A Note from Hixon Frank
Ephesians 3:20-21
20 Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
“BETTER TOGETHER”
“What if everyone thought like me?” That would be great wouldn’t it! Well, it would be great for me anyway!
All of you would love classic 70’s/80’s rock, history, Rich Mullins, science fiction, social justice, lacrosse, and conspiracy theories. You would place people over projects, and would, likely, be a little “fluffier” than you want to be. You would also sometimes talk too much, be a fixer, and love a good campfire… but I digress. 😉 Your marriages would be peaceful and free from strife because you both though alike. We would all raise our kids the same way. We wouldn’t disagree with each other because we would all be in one accord. (“agreement” not the car 😉)
HOWEVER, we would never really grow. We would never progress. Our limitations would remain, as long as no one brought anything new to the discussion. No new ideas, no new perspectives, and no improvement. We would never be challenged to get better, and in all likelihood, we never would.
The truth is that we don’t want everyone to think like us, have the same experiences, and the same perspective! Despite our frustrations with each other, we are better when we all bring our experiences, passions, and wisdom “to the table.”
Certainly, we want believers to embrace a Christian World View but even in that, there is room for disagreement and challenge while remaining steadfastly brothers and sisters in Christ!
Proverbs 27:17
Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.
Not to bore you, but I love learning about cultures, social development, and generational trends. I consider myself a very, VERY amateur anthropologist. My favorite leisure books are history books, and not the new ones either. I love the ones written 100 or more years ago! It is probably one of the reasons that I love our intentionally multi-generational church. From the Silent Generation to Generation Alpha, we need each other and have unique perspectives to offer that make us better … together!
IMPORTANT NOTE: A multicultural and multigenerational church is a beautiful picture of the Gospel. Like the Gospel, a multigenerational, multicultural church is for everyone. All ages, all cultures, and all races. But it isn’t nearly as easy to build as a church where everyone looks the same, has the same experiences, and is in the same general stage of life.
Consequently… A multigenerational church MUST “exist in the tension” that groups of people from DIFFERENT GENERATIONS bring. When a group of people are put together that think, act, and prioritize differently then, by definition, it will create stresses.
In the church, it creates difficult tensions, frustrating tensions….and BEAUTIFUL TENSIONS. The beauty is found in the biblical demand to honor one another.
Romans 12:10
Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another.
These tensions are an opportunity to show the love of Jesus to one another. It also makes a statement to the world that, despite their differences, they love one another. The Gospel is lived-out and the world sees it!
OUR CHALLENGES
There have been seismic cultural shifts in the United States over the last 100 years. And each generation of Christians, for the sake of this article, is doing all they can to love Jesus sincerely in their generation and in their context. Through…
Political unrest – Every Generation has their share (“Red Scare,” McCarthyism, Vietnam, Civil Rights Movement, LA Riots, Afghanistan, War on Terror, Wokeness, etc.)
National tragedies (Pearl Harbor, JFK – MLK – RFK assassinations, AIDS, Challenger & Columbia Space Shuttle disasters, 9/11, Covid, Scandals, etc.)
Technological advancement – jets, moon landing, space shuttles, computers, “Personal” computers, the internet, cell phones, smart phones, electric cars, healthcare advancements, etc.)
Cultural changes – Advent of cheap transportation, economic booms and busts, drug culture, disposable incomes, increased divorce rate, rise of single parent homes, birth control, abortion, social media explosion, Mega Church phenomenon, Televangelism, pornography epidemic, “worship wars,” border crisis, etc.)
From Harvard, the generational designations in the United States are generally agreed to be as follows…
- Greatest Generation (b.1900-1925 or 99-124 y/o)
- Silent Generation (b.1925-1945 or 79-99 y/o)
- Baby Boomers (b.1945-1965 or 59-79 y/o)
- Generation X (b. 1965-1980 or 44-59y/o)
- Millennials (b. 1980-1995 or 29-44 y/o)
- Generation Z (b.1995-2010 or 14-29y/o)
- Generation Alpha (b.2010-now or birth-14 y/o)
Some truths about the Generations…
- Each generation tends to believe they are “doing it right.” Whatever “it” may happen to be.
- Previous generations tend to look down on the younger generations glorifying how things were “back in my day.”
- Younger generations tend to rebel against the older generations and accuse them of their antiquated means and perspectives.
- Each generation tends to long for the time when they were the center of the cultural attention.
I continued to go down this rabbit hole and considered… “what if each Generation, as we define them, were represented by a person? What would that person generally be like?”
And this is what I came up with…
THE SILENT GENERATION. (ages 79-99)
Sandwiched between the Greatest Generation and the much more boisterous Boomers, the SILENT GENERATION, those born between 1928 and 1945, might be a little bit like “Robert and Mary” if collectively rolled into a man and woman.
“Robert and Mary” (the most common names in 1935) would be between the ages of 79 and 99. Even today, they tend to be hardworking, as they grew up during or in the aftermath of the Great Depression (1929-39) and World War II (1941-45 for the US), which instilled a strong work ethic and a sense of duty. They would RESPECT AUTHORITY because that was important in their formative years. They are typically DISCIPLINED and FRUGAL. This quality, dictated by the economic hardships experienced mentioned above, often led to a cautious approach to spending and a disciplined lifestyle. They are LOYAL to family, employers, and institutions, and are big on “long term commitments.” If married, Robert and Mary have probably been married for decades, regardless of the quality of the marriage. They tend to be TRADITIONALISTS and are conservative on social, cultural, and political issues, regardless of their party affiliation. When it comes to personal matters, they like to keep them private. Whether work, family, or faith, they don’t complain very much and tend towards modesty over self-promotion. Robert and Mary see the bigger picture and want to impact their community and GIVE BACK for the good of their community.
(Summary info from Harvard, Britannica, Edward Jones, and Fortune “Generational” Papers)
“Robert and Mary” make the church better because they bring an anchor and deliberation to the table. Desiring what is best for all involved, they are quick to “press the brakes” when people might be left behind. They have wisdom from their years of life and a willingness to share it with those who will listen.
Job 12:12
Wisdom is found with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life.
GABC is richly blessed by having over 1,045 MEMBERS who fall into this category who bring loyalty, wisdom, and sharpening to GABC!
SILENT GENERATION …. You make us better!
You have been prayed for today!
Hixon