Multigenerational Congregations

“We have no young people.” How many times have I heard that lament in talking with Pastors and church leaders? It means different things in different settings. And the communities themselves may be relatively devoid of “young people.” But the question is often a sincere expression of uncertainty, even anxiety, among those who are “in” church.

Gil Rendle has written a new book (The Multigenerational Congregation Alban 2002), which tackles the generational question in our churches. Gil is one of those “church gurus” I find really helpful, and am pleased to recommend to you.

First of all, Gil confirms the observations of many of us. Churches tend to have a bimodal distribution of members. “Bimodal” means there are two peaks with a valley in between. This bimodal distribution is based on the length of church membership (high numbers who have been members less than 10 years, and high numbers who have been members more than 20 years, with few in between). This tends to parallel the ages of persons, and so gives the (often false) impression that the church consists of a group of elders and a group of youngers. The age group typically missing in most churches is persons from about 40 to 55 (especially males).

Second, Rendle makes some important clarifications about “market research” and its use in churches. The most significant point being that market research is designed to sell merchandise and presumes it can identify and target a “pure” or homogeneous subpopulation. Anyone who has been reading about outreach or church growth has run into this. This fallacy resides in the fact that none of our churches consist of homogeneous populations.

Third, Gil asserts that this reality, which describes many churches, creates a climate of tension (which can be healthy) and places serious demands on the skill of pastoral leaders. Leaders in these situations need a whole new set of skills. Rendle suggest four practices that pastoral leaders need to develop.

· Moving to the balcony. Make time to reflect objectively about what is going on. Stop “solving problems” and try to learn about the forces at work.

· Working descriptively. Learn not to jump to judgments. An evaluation (as opposed to a description) is almost always received as a threat. We should speak and write in ways that are descriptive.

· Seeking common space. Find things for people to share—don’t look for solutions to their problems. There often is no solution or compromise. Learn to collaborate where you can.

· Installing civility. There has been so much written about the absence of civility in our culture and our churches that not much more needs to be added here. Civil behavior does not come naturally, and leaders must set the standard for behavior in congregations.

Rendle concludes: To provide leadership to a congregation that is in process of change, shaping itself and its tradition for the future, leaders need to wean it from some older standards and practices.

In particular, he identifies three old standards and practices whose “grip needs to be broken.”

First: Axiomatic Mission Statements, Assumed Missions. A congregation’s definition of purpose must be specific and shaped by the conditions around the congregation. Crafting such a statement depends upon depends upon spiritual discernment. Simply adopting a “fill-in-the-blank” statement will not change anything. It may actually increase the level of conflict.

Second: Evaluation Systems Built on Complaints. Old models of evaluation are driven by complaints. Grousing is not necessarily evidence that something is wrong. The real question in evaluation is whether those with responsibility did what they agreed to do and whether their efforts were effective.

Third: Dependence on Democratic Decision Making. Over-dependence on Robert’s Rules of Order and commitment to majority-based decision making by vote creates an atmosphere of oppositional thinking, and undermines spiritual discernment.

Leading a multigenerational congregation is difficult. Leaders need to understand the great watershed cultural differences within their congregation and in their community. They must struggle to negotiate the cultural divide. Simply to jump ahead and do GenX pure-market ministry may throw the entire congregation into conflict. It rarely works.

Obviously, I urge you to read and reflect on the entire book and not depend on my brief overview.

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