Introduction The world of the so-called Baby Boomer (born between 1946 and 1964) is a world of constant change and uncertainty. This segment of people, like all segments of people, operates and evaluates life through a unique lens or culture. Kory Floyd defines culture as ―[T]he learned, shared symbols, language, values, and norms that distinguish one group of people from another.‖1 Therefore, Baby Boomers see and experience the world in a way that is unique from other segments of society. Understanding this segment of society is important because of the size and influence of this group and their affect upon the church. This segment of the population is very large. History.com notes, More babies were born in 1946 than ever before: 3.4 million, 20 percent more than in 1945….In 1947, another 3.8 million babies were born; 3.9 million were born in 1952; and more than 4 million were born every year from 1954 until 1964, when the boom finally tapered off. By then, there were 76.4 million ―baby boomers‖ in the United States. They made up almost 40 percent of the nation’s population.2 Not only is this group large and influential, but this group is also in a state of flux. No other generation has been so infiltrated with massive changes with the culture. Aubrey Malphurs calls these changes ―megachange‖. He defines megachange as ―a massive shift in our culture, science, society, and institutions. This change is enormously greater than the world has ever experienced…. We are living at a frightening point of absolute, chaotic discontinuity, watching the old die off and the new rush in to fill the vacuum.‖3 ey was simply to get a brief overview of those who are Baby Boomers attend church. For simplicity, the age span fifty to seventy was used.... ... middle of paper ... ...eal with the frustrations. Wise pastors and leaders will prepare their congregation for the hardships of following Christ and the demands of the gospel. Conclusion Baby Boomers make up an overwhelming forty percent of the population. They are a very large and influential group of people. In addition, they are also a very confused and somewhat depressed group who are facing challenges now and will face great challenges in the future. None of this is a surprise to God. God, who is absolutely sovereign and knows the hearts of all people, would call upon his people to minister to this group and to make a difference. Baby Boomers represent a great culture of people who are waiting to hear the good news and become disciples of Jesus Christ. The church has before it a great opportunity to minister. As the Scripture says, ―With God, all things are possible‖ (Matt 19:26). 27
...t the church will stop shuffling her hurting and broken members to the “experts” who lack the power and perspective of the Word of God, that pastors will instead seize the opportunities to teach, rebuke, correct, and train in righteousness a people fit for service to King Jesus” (27). Unfortunately, in the twenty years since the book was published the church has a long way to go before realizing Dr. Gantz’s hope.
Stein, Joel, and Josh Sanburn. "The New Greatest Generation." Time 181.19 (2013): 26. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 Mar. 2016.
According to History.com, baby boomers resisted the “consumerist suburban ethos” and began to fight for social, economic, and political justice for minority groups. An example of this was when “student activists took over college campuses, organized massive demonstrations against the war in Vietnam and occupied parks and other public places” (History.com Staff, 2010). Going back to the topic of Vietnam, President Clinton spoke to the Veterans at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial during his first year as presidency. At the time, it was a controversial move since Clinton did not attend Vietnam, but rather he went to Georgetown University on a scholarship. However, this will be described more later on in detail.
The Baby Boomers were called into the Vietnam War and expected to follow in their father’s heroic footsteps; but unlike their father’s generation they failed to live up to the expectations. The Baby Boomers rebelled against the state and popular culture, developing flower power, free love, and equality. The Vietnam War conflicted with many of the generation’s values, resulting in internal conflict with many of the nation’s youth. Some men joined the military to fight, while other dodged the draft, creating conflict within a generation. Overall, the Baby Boomer generation symbolized individuality, dishonor, injustice, failure, and wasteful sacrifice.
The generation of women, who were born between 1946 and 1964 or the post WWII era, are commonly referred to as the ‘Boomer Women.’ In fact the whole generation of babies born in that period was known as the Boomer Generation. People returning from the war were facilitated to have a home and build up families and this consequently led to the Baby Boom.
