The Boomer Wave

2010-03-03T00:40:00.000-05:00

Should We Circle the Wagons?

2009-01-06T11:15:00.003-05:00

There may be a better response to tough economic times.
by Clayton Brumby

Editor's note: The following fictional piece provides some timely reminders for all of us in the midst of the current economic crisis.

As an older pastor, Shawn Minor had seen this before, or had he? Was this economic downturn different? It certainly didn't feel like other "corrections" in the market he'd been through from time to time. This was more like hitting the wall.

And he saw it on the faces of his older members—the fear as their savings and pension accounts shrank. Six trillion dollars is a lot of money to simply evaporate even for an economy as large as America's. But he hadn't been ready for his last board meeting. So much doom and gloom—so much pessimism, especially regarding the church's financial prospects. All systems stop. "It's time to hunker down … circle the wagons … until this blows over." These and other comments haunted him. The thoughts were so defeatist. Was this the way Jesus wanted them to be thinking? Fear … doom … annihilation?

His church wasn't large. If a few families moved because of their jobs, it would have an impact. Yet the church also was growing. He must stay positive and faithful to what he thought God wanted them to do and be—he must. But he couldn't help feeling a little alone in his vision. Was he being naïve? Economics was not his strong suit. If anyone could help him sort that out, Jim McManus could. Jim was a business consultant, a visionary, and thankfully, a new board member. Shawn liked the fact that he was no-nonsense all the way. But Jim had missed the last board meeting, and knowing the economic climate for what it was, Shawn wondered how he was doing. Lunch was his chance to find out.

"Sorry I missed being there Tuesday," Jim said, as he came up to the booth and slid in. "I don't imagine, from the way you look, it was much fun."

"It wasn't a party," Shawn chuckled morbidly, as he shook his head. "And if my lay leadership is this pessimistic, how is the congregation going to keep their heads up?"

The waitress interrupted their comments for a moment, getting their drink orders and giving them menus. "I'll be right back, fellas."

Jim thought for a moment, and then said, "I wish I'd been there, Pastor. I knew this conversation about the economy was going to come up sooner than later." He then smiled to himself, shaking his head and added, "But if they are responding this way, they're looking at it all wrong. This is a golden opportunity for this church—absolutely golden! And if we miss it, it will be because we are gutless. It will be because we have no real vision for what Christ has called us to."

"I wish I had your business sense," Shawn responded, hoping Jim could give him some good, clear reasons to stay with him.

"It's not business sense, Shawn. Do you believe God has called this church to be here?" The pastor nodded his answer. "Then what are we afraid of?" Jim followed.

"I'll admit, things are serious," he continued. "I think we do need to be careful. An economy like this doesn't give people a lot of room for error. But the opportunities are massive!"

The pastor gave him a glance that asked for him to elaborate, so he continued. "In every economic downturn like this, the country loses a number of businesses large and small. Those companies generally don't believe in themselves enough to survive, and you can tell that right off in their approach to marketing and advertising. They 'circle the wagons;' they 'turtle-up.' They fail to position themselves as part of the solution to the realities people are facing. It seems they just hope to hang on long enough to get through it, which is the last thing they need to do.

"The other side of the coin, however, is that, as those companies fail, others that do believe in themselves—that see themselves as part of the solution and market themselves aggressively as a result—end up with the customers who used to patronize those businesses that fold. So the companies with vision, with confidence in their role in the marketplace, and who therefore increase their marketing accordingly, not only survive, they thrive. 'So it's an economic downturn—so what?!' They've just decided not to participate!"

Shawn looked a little lost. Again, he wasn't a businessman, and he wasn't thinking in terms of economics and products and marketing; he was thinking in terms of ministry. "But how does that apply to us as a church?"

"I'm sorry," Jim said sheepishly. "I get lost in my own professional specialty. Here's how it applies: From what I can gather, there are about 300,000 churches in this country. Many, for whatever reason, are always struggling to survive. Maybe their mindset is so narrow, they can't relate to anyone else. Others seem to be marginal 'bless me' clubs that are just interested in maintaining the status quo—keeping the lights on and the parking lot paved. They have little concern for the unchurched community around them, for reaching out. I think a lot of these churches are going to disappear in the next two or three years, and that might be a good thing for the Body of Christ; it could use a good pruning. And where do those people go who no longer have a church to go to?"

Shawn thought for a moment as the idea dawned on him. "They go to a church where people have a healthy vision of what God has called them to, and who are determined to faithfully walk out implementing that vision."

"Exactly," Jim agreed. "So I suggest we 'seize the day.' I suggest we don't give into fear, that we remain faithful to the One who called us; that we remain obedient. We pray. We stop worrying about protecting ourselves. We stop this insanity of 'circling the wagons.' We look beyond ourselves to a hurting world that needs us; a world very motivated to ask important questions now; a world of people who are beginning to base their lives on something more than their company pension and their next tee time. And we get the word out that even though we live in the same world our unchurched neighbors do, and we struggle with the same things they do, that we have some answers. In fact, we have the Answer."

Copyright © 2008 by the author

Ron

THE BOOMER BLOGGER

Prince of Peace I

2008-12-22T23:15:00.001-05:00

Christmas is one of the most hectic times of the year. Traffic is terrible. One trip down Dixie Highway or Route 747 or a visit to Tri-County Mall or Kenwood Mall will test your calm sweet spirit.

We are all besieged with many activities, dinners, gifts to buy, guests coming and going and, as a result, stress begins to build. Counselors tell us that emotions intensify around Christmas time to the extent that there is more drinking, marital problems, suicides, frayed nerves, and strained relationships at this time of year than any other.

Isn't it interesting that the Bible says that Jesus came as the "Prince of Peace." ? Almost all Christmas cards have something to say about peace. The most popular Christmas carol talks about "All is calm; all is bright". But do we really have peace at Christmas?

One of the most unusual incidents in the history of war occurred on the first Christmas Eve of World War I. The war was only five months old yet 800,000 men had already been killed or wounded. Chemical warfare was being used and bombs were dropped for the first time. It was a killer war.

On that Christmas Eve something unique happened. All was quiet on the Western Front. There was no fighting going on. The British troops raised some signs above their trenches which said "MERRY CHRISTMAS" . To their surprise the German troops did the same. Christmas carols, in different languages, began to be heard. Christmas day found them unarmed.

Soldiers from both sides were meeting out in the middle in an area known as "no man's land." Christmas day passed peacefully and at one spot along the battle line the British soldiers played the Germans in a soccer match. The Germans won 3 - 2.

Peace followed the next day because neither side was willing to fire the first shot. Finally the fighting resumed but only after fresh troops arrived.

If we would let it, Christmas could be a pocket of sanity in a world full of turmoil, hurt, heartache and despair. We can have peace regardless of circumstances.

Prince of Peace II

2008-12-22T23:09:00.004-05:00

We must remember that peace is not just the absence of conflict. Our world is full of war. We need to hear the words of Jesus as He promised peace in the middle of turmoil and stress " Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (JOHN 14:27 ).

Have you ever been stalled in traffic in a major roadway. Traffic is creeping along. It is backed up for miles. Everyone is getting more and more tense. Horns are honking, people are shouting to one another and you are about ready to lose it.

You look over and there is a teenager with earphones on. He is smiling, snapping his fingers and thumping the steering wheel. He is thoroughly enjoying himself. Why?

He is tuned to outside music. We need to be tuned that way. In the midst of heartache, sickness, loss of loved ones, we need to follow Jesus' admonition, in Matthew 11:29, when He said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest (peace).".

