Communicating Across Generations
People are living longer, and our historical footprint marks our values, our preferences, and our challenges. As time continues to progress forward, we continue to age and, thank God, we continue to grow, generation by generation. Each generation is shaped by the time in which they are born, and each generation due to their common timeline possess some common characteristics. Please note, no one generation can be stereotyped with a set character. However, there are many commonalities many individuals born in a specific time frame seem to share.
| Generations | Traditional Born before 1942 73+ | Boomers 1943-1964 54-72 | GenX 1964-1980 34-54 | Millenials 1980-2000 18-34 | Pluralist (GenZ) 2000-2020 0-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % of US Population | 9% | 15% | 20% | 27% | 32% |
| Events That Shaped The Generation | World War 2 Great Depression | Civil Rights Vietnam War Sexual Revolution Space Travel | AIDs Epedemic Berlin Wall Fall Gulf War Latchkey Generation | 911 Social Media Hurricane Katrina Reality TV Recession 2007 | Economic Downturn Global Warming Mobile Devices Homeland Generation |
| Research Finding on Characteristics | Loyal Respect Authority Family Values Critical Faith Necessary Church Important | Strong work ethics Loyal to job Customer Service Oriented Family Values Faith Necessary Church Optional | Skeptical Informal structure Practical & adaptable Family expanded Faith Optional Church Optional | Realistic Confident & Competitive VALUE DIVERSITY Family Undefined Faith Undefined Church Irrelevant Want to Make A Difference | Tech Savvy Culturally sensitive Train & Teach Themselves Family Flexible Faith Diverse Church Inclusive Globally Connected |
| Environment for Comfort | Discipline and formal Traditional | Relaxed and informal | Interactive | Multi-sensory and interactive | Interactive Kinesthetic |
| Communication Preference | Face To Face (F2F) Phone | Phone | Email Text Messaging | Text Messaging | Video Messaging Text Messaging |
Today, our congregations are ministering to five generations simultaneously. We must incorporate the diversity of our congregations and meet each generation specific preferences. Incorporating the needs of multiple generations requires intentionality in planning, ministering and educating. We are called to meet people where they are and to walk with them to where God is calling them to serve, that’s what ministry looks like.
How do you reach such a diverse congregation and remain relevant to the gospel message? Who should be in leadership to assist in facilitating the dialogue of inclusion in our local congregations? What role does communication play in this inclusive environment?