To delve further into the various attributes of each of these generations you have to understand the history of what has caused the evolution of these generations. We begin with the Baby Boomers, or sometimes referred to as the, “Me Generation”. The birth years of this generation span from 1946 to 1964 or more specifically, after the Second World War. These children were raised in an era of economic prosperity by their parents who survived the Great Depression. They witnessed on the radio and TV the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy, President John F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. They were front in center for the Civil Rights Movement and were greatly affected by the Vietnam War. Which for the first time in U...
The Baby Boomer generation consists of those born between 1946 and 1964. Like the Veterans before them, Baby Boomers also shared significant, “life-defining social changes such as the civil rights movement,
To many, the Baby Boomer Generation is nothing more than a generation of outdated, out of touch, people who went through their lives stoned out of their minds. However, the Boomer generation was much more than that. They were a generation of movers and shakers, a generation of people who, in the wake of the “greatest generation,” brought about a cultural revolution.
The Baby Boomer Generation (Born between 1946 and 1964) was born into the post-World War II economic prosperity and opportunity (Weston, 2006). Baby Boomers were members in smaller families and were doted on by parents, schools, and society as a whole (Weston, 2006). For the most part, they grew up in two-parent households where the father earned the family income and the mother was the home caretaker (Weston, 2006). News became more visual and dramatic as world-changing events such as men landing on the moon and the shooting of a president were seen on television (Weston,
I agree with Kitchens, Mead, and Roxburgh who all basically say in their own way that one change in ministry that we need to focus on more is the congregational life of the church. However, I think Mead explains it best when he says that the future church must be more intentional in the spiritual formation of its laity (Mead, location 919). According to Mead, the church is moving towards becoming a more missional institution that cares for the needs of the community. Therefore, oftentimes laity will be the ones on the front lines and will need the capacity to minister to people on their own without the help of clergy. In order to do this they will need more directed and intensive training to deal with...
In the United States, the term Baby Boomers commonly applied to people with birth years after World War II and before the Vietnam War. A large part of the cause of the Baby Boom was an after effect of World War II where the bombed out cities and fractured economies increased the needs for goods and services in unprecedented peacetime amounts. America cranked up the exports and supplied the "free world" with goods to rebuild its own economies. Furthermore, in the U.S. the G.I. Bill enabled record numbers of individuals to attend college and obtain, perhaps in most cases, the second college degree in their extended families. This led to an increase in education and granted higher incomes to families allowing them the resources to produce more children. (Wikipedia)
... parents, who suffered deprivations during World War II and vowed to give their children the things they didn't have. As teenagers, they experienced the new freedoms and conveniences of the 1960s and '70s everything from civil rights to TV dinners to souped-up American cars. Now, as adults, boomers are juggling adult
“Reaching Out without Dumbing Down” seems to be constructed for the church leader, elder, or pastor who is considering altering their current, historic worship style for a more modern one that may attract greater numbers of unsaved people. She provides excellent standards to help Pastors and Worship Leaders plan, execute, and evaluate worship services. These same standards provide a great opportunity to educate the church family on the reasons behind the use of certain worship elements. Although written for church leadership, the everyday church member would also benefit from understanding the very concepts that Dawn is directing at God-empowered leaders.
“The call is something that is an indescribable joy and an indefinable burden at the same time.” (Bryant and Brunson 2007, 32). There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a congregation of the redeemed moving forward in their faith. However exciting this may be, it is usually not the thrill that propels the pastor in his service. It is the burden placed on the pastor by God that compels him in his work. The pastor understands that he is largely responsible for the work of God being accomplished by his faithfulness to his calling. “All through the Word of God and down through the annals of history, when God has moved it has almost always been attended by the preaching of the Word.” (Bryant and Brunson 2007, 31)
The religious fanfare in America is overwhelmingly Christian. There appears to be a major increase of interest in spirituality. However, there is a vast difference in the devoutness of churchgoers in frequency of church attendance. The manner in which these individuals attend church is influenced by their ages and also whether or not they have endured difficult life situations. After attending a few church services, one becomes very aware of the various types of attendees. There are three types of churchgoer categories: the Never- Miss-a-Service Churchgoers, the Show-Up for Sunday Morning Service Churchgoers, and lastly, but certainly not the least, Holiday Churchgoers.