We get so caught up in the activities that we spend more time making fudge than we do spending time with the one who can give us that peace. Sometimes I think we ought to go ahead and call it "fudge-mas," or "cookie-mas," or "pie-mas"? Why don't we honor the day as "Christ-mas"?

On this great holiday make room for the Prince of Peace. Don't let Jesus be forgotten! Don't forget Him! Please?

A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part I

2008-10-30T22:36:00.003-04:00

By Margaret Feinberg Ones

Retro Versus Metro

Just as every generation is different, every generation also has things in common. Today’s baby boomers and today’s twentysomethings are no exception. Understanding the differences between these demographics is important when it comes to both mentoring and ministering to twentysomethings.

“My culture was filled for the most part with stable families, Judeo-Christian values and a relevance of faith to living,” said Carol Harris, a boomer parent of two twentysomething daughters living in Houston, Texas. “Twenty-year-olds have none of that now. The traditional family is broken, values are based on each individual’s own thinking and faith is not seen as relevant to life. We boomers should simply remember what it was like to be 20 and confused...and then at least quadruple the complexity of what we remember feeling and thinking to even begin to understand what it's like to be 20 now.”

This article is designed to highlight some of the differences between boomers and twentysomethings. It explores how these generations process information, respond and react. As you reflect on the differences, remember that the characteristics found in boomers can be found in twentysomethings just as the characteristics found in twentysomethings can be found in boomers. Being a twentysomething or boomer is more of a mindset and approach to life, and at times, it crosses all ages.

THE BOOMER BLOGGER

A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part II

2008-10-30T22:27:00.002-04:00

Institution Versus Relationship

Boomers tend to value commitment and involvement in an institution. They like knowing that the organization they’re a part of is trustworthy. If the institution is well-established and a has a history within the local community that’s even better.

Twentysomethings, on the other hand, are less interested in the institution and more concerned with the people who comprise the institution. Twentysomethings are driven by their relationships. A boomer goes to church to learn a new spiritual lesson, sing familiar songs and fulfill their commitment to the local church. A twentysomethings goes to church to see their friends and hopefully learn, grow and serve along side them. So a boomer will walk into a service and ask, “What’s going on here?” whereas a twentysomething will ask “Who’s here?”

THE BOOMER BLOGGER

A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part III

2008-10-30T22:22:00.002-04:00

Settled Versus On the Move

Boomers tend to be more well-established, largely due to their age and stage in life. They are more likely to own a home and have several children. Boomers are more likely to have a resume that will actually impress someone and actually have a plan for retirement.

Twentysomethings are little more free-spirited, but not necessarily by choice. Since twentysomethings are getting married between four and five years later in life on average than their predecessors, many twentysomethings are still single. The majority of twentysomethings are saddled with so many student loans and so much credit card debt that they haven’t been able to buy a home. And children will only come after they find Mr. or Mrs. Right… which still may be a few years off.

Most twentysomethings are surprised that their lives don’t mirror their boomer parents. They expected to meet “the one” in college, get married and begin having children by the age of 25. They look at boomers with a quiet sense of envy in some regards. The delay is causing a lot of twentysomethings to ask God tough questions about their singleness and at the same time make the most of it by traveling, changing lives and living a more adventurous lifestyle.

THE BOOMER BLOGGER

A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part IV

2008-10-30T22:18:00.003-04:00

Information Versus Conversation

Boomers want information.

Twentysomethings want conversation.

Boomers are satisfied with a lengthy presentation on a topic, whereas twentysomethings are looking for an interactive examination of an issue. While boomers appreciate the time given to a particular topic, twentysomethings want depth. Twentysomethings don’t want to “get it” as much as they want to discuss it and wrestle with it.

“What it means to be "seeker sensitive" is totally different,” said Mark Batterson lead pastor at National Community Church (www.theaterchurch.com) in Washington, D.C. “I think twentysomethings are more spiritually attuned. I think many churches watered down or dumbed-down the message for boomers, but twentysomethings are looking for something supernatural, something they can't explain. I think our generation is more in touch with mystery and paradox. So ironically, the more seeker-sensitive you want to be the more spiritual you need to be. I think twentysomethings are looking for a high-octane experience.”

While a self-help title or article featuring six easy steps is appealing to a boomer, a twentysomething would look at the same piece and find it suspect. Certainly, things can’t be that simple. Thus, while boomers enjoy finding a short-cut to the answer, twentysomethings want to take the scenic tour at discovering the same truth.

THE BOOMER BLOGGER

A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part V

2008-10-30T22:14:00.002-04:00

Print Versus Image

Twentysomethings process information differently. While boomers are more print oriented, twentysomethings are more image-driven. A boomer will read a book written with linear knowledge to explore and understand a concept. Boomers will respond to the plain black and white text. Twentysomethings, on the other hand, respond and react to film, music and the arts. They grab onto word-pictures—whether spoken or written—and are compelled by images.

The new iWorship DVD tracks from Integrity Music are a good example. They’re used in our church whenever the worship team isn’t able to practice. They provide a soundtrack of popular worship songs. Instead of just having the words projected onto an overhead, there are moving images of nature, people and scenes that play as the words are displayed. A number of boomers within the church have complained that the images are just too much—they distract them from worshipping God. But only one twentysomething has commented that the images are distracting. Most of the young adults appreciate the extra layer of images used in worship.

Church leaders who effectively use graphics and videos in their sermons can help capture the imagination of this generation.

THE BOOMER BLOGGER

A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part VI

2008-10-30T22:07:00.005-04:00

Absolute Truth Versus Postmodern

Twentysomethings have grown up in a postmodern world—a land of gray—often lacking a foundation or belief in absolute truth whereas most boomers still believe that absolute truth exists. Thus twentysomethings are more likely to question and wrestle with issues than boomers. They want to know how something works and all its implications. For example, a boomer may say that something is absolutely wrong. A twentysomethings will look at the response and begin thinking of situations—even if they’re far-fetched—that will challenge that proposition and look for an exception.

“Not only are boomers in a different stage of life, but they are often in a different stage of their faith,” said Chad Wible, assistant to the lead pastor at Pathways Church. “Boomers also typically come from a different philosophical mindset since they were brought up in a modernist world and twentysomethings were brought up in a postmodern world. Therefore, boomers need to realize that twentysomethings are often seeking out their faith, capturing the faith as their own, or working through much of their skepticism.”

Twentysomethings often desire a transcendent element in their lives, the spiritual realm is a reality to them. “This means that the church cannot be solely focused on doctrinal or exegetical studies,” Wible said. “Of course, I am not saying that we do away with doctrine and exegesis, but it needs to be incorporated in a way that also brings the person into presence of a mystical God.”

THE BOOMER BLOGGER

A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part VII

2008-10-30T21:58:00.005-04:00

Denominations Versus The Emerging Church

Boomers are comfortable with the institutional church. They can easily identify themselves with denominations and their systems of belief. Twentysomethings are more uncomfortable with the traditional institutional church. They’re more likely to venture out of the denomination they were raised in and look for a body of believers where they can have their needs met as well as be a valued member.

A number of twentysomethings attend services on a weekly basis and quietly wonder, “Isn’t there more?” As a result, some have opted to change denominations or join a non-denominational church. Others have chosen to join home church movements. And some, unfortunately, have dropped out of church altogether.

THE BOOMER BLOGGER

A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part VIII

2008-10-30T21:45:00.006-04:00

Final Word

No matter how different boomers and twentysomethings may seem, young adults desperately need older adults to be involved in their lives. Boomers can be incredible mentors for twentysomethings despite any apparent differences. Mentoring can help break down and perceived differences between the generations as people understand each other on a one-on-one basis.

--Margaret Feinberg Onies (www.margaretfeinberg.com) is an author and speaker based in Sitka, Alaska. She’s author of Twentysomething: Surviving & Thriving in the Real World and How To Be A Grown-Up: 247 Lab-Tested Strategies to Conquer Your World. In addition, she’s written God Whispers: Learning To Hear His Voice, Simple Acts of Faith, Simple Acts of Friendship, Simple Prayers of Hope, Just Married: Surprises From the First Few Years of Marriage and way too many magazine articles. You can reach her at margaret@margaretfeinberg.com.

The Boomer Blogger

We Need Models and Mentors

2008-08-12T09:56:00.008-04:00

Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. Philippians 3:17 (NIV)

For us to mature, we need models and mentors.

Many people make the mistake of thinking all they need to grow spiritually is God’s Word and prayer. But the truth is, we need people to help us grow.

Christlike character is built through relationships, not in isolation. There are many things God wants you to learn about life that you’ll never learn on your own. You’ll only learn them in community.

We always grow faster and stronger with living, breathing examples who can model for us what a purpose driven life looks like. We need more than explanations, we need examples.

Paul realized the power of a pattern when he advised, “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you” (Philippians 3:17 NIV). To grow, we need to see principles in practice. We need to see what beliefs looks like when they are translated as behavior in everyday situations.

When Paul would travel to a city to start a church, he would begin by simply living among the people. He was a “living Bible,” echoing the life of Jesus, where “the word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14 NKJV).

After Paul left a city, he would write back, “Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9 NLT).

Who are your models for following Christ? Who are you watching and learning from?

Here’s a tougher question: Are you an example for anyone else? In elementary school, you probably enjoyed “Show and Tell.” As believers, we’re often better at “telling” than “showing.”

In today’s culture, the world desperately needs people who can show us how to love our spouse and make a marriage last, how to relate to our kids, how to do business with integrity, how to handle conflict in the way Jesus would. These are lessons we learn by watching others.

Not only do we need models to grow, we need mentors. Mentors are people who’ve followed Christ longer than we have and are able to share their life lessons. You’ve heard that it’s wise to learn from experience, but it is wiser to learn from the experiences of others. Life is too short to learn everything by experience! And some painful experiences can be avoided if you’re smart enough to learn from mentors in your church family.

Ask yourself this: “What’s been the greatest positive influence on my life?” Most likely it was not a sermon, seminar, or small group lesson. It was somebody who shaped your life through a personal relationship.

Can you see God’s wisdom in creating the church, a family full of mentors and models for our benefit?

That’s why being connected to a small group is so crucial to spiritual growth. It’s a regular opportunity to learn from each other.

Today, spend a few moments getting intentional about this. Write down the names of people in your church and small group that you’d like to learn from. Then identify what you’d specifically like to learn from them. Remember, they don’t have to be perfect to be a model or mentor.

To grow spiritually, you must also be willing to be a model or mentor to others. That may scare you but all it takes is being one step ahead.

People don’t expect you to be perfect – they already know you aren’t. What they want you to be is honest! So let them see your struggles, not just your successes. We usually grow as much from others’ weaknesses as we do from their strengths.

© 2008 Purpose Driven Life.

Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers.

The Boomer Blogger

Consider the Decisions You Make!! Generations will be affected!! (Part I)

2008-08-09T02:21:00.000-04:00

“Which of the following people would you say is the most admirable: Mother Teresa, Bill Gates or Norman Borlaug? And which do you think is the least admirable?

For most people, it’s an easy question. Mother Teresa, famous for ministering to the poor in Calcutta, has been beatified by the Vatican, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and ranked in an American poll as the most admired person of the 20th century.

Bill Gates, infamous for giving us the Microsoft dancing paper clip and the blue screen of death, has been decapitated in effigy in “I Hate Gates” Web sites and hit with a pie in the face.

As for Norman Borlaug . . who the heck is Norman Borlaug?”

Norman Ernest Borlaug (March 25, 1914- ) was born on a farm near Cresco, Iowa, to Henry and Clara Borlaug.

Borlaug enrolled in the University of Minnesota where he studied forestry. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1937. He returned to receive his master's degree in 1939 and his doctorate in 1942.

For twenty-seven years he collaborated with Mexican scientists on problems of wheat improvement; for the last ten or so of those years he also collaborated with scientists from other parts of the world, especially from India, Pakistan and nations in Africa, in adapting the new drought resistant wheat and other grains to arid lands and in gaining acceptance for their production.

Mexico presented a unique opportunity. Initially, his work had been concentrated in the central highlands where the problems with rust and poor soil were most prevalent. But he realized that he could speed up breeding by taking advantage of the country's two growing seasons. In the summer he would breed wheat in the central highlands as usual, then immediately take the seeds north to the Mexican state of Sonora. The difference in altitudes and temperatures would allow more crops to be grown each year.

One of the most significant developments that Dr. Borlaug brought about was the dwarfing of the wheat plants. Dwarf plants produce thick stems and do not lodge. The plants Borlaug worked with had tall, thin stalks. Taller wheat grasses better compete for sunlight, but tend to collapse under the weight of the extra grain—a trait called lodging—and from the rapid growth spurts induced by nitrogen fertilizer Borlaug used in the poor soil. To prevent this, he bred wheat to favor shorter, stronger stalks that could better support larger seed heads.

By 1963, 95% of Mexico's wheat crops used the semi-dwarf varieties developed by Borlaug. That year, the harvest was six times larger than in 1944, the year Borlaug arrived in Mexico. Mexico had become fully self-sufficient in wheat production, and a net exporter of wheat.

In Pakistan, wheat yields nearly doubled, from 4.6 million tons in 1965 to 7.3 million tons in 1970; Pakistan was self-sufficient in wheat production by 1968. Yields were over 21 million tons by 2000.

In India, yields increased from 12.3 million tons in 1965 to 20.1 million tons in 1970. By 1974, India was self-sufficient in the production of all cereals. By 2000, India was harvesting a record 76.4 million tons (2.81 billion bushels) of wheat. Since the 1960s, food production in both nations has increased faster than the rate of population growth.

He was involved scientific research in genetics, plant breeding, plant pathology, entomology, agronomy, soil science, and cereal technology. Within twenty years he was spectacularly successful in finding a high-yielding short-straw, disease-resistant wheat.

Wheat production in Mexico multiplied threefold in the time that he worked with the Mexican government; “dwarf” wheat imported in the mid-1960s was responsible for a 60 percent increase in harvests in Asia, Africa and the sub-continent Pakistan and India. He was credited with saving over 1 billion people from starvation. For that he was awarded the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize.

On September 27, 2006, the United States Senate by unanimous consent passed the Congressional Tribute to Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Act of 2006. The act authorizes that Borlaug be awarded America's highest civilian award, the Congressional Gold Medal. On December 6, 2006, the House of Representatives passed the measure by voice vote. President George Bush signed the bill into law on December 14, 2006, and it became Public Law Number 109–395.

According to the act, "Dr. Borlaug has saved more lives than any other person who has ever lived, and likely has saved more lives in the Islamic world than any other human being in history." The act authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates of the medal in bronze. He was presented with the medal on July 17, 2007.

Such a high honor ……..but wait!!!! There is more!!!

