is expected of them. And when those clues are absent or confusing, they probably won’t be back.

It is critical for us to examine the clues our facilities and our congregations give about who we are. Are we communicating that people are welcome where they are and for who they are? There is no one way to go about this. But we all need to ask whether the subtext of our church environs makes clear we are a place you can belong. 



Michael S. Bos

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    William L. Sachs
    Michael S. Bos

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