The truth is generation talk is both more irrelevant as it has been while also being more relevant than ever. It all depends on how to speak of generational differences. It is a fact that people organize by interest groups, socio-economically and according to region in strong ways regardless of agae. But we still find ourselves in generational contexts.
Why is this still so?
For one thing what makes a generation is the common impact of historical events. Baby Boomers have very visceral feelings about the Vietnam War that Gen Yer’s will never understand. And 9/11 effected us all but for the younger generation it was a formative event while for the others it was life impacting. There is a difference.
Gen Xer’s are very much at the heart of some of the greatest innovations of civilization. Organizations like Google are clearly Gen X in their origin. Microsoft was lead by boomers but in many ways driven by older Gen Xers. And Gen Xers are hitting strenuous years of parenting which shapes ones response to life.
And Boomers have been empty nesters for some time.
So what’s the glue?
World-view is the glue. There are three generations now that hold to in one degree or another to a post-modern perspective. The church has been for decades committed to modernism and an enlightenment world-view. And this is where our difficulty in working together as generations comes from. It isn’t age it’s world-viiew.
The first step to any church integrating generations is to find a way to be comfortable and speak the language of post-modernism.