THE BOOMER BLOGGER

Consider the Decisions You Make!! Generations may be affected!! (Part II)

2008-08-09T02:19:00.000-04:00

Henry A. Wallace inherited a passion for the modernization of agriculture, a talent for genetics, statistics and agricultural research and a conviction that farmers, who had not shared in the fabled prosperity of the 1920s, required federal support to achieve stable incomes.

Wallace was a shy young man, something of a loner, devoted to hybrid corn, econometric analysis of farm prices and the McNary - Haugen bill to raise farm income.

He was born on a farm in Iowa in 1888. He became a corn scientist who realized the commercial implications of cross-breeding and started Pioneer Hi-Bred International, the world's first commercial hybrid seed corn venture. He was also a prominent agricultural economist and a long-time editor of Wallace’s Farmer, a leading farm publication founded by his grandfather, "Uncle Henry," the first Henry Wallace.

Named as Secretary of Agriculture in 1933 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Wallace became a powerful spokesperson for sound conservation practices, believing they should be a central part of farm policy. The high cost of soil erosion, he often said, was of more importance than the low cost of production. Wallace favored certain practices which have been referred to as organic agriculture, and lately as alternative or sustainable agriculture.

Wallace also launched the Rural Electrification Administration, the Farm Security Administration, the first food stamp plan, and dozens of other programs designed to help American farmers. His goal was to establish a viable farm economy and, at the same time, conserve the nation's natural resources. Wallace was responsible for the creation in 1938 of the "ever-normal granary," which played a critical role in supplying food to Americans during World War II, and was one of his proudest achievements.

Wallace is considered the greatest secretary of agriculture. In 1933, a quarter of the American people still lived on farms and agricultural policy was a matter of high political and economic significance. Farmers had been devastated by the depression. His ambition was to restore the farmers' position in the national economy. He sought to give them the same opportunity to improve income by controlling output that business corporations already possessed.

In time he widened his concern beyond commercial farming to subsistence farming and rural poverty. For the urban poor, he provided food stamps and school lunches. He instituted programs for land-use planning, soil conservation and erosion control. And always he promoted research to combat plant and animal diseases, to locate drought-resistant crops and to develop hybrid seeds in order to increase productivity.

Today, as a result of the agricultural revolution that in so many respects Wallace pioneered, fewer than 2% of Americans are employed in farm occupations--and they produce more than their grandfathers produced 70 years ago.

He is said to be the greatest Secretary of Agriculture of all time!!

Maybe he should have gotten the Nobel Prize!!

But wait!! There is more!!!

The Boomer Blogger

Consider the Decisions You Make!! Generations may be affected!! Part III

2008-08-09T02:16:00.000-04:00

It is rare to find a man of the caliber of George Washington Carver. A man who would decline an invitation to work for a salary of more than $100,000 a year (almost a million today) to continue his research on behalf of his countrymen.

Agricultural chemist, Carver discovered three hundred uses for peanuts and hundreds more uses for soybeans, pecans and sweet potatoes. Among the listed items that he suggested to southern farmers to help them economically were his recipes and improvements to/for: adhesives, axle grease, bleach, buttermilk, chili sauce, fuel briquettes, ink, instant coffee, linoleum, mayonnaise, meat tenderizer, metal polish, paper, plastic, pavement, shaving cream, shoe polish, synthetic rubber, talcum powder and wood stain. Three patents were issued to Carver.

He began his formal education at the age of twelve, which required him to leave the home of his adopted parents. Schools segregated by race at that time with no school available for black students near Carver's home. He moved to Newton County in southwest Missouri, where he worked as a farm hand and studied in a one-room schoolhouse. He went on to attend Minneapolis High School in Kansas. College entrance was a struggle, again because of racial barriers.

At the age of thirty, Carver gained acceptance to Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, where he was the first black student. Carver had to study piano and art and the college did not offer science classes. Intent on a science career, he later transferred to Iowa Agricultural College (now Iowa State University) in 1891, where he gained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1894 and a Master of Science degree in bacterial botany and agriculture in 1897. Carver became a member of the faculty of the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanics (the first black faculty member for Iowa College), teaching classes about soil conservation and the industrial use of organic substances obtained from soybeans and peanuts for example.

In 1897, Booker T. Washington, founder of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute for Negroes, convinced Carver to come south and serve as the school's Director of Agriculture. Carver remained on the faculty until his death in 1943.

(Read the pamphlet - Help For Hard Times - written by Carver and forwarded by Booker T. Washington as an example of the educational material provided to farmers by Carver.)

At Tuskegee Carver developed his crop rotation method, which revolutionized southern agriculture. He educated the farmers to alternate the soil-depleting cotton crops with soil-enriching crops such as; peanuts, peas, soybeans, sweet potato, and pecans. America's economy was heavily dependent upon agriculture during this era making Carver's achievements very significant. Decades of growing only cotton and tobacco had depleted the soils of the southern area of the United States of America. The economy of the farming south had been devastated by years of civil war and the fact that the cotton and tobacco plantations could no longer (ab)use slave labor. Carver convinced the southern farmers to follow his suggestions and helped the region to recover.

Carver also worked at developing industrial applications from agricultural crops. During World War I, he found a way to replace the textile dyes formerly imported from Europe. He produced 500 different shades of dye and he was responsible for the invention in 1927 of a process for producing paints and stains from soybeans.

Carver did not patent or profit from most of his products. He freely gave his discoveries to mankind.

Most important was the fact that he changed the South from being a one-crop land of cotton, to being multi-crop farmlands, with farmers having hundreds of profitable uses for their new crops. "God gave them to me." he would say about his ideas, "How can I sell them to someone else?" In 1940, Carver donated his life savings to the establishment of the Carver Research Foundation at Tuskegee, for continuing research in agriculture.

George Washington Carver was bestowed an honorary doctorate from Simpson College in 1928. He was an honorary member of the Royal Society of Arts in London, England. In 1923, he received the Spingarn Medal given every year by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 1939, he received the Roosevelt medal for restoring southern agriculture.

On July 14, 1943, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt honored Carver with a national monument dedicated to his accomplishments. The area of Carver's childhood near Diamond Grove, Missouri preserved as a park, this park was the first designated national monument to an African American in the United States.

"He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither, he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world." - Epitaph on the grave of George Washington Carver.

Maybe he should have gotten the Nobel Prize!!

But wait!! There is more!!!

The Boomer Blogger

Consider the Decisions You Make!! Generations may be affected!! Part IV

2008-08-09T02:12:00.001-04:00

Moses Carver (1812–1910) was a German-American settler.

Moses Carver and his brother Richard mi¬grated to Diamond Grove, Missouri around 1838 from Ohio and Illinois. The Preemption Act of 1841 allowed farmers who lived on and improved 160 acres of land for six months to buy the land from the government at a low price. Moses Carver purchased a total of 240 acres in Marion Township, Newton County, Missouri.

As an early settler in the area, Carver selected a good site with an abundant water supply. He built a one-room log cabin with a window, a fireplace, and no floor. This is where he and his wife Susan initially lived, along with three nieces and nephews, whom they raised after Richard's death in 1839.

Though opposed to slavery on principle, Moses needed help as the farm prospered. In 1855, he purchased Mary Washington, a thirteen-year-old pregnant slave girl,from a neighbor. George Washington was born to Mary Washington. His father had died during her pregnancy in an agricultural accident.

In a state strongly divided by the tensions leading to the Civil War, the independent-minded and eccentric Moses Carver was in a difficult position, since he offended Confederates by being a Unionist, and Unionists by owning slaves.

Washington and his mother were taken from the farm by the feared Quantrill’s Raiders. These kidnappings were not unusual during the Civil War. When the Raiders got back to Kansas, the baby Washington was found to be too sick to be of any value to them.

A letter was sent to Moses Carver offering to trade the baby for a horse. Moses saddled up his best horse and headed for Kansas. When he got there, he took the baby, wrapped him in a blanket, put him inside of his coat and walked back to Missouri. George Washington was to remain sickly through-out his youth. The loss of his mother would remain with him throughout his life.

Moses and Susan Carver took the baby into their home and even gave him their name. George Washington became George Washington Carver. During that time, he was taught how to read by Mrs. Carver. He showed early promise in agriculture and developed a desire to further his education.

George left the farm when he was eleven to go to the black school in Neosho, Missouri. He returned to the Moses Carver farm on weekends, but never lived permanently with the Carvers again.

The Moses Carver farm became the George Washington Carver National Monument by an act of Congress in July 1943. The National Park Service maintains 210 acres of the original 240-acre farm.

Moses Carver should have received the Nobel Peace Prize!!!

The Boomer Blogger

Consider the Decisions You Make!! Generations WILL be affected!! Part V

2008-08-09T02:06:00.000-04:00

Norman Borlaug, Henry A. Wallace, George Washington Carver each have received enormous credit for saving millions, even billions, from starvation.

Moses and Susan Carver had no idea how many people would be impacted by their decision to save the baby Washington from certain death.

We do not realize the far reaching implications of the decisions we make on a daily basis. We are all inter-connected and are affected by our collective decisions. We should think of what the long term effect might be as we consider the decisions we are facing.

The Boomer Blogger

Are We Winners or Whiners?

2008-07-21T20:45:00.004-04:00

After spending some time re-reading all of my blog entries, I have come to the conclusion that I am on the verge of becoming a whiner.

Let’s look at where we are:

1. 572,000 people over 45 in Cincinnati Metro Area

2. 429 ministry openings for youth and teens…no openings for “Seasoned Believers” ministries

3. the most prominent church model is the “commissary” model

4. It is unlikely, for many reasons, that there will be any shift to the "caravan" model in the foreseeable century.

So, given those factors, what are our options?

Option 1

Continue to bang our heads against a brick wall and become more frustrated, or

Option 2

Become pro-active and enlist our fair share of the demographic in which we find ourselves.

I can hear it now: “But ________!! (fill in the Blank)

Do you mean that I need to encourage other “Seasoned Believers” to become a part of a “commissary” that has nothing of any significance me or them?? In a word YES!!

How do we do it??

First of all, the “Seasoned Believers” already a part of a local church must cease being passive, come down off the shelf, make it known that they are not finished yet and that they desire to become s significant part of the local body.

Secondly, if we begin to increase the number of people who are in this demographic, the significance factor will be recognized.

How do we do it??

I am so glad you asked!!

I will give some suggestions as to how this can be done.

Stay Tuned!!! Don’t touch that dial!!

The Boomer Blogger

Ron

If Not A Caravan, Then A Complete Commissary!!

2008-07-21T01:37:00.002-04:00

Since it would be nearly impossible to transform a “commissary” modeled church into a “caravan” model, the best, in my judgment, one can hope for is a blend of each.

I have talked to several pastors who understand that they are pastoring a “commissary” model but recognize the need for some sort of “caravaning” effort.

If that is the case, then we must make sure that everyone is served by the “commissary”.

I would like to call your attention to a response, by Paula Clare, to a previous blog entry (7/12/08)dealing with this subject.

“I agree the Seasoned Believers have been put "in the wagons." It's really poignant when you think about the reasons the wagon train did this with the women and children:

1. They couldn't keep up and would impede progress

2. They were seen as "weaker" and couldn't contribute to the movement of the wagon train

3. They were never given weapons to defend themselves, but had to rely on the skills of others to be protected.

Wow. Double wow. No WONDER so many boomers are dropping out...we feel like a hindrance instead of a help!”
There are Children’s Departments, Youth Departments, Teen Departments, College and Singles Departments, Young Married Departments, Married with Children Departments galore. These groups have ample opportunities to be served by their particular commissary departments.

There is virtually no recognition nor effort to provide the “Seasoned Believers” with fellowship or resources to assist them in their journey.

I recently had conversations with several Bible College representatives about this lack of recognition of the “Seasoned Believers”.

Three responded with similar statements that they planned to begin graduate programs for “Geriatric Ministries”.

Paula was correct when she said “No WONDER so many boomers are dropping out...we feel like a hindrance instead of a help!”

Dr. Thom Rainer, in an article titled The Church In 2011: Catching The Age Wave, that appeared in Lifeway Biblical Solutions for Life indicated that his research showed that 2/3 of the Baby Boomers are unchurched.

If that is true, then out of the 858,000 people over 45 in the 9 metropolitan Cincinnati counties, there are some 572,000 unchurched and church alumni among us.

My guess is that, if we are not “caravaning”, then it would behoove us to develop some significant “Seasoned Believer” departments.

THE BOOMER BLOGGER

RON

Constantine-Commissary Builder vs Moses - Cavaran Leader

2008-07-14T14:20:00.005-04:00

To be part of a caravan is much more demanding than joining the clientele of a commissary. Given a choice, "the people" will go for the commissary every time.

That is why Moses got the reaction he did!!

After 450 years of captivity, Moses lead them out of Egypt. They were on their way to the Promise Land. The people were exuberant about being free from slavery. They rejoiced as they began their journey. Not So McGee!!

Three days after they were led out of Egypt, the people were fed up with their “caravaning”. They challenged Moses with taking them out of Egypt because Egypt didn’t have enough graves for them.

They complained that at least while they were in Egypt they ate red beans and rice. Oh yes, another question they asked was “Where is the water? Did you bring us out here to die of thirst!!”

Israel preferred the commissary of Egypt to the caravan of freedom. That is why the church is where it has been since the time of Constantine. The church is smart enough to see what works best with the people.

With that, the distinction between a commissary and a caravan church ought to be very clear. It is up to you to decide how this applies to your particular congregation and what is to be done about it.

But, as you do your analysis, be aware that the basic distinction has its effect on almost every aspect of congregational life and structure.

For example, the commissary model had 429 open ministries in the children and/or youth department. There were no ministry openings in the Adult or Senior (Seasoned) Believer’s Department.

Compare that to the Caravan model where no one is left behind.

THE BOOMER BLOGGER

RON

Characteristics of the Caravan

2008-07-12T22:19:00.005-04:00

From 1957 to 1964, there was a popular TV series called “Wagon Train” which depicted the journeys of a wagon train as it left post-Civil War Missouri on its way to California through the plains, deserts and Rocky Mountains.

It was apparent that the caravan had professionally trained leadership to give it direction, protection and unity. This leadership consisted of the Wagon Master, Chief Scout and several other scouts who looked after the needs of the people on this journey.

The women and elderly always rode in the wagons. The men walked alongside. The children generally brought up the rear when the circumstances permitted it. When they were under attack or one of the men was injured, the wagon train stopped and made sure no one was left behind or put in harm’s way.

Because of the influence of Willow Creek and the emphasis on being “seeker sensitive” toward the Baby Boomers, the church has generally reversed the caravan model by putting the younger people (children, teens and 30-40 year olds) in the wagons and relegated the “Seasoned Believers” to walking alongside.

I can hear some of you saying, “HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT!!”

After researching several Bible Colleges’ open ministry lists, I found that out of a total of 593 ministry positions (excluding pulpit ministries) that were listed on nine web sites, 429 (72%) were for people who were trained to minister to children or youth. There were no ministry openings for Adult or Senior (Seasoned) Believers.

Abraham, on his journey to the Promised Land, went as far as Haran. It was there he stopped. Then the account says, interestingly, that Tarah, his father, had died.

Why do you suppose Abraham stopped the caravan when he did? He did not want to leave his elderly and ill father behind!

We will explore other Scriptural examples in future blog entries.

THE BOOMER BLOGGER

RON

The Caravan Model

2008-07-12T22:01:00.004-04:00

In the caravan model, the members are seen as integral, functional, and functioning constituents without whom the body cannot be the body it was meant to be.

But is the New Testament model all that anti-institutional and all that committed to caravaning? The earliest term used to identify the corporate Christian enterprise (before it was called "a church" or its members called "Christians") was "the Way," its constituents being simply "the followers of the Way," or "those of the Way." The term occurs eight or nine times in the book of Acts (9:2; 18:25, 26; 19:23; 22:4; 24:14, 22) and not elsewhere.

However, we should hardly expect to find it elsewhere, Acts being the only account we have of the primitive church. But whether or not these references in Acts can be taken as proof positive that "the Way" was the earliest nomenclature for the church, it is easy to demonstrate that this basic concept underlies much of the New Testament.

Stephen, in Acts 6:8-7:60, is determined to show that the church is called to be a "caravan"; the first characteristic of the people of God is that they ever are "on the way" and never secure in a state of accomplishment. He begins by using Abraham as a model and makes it clear that his significance is as one who continually has to get up and go in response to the forward call of God. He passed through much territory but had "nothing in it to call his own, not one yard." All he had was a "promise" of possession addressed to him and his posterity.

THE BOOMER BLOGGER

RON

The Caravan Versus The Commissary Model

2008-07-07T22:07:00.005-04:00

The New Testament pictures the church as a caravan. This "caravan" understanding seems to have been normative until the time of Constantine, when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. This acceptance of Christianity by the world brought with it a different concept of the congregation--a concept that has dominated the church scene to the present day. According to this understanding, the church is pictured basically as a commissary.

A caravan, on the other hand, is something entirely different. It (and a walking caravan best fits our idea) is a group of people banded together as a community with a common cause in seeking a common destination. The being of a caravan lies not in any signed and sealed authorization but in the way it functions. Its validity lies not in its apparatus but in the performance of its caravaners--each and every one of them. A caravan is a caravan only as long as it is making progress--or at least striving to make progress. Once the caravaners stop, dig in, or count themselves as having arrived, they no longer constitute a caravan.

A commissary, for its part, is and has its existence simply in being what it is, what God has commissioned it to be. A caravan, conversely, has its existence only in a continual becoming (and in allowing that existence continually to be called into question), in a following of the Lord on his way toward the kingdom. With a commissary, the question is: "Has this institution a valid charter, and is it operating within the terms of that charter?" With a caravan, the question is: "How are the people doing? Is the group operating so that all are being helped on their common journey in discipleship?"

In this regard, it should be made very clear that we are not at all suggesting that the modern church should switch to a caravan model for the purpose of making the church more successful and attractive for Christians or people in general. On the contrary, to be part of a caravan is much more demanding than joining the clientele of a commissary. Given a choice, "the people" will go for the commissary every time. That is why Moses got the reaction he did. This is why Stephen's opponents reacted the way they did. That is why the church is where it has been since the time of Constantine. The church is smart enough to see what works best with the people. If there is to be a new move toward caravaning in our day, it can and should come only out of a sense that this is what Jesus asks of us.

RON

THE BOOMER BLOGGER

Are We a "Commissary" or a "Caravan"?

2008-07-05T08:57:00.004-04:00

In the two blogs posted today (Review Parts I and II), there are two areas that I believe the church must address.

The first one is making preparation for the onslaught of almost 375,000 Baby Boomers, in Metro Cincinnati alone, who will reach the traditional retirement age by 2012.

As I have considered this phenomenon, there is a second area which, in my judgment, must be considered.

The Commissary Model

Since the early 80s and the advent of the “seeker sensitive” movement, most churches have evolved into many different segments (4 different age groupings of children, Jr. High, High School, College, Singles, Young Married, Married with Children, Empty Nesters and Seniors).

Instead of a body of believers, most churches have become a disconnected group of “body” parts where each one makes it a point to visit the “commissary” to get what they need or what they think they need for the coming week.

There is a major problem with the commissary model. The problem is, unlike a super store, they do not necessarily have everything their customers need.

The reality is that, unless the “Seasoned Believer” comes to the spiritual commissary looking for a monthly pot-luck and a quarterly trip to Branson or Gatlinburg, there is nothing else in the “Senior Department” for them.

The next blog entry will describe the Scriptural model to which we should pay attention.

Ron

The Boomer Blogger

Review Part II

2008-07-04T21:44:00.003-04:00

In the 9 metro Cincinnati counties, according to the 2006 U S Census estimate, there are 554,940 Baby Boomers. According to Dr. Thom Rainer, in an article entitled The Church In 2011: Catching The Age Wave, estimates that two thirds of the Boomers remain unchurched.

I do agree with him about the 2/3 figure (373,880), but I do not agree that all of them are unchurched. Many of this group are what would be more accurately defined as "church alumni".

In these same 9 counties, according to the US Census estimates(2006) , there are approximately 647,743 members of the “Silent Generation”. Many of these folks are still able to take an active part in the life of the Body. In many churches, they are recognized once a month when an announcement in the bulletin alerts them to the monthly potluck luncheon and a monthly or quarterly bus trip to either Gatlinburg or Branson.

In this era where we are constantly encouraged to recycle and conserve energy etc, I am concerned that we are wasting some of the most significant resources God has given us.

The next blog entry will address a legitimate solution to which I referred in Part I.

Ron

THE BOOMER BLOGGER

Time for a Review Part I

2008-07-04T19:17:00.008-04:00

During the past several months, I have made an attempt, through this blog, to challenge us to prepare for the oncoming boomer wave.

It is obvious, by any measure, that churches have not made provision for the thousands of boomers who will be approaching retirement age starting in 2012.

I decided to see if the churches of my own denominational background were getting ready to minister to the large number of adults in society. It seemed that one way to do that was by reviewing current ministry openings listed on the web sites of nine different Christian groups. They were seven Bible Colleges, CrossLink (which connects people and ministries) and a weekly national church publication.

There was a total of 593 ministry positions, excluding pulpit ministries, listed on nine web sites. Out of the 593 jobs listed, 429 (72%) were for people who were trained to minister to children or youth. There were no ministry openings for Adult or Senior (Seasoned) Believers.

An additional area of research included a web site of a week long national church convention. The daily program listed only one event for “Seasoned Believers”. It was a social event: a “Senior’s Luncheon”.

In an encouraging discovery, I found that the Assemblies of God recently appointed a part time National Director of Senior Adult Ministries.

My next blog entry will continue reviewing previous research in order to lay the goundwork for what I believe is a legitimate response to the oncoming boomer wave.

THE BOOMER BLOGGER

Ron

Ageism is the New Sexism

2008-06-09T10:33:00.004-04:00

Regardless of your politics - this should be read

Ageism is the New Sexism
By Craig Crawford | CQ Politics|June 9, 2008 6:00 AM |

At a town hall in Iowa last year John McCain got The Question. A silver-haired woman appearing to be close in age to the Republican presidential hopeful's 71 years asked if he was really up to the job.

"You're getting pretty old!" the Iowa woman said. "And it's such a hard job!"

McCain deadpanned, "I'm sorry I called on you."

While McCain deftly turned the moment to his advantage, getting a big laugh, the joke might be on him if the presumed GOP nominee's age subjects him to the sort of ridicule that underscored sexist gags aimed at Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Expect open season in the coming campaign for implicitly bashing the elderly as McCain's political foes and some media personalities stereotype him in ways that are justifiably considered off limits regarding Barack Obama's race.

Still, there is a silver lining for McCain if Clinton's experience is any guide. Women voters rallied to Clinton in response to the rampant sexism. If not for such a backlash in New Hampshire, for instance, she might not have won that state's primary and kept her candidacy alive at a crucial juncture in the Democratic nomination race.

Although some older voters, like the woman in Iowa, might question McCain's fitness, Democrats and media commentators who relentlessly mock his age could end up rallying elder votes to his side.

Ron

The Boomer Blogger

Comments on Previous Post "Health Benefits of Volunteering"

2008-05-19T14:01:00.015-04:00

Previously, I posted a blog entry entitled Health Benefits of Volunteering.

In that blog entry, I referenced several quotations re the healthy aspect of volunteering.

One of those quotations was: Medical and scientific documentation supports that volunteering results in a heightened sense of well being, improves insomnia, strengthens the immune system, and hastens surgery recovery time. (The Healing Power of Doing Good, Allan Luks & Peggy Payne)

I received two comments from Peggy Payne who was one of the authors of the book noted above.

I found this Book Description on Amazon that caused me to do some additional research on both the author and the book.

"Conventional wisdom has always held that when we help others, some of the good we do flows back to us. That satisfaction has always been thought to be largely emotional, feeling good when you do good. Now important, widely discussed research shows that helping others regularly produces significant health benefits as well. In fact, it has effects similar to those many of us experience when we exercise.

It is almost impossible to read this book without wanting to do good. Both for those who are already volunteering and for those who are considering it, this valuable personal guide tells you how to choose an activity that's right for you, how to maximize the health benefits, and how to overcome the main obstacle to getting started: lack of time.

The Healing Power of Doing Good reaffirms and explains that when we care for others we care for ourselves. It is an important book for those suffering from chronic health problems as well as the health conscious, anyone interested in how our mind affects our body, and people in the helping professions. And it reminds us that never has there been such a need for caring as there is today."

This book is worth your time to read it.

The Boomer Blogger

"as he thinks within himself, so he is" (Prov 23:7)

2008-05-17T18:29:00.011-04:00

I am a "Seasoned Believer"

I am also part of the "Silent Generation"

Many of us know what do to.

We want our time to be our own and to live in freedom.

We know we should look for opportunities,
take the most promising ones and move forward.

If we want different results in our lives, we focus on change. The problem is that we do not change ourselves or our mindset.

We focus on the negative by giving into fear - fear that we will fail- and so it becomes self-fulfilling.

It is important to understand that which we think about we will become.

It is a conscious decision to accept the mindset of expansion, and it takes effort.

GOD AIN'T THRU WITH US YET......LET'S REFIRE

Whatever we think, we become

The Boomer Blogger

Health Benefits of Volunteering

2008-05-17T12:17:00.008-04:00

“People who do volunteer work are much less likely to suffer illness. The close interpersonal relationships and community involvement that occur with volunteer service are tailor-made to enhance the healing process.”
—The Healing Power of Service by Edward V. Brown

Volunteering helps to rebuild communities and solve serious social problems. And, according to research, it can also improve your physical and mental health!

Volunteer work improves the well being of individual volunteers because it enhances social support networks. People with strong social support networks have lower premature death rates, less heart disease, and fewer health risk factors. (Fact Sheet: Volunteering as a Vehicle for Social Support and Life Satisfaction, Public Health Agency of Canada)

Volunteering can improve self-esteem, reduce heart rates and blood pressure, increase endorphin production, enhance immune systems, buffer the impact of stress, and combat social isolation. (Research Summary: Graff, L. (1991). Volunteer for the Health of It, Etobicoke, Ontario: Volunteer Ontario.)

Volunteering lowers the risk of physical ill health because it boosts the social psychological factors that healthy people have. (The Effects of Volunteering on the Volunteer, John Wilson and Marc Musik, 62 Law & Contemp. Probs., Autumn 1999)

Medical and scientific documentation supports that volunteering results in a heightened sense of well being, improves insomnia, strengthens the immune system, and hastens surgery recovery time. (The Healing Power of Doing Good, Allan Luks & Peggy Payne)

Volunteering puts people into highly social situations, increasing the opportunity for close interpersonal relationships and strengthening a sense of identity. (Peer Counseling Perspectives, April 2003 Survival News, Mary Lynn Hemphill, “Volunteer For Your Health”)

The Boomer Blogger

Volunteering also offers numerous health benefits specific to older adults.

2008-05-17T12:13:00.001-04:00

Volunteering gives older adults an opportunity to participate in fulfilling activities, which can make a difference in the lives of others.

Helping to better situations for others contributes to healthy communities. Older adult volunteers feel a sense of community inclusion which has a positive impact on their health and overall well being.

Volunteer activities help older adults improve self confidence and self esteem, which helps reduce blood pressure and improves immune function.

Volunteer activities help older adults form interpersonal ties and develop social networks. Like family and friends, these networks act as a buffer against stress and illness.

Older adult volunteers live longer than non-volunteers. Studies report that engaging in regular volunteer work increases life expectancy because social interaction improves quality of life.

The Boomer Blogger

Resources and Research on Health Benefits of Volunteering

2008-05-17T12:07:00.002-04:00

The following are U.S. studies that have documented the health benefits of volunteering.

University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research, March 1999. (Marc A. Musik, A. Regula Herzog and James S. House, Volunteering and Mortality among Older Adults: Findings from a National Sample)

Cornell University, Cornell Applied Gerontology Research Institute, 1998. Social Integration and Longevity, Cornell Retirement and Well Being Study)

Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Department of Sociology. John Wilson, author, “Volunteering”.

Paul Arnstein, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Nursing, Boston College, “From Chronic Pain Patient to Peer and Benefits Risks of Volunteering,” (evaluated patients suffering chronic pain and discovered those who volunteered reported a reduction in pain and depression.)

Stephanie Brown, Randolph Nesse, Amiram D. Vinokur and Dylan M. Smith, “Providing Social Support May Be More Beneficial Than Receiving It: Results from a Prospective Study of Mortality,” Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan, as printed in American Psychological Society, Vol. 14, No.4, July 6. 2003.

Roger King, “Volunteerism by the Elderly as an Intervention for Promoting Successful Aging,” March 28, 1996.

Doug Oman and Kay McMahon, Buck Centre for Research in Aging in California; and Carol E Thoresen, Stanford University, Volunteerism and Mortality Among the Community-Dwelling Elderly.

The Boomer Blogger

Baby Boomers and Volunteering

2008-05-17T12:00:00.002-04:00

Nearly a third of all boomers – comprising some 25.8 million people – volunteered for a formal organization in 2005. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

At 33.2%, the volunteer rate for baby boomers is the highest of any generational age group, and more than four percentage points above the national average of 28.8%. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

A typical boomer volunteer serves 51 hours a year, or approximately one hour a week. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

The percentage of retired baby boomers who volunteered increased steadily, from approximately 25% in 2002 to approximately 30% in 2004. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Volunteering tends to peak at mid-life, around the current age of baby boomers, and then decline slightly; declining further among the oldest old (typically 75+).

The biggest single inducement for baby boomers to volunteer is being asked by someone with whom one has an established relationship.

Baby boomers are less likely than older age groups to volunteer out of a sense of duty or obligation and more likely to volunteer as part of a social interaction.

Baby boomers are more likely to volunteer as a result of social, self development, self-esteem, or leisure-focused motivations. Episodic, familiar, community-based opportunities are also preferred.

Four out of five boomers see work as playing a role in their retirement years, with only 20% anticipating retiring and not working at all (AARP):

Of U.S. workers over 45, 69% plan to work in some capacity during retirement, with only 28% expecting not to work at all.
More than 75% of workers 45+ feel that work is important to their self-esteem.
(Research taken from the 2004 “Reinventing Aging – Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement” report, Harvard School of Public Health & MetLife Foundation Initiative on Retirement and Civic Engagement, unless otherwise cited.)

The Boomer Blogger

Baby Boomer Facts

2008-05-17T11:48:00.004-04:00

About Baby Boomers

Approximately 77 million babies were born in the U.S. during the “boom” years of 1946-1964. (US Dept. of Health & Human Services)

In January 2006, the first boomers will turn 60. In 2011, the oldest baby boomers will turn 65, and, on average can expect to live to 83.

One in four Americans is a baby boomer. This is the largest population group in U.S. history.

A baby boomer turns 50 every 18 seconds and 60 every 7 seconds.

Baby boomers comprise 28% of the U.S. population, nearly 3 in 10 Americans.

Half of all baby boomers and 2/3 of younger boomers have children under 18 living in their household. More than one third of boomers care for an older parent. (AARP)

Boomers are concentrated in metropolitan areas, as opposed to rural counties. Regionally, they are more highly concentrated in New England, the Mid-Atlantic States the upper Great Lake states and the Pacific Northwest. (U.S. Census Bureau)

The Boomer Blogger

Companies find ways to retain expertise of older workers

2008-04-21T23:51:00.004-04:00

By Marsha King
Seattle Times staff reporter (Exerpted)

A serious health scare a decade ago convinced Dave Gromala that there's more to life than work. Someday, he'd find a way to retire early from Weyerhaeuser so he and his wife could explore more of the fun stuff in life before growing old.

But late last year, after he crunched the numbers, the dream looked premature. "When you even think of trying to retire at age 55, the calculator explodes," he said.
His pension hadn't grown enough, the stock market was having fits and his future medical needs were unknown.

Gromala started searching for an alternative. His timing was perfect. Worried about an impending labor shortage and the loss of expertise, Weyerhaeuser had just joined the ranks of employers nationwide that are creating strategies to delay the retirement of valued older workers.

Historically, senior workers have received incentives to leave their jobs early to make room for the next generation. But a change in thinking is under way. As baby boomers march toward retirement, too few younger workers may be available to fill the gap.

Weyerhaeuser asked Gromala if he'd like to help kick off a new delayed-retirement program by going part time while still accumulating a pension and enjoying company-paid health insurance.

"It was like finding a bunch of Easter eggs," Gromala said.

The graying of the work force is expected to challenge many countries. In the United States, employment is expected to increase by nearly 19 million jobs over the decade ending in 2014, about 2.6 million more than the previous decade. But in that same period, 36 million people are expected to leave the work force permanently, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

At Weyerhaeuser, company research found that 40 percent of employees nationwide would be eligible to retire by 2010. Decades of knowledge and institutional memory could vanish.

For now, the company is most concerned about certain job categories, such as scientists and engineers in the forestry division, which require deep expertise.
"If we were in a growth mode, this would be even harder to deal with. We'd be scrambling for even more talent and we'd be scrambling across the board," said Sally Hass, director of retirement education.

Census data show that by 2030, nearly 20 percent of the population will be age 65 or older, compared with about 12 percent in 2000.

In King County, some of the employment sectors significantly affected by the aging work force are education, public administration, manufacturing, health care and utilities.

As more people retire, many industries could see a dramatic impact on productivity and profits, according to a February report of the Task Force on the Aging of the American Workforce, launched in 2006 by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Most people say they'd like to work in some capacity even after traditional retirement age, the report says. But age discrimination, limited opportunities and federal pension and tax laws can discourage working in older age.

The task force and others urge an array of remedies: recruitment of older workers, flexible work arrangements, financial education and new scrutiny of federal regulations forged decades ago to make room for baby boomers.

"We're all facing this challenge," said Cindy Wall, a spokeswoman for Boeing. "Right now we're able to get all the people we need. But will that be the case in five years? "

<A gradual retirement
Weyerhaeuser's new delayed-retirement project, called Gray Matters, is grounded in research about the attitudes of its employees age 55 and over. The vast majority say they want to work longer rather than completely retire. But they want it all — a flexible schedule, health-care benefits and no negative financial impact. And they want the work to be meaningful.

In response, Gray Matters offers selected employees the opportunity to retire gradually, but they must average 25 hours of work a week in order to keep health benefits. The part-time work also shouldn't go on for too many years or it could negatively impact their pension. Still, working part time rather than retiring entirely ultimately builds a bigger nest egg.

During this phase-down, they're expected to create a plan to transfer knowledge and mentor younger workers. The company also is participating in a talent bank, to be run by an outside firm, that will offer retirees a chance to work on a temporary basis.

"What we all want as employers is the best talent we can have," said Hass, retirement educator at Weyerhaeuser. "And what we ought to recognize is that the best talent can come at any age."

When the program started in January, Gromala cut back to three days a week as director of codes and product acceptance, a highly specialized job he's held for 18 years. His pay is 40 percent less and his pension is accumulating at a slower pace.
His time is divided among long-term projects, solving problems and guiding younger employees. Already, the more junior staff no longer asks, "How should I handle this?" Instead, they just keep him informed.

It feels a little scary, like maybe he's not needed anymore. But "so be it," Gromala said. Meanwhile, he insists he's really not partially retired. He simply bought an extra 10 weeks of vacation. And if this mix of more free time and less job keeps feeling right, why stop?

mking@seattletimes.com

Seasoned Believer's Biblography

2008-04-21T11:34:00.005-04:00

I would strongly encourage those who are interested in learning more about this demographic phenomenon called The Boomer Wave to read the following books and articles:

Books

Generation Ageless, J. Walker Smith and Ann Clurman, Harper Collins Publishing 2007

Made To Stick (Random House, 2007) Chip and Dan Heath

Ageless Marketing: Strategies for Reaching the Hearts & Minds of the New Customer Majority, David B. Wolfe, Robert E. Snyder, Dearborn Trade Publishing, a Kaplan Professional Company, 2003

Exit Interviews, William Hendricks, (Chicago: Moody, 1993), p. 260.

Halftime: Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance, Bob Buford, Zondervan Publishing, 2001

Stuck in Halftime, Zondervan Publishing, Bob Buford, 2004

Finishing Well: What People Who "Really Live" Do Differently, Bob Buford, Integrity Publishing, 2004

Unlimited Partnership: Igniting a Marketplace Leader's Journey to Significance, Lloyd Reeb and Bill Wellons, B & H Publishing, 2006

The Power Years: A User's Guide to the Rest Of Your Life, Ken Dychtwald and Daniel J. Kadlec, (2005)

Practicing Greatness, Reggie McNeal, Jossey-Bass, 2006

Baby Boomerang: Catching the Boomer Generation As They Return to Church , Regal Books,(1990), Doug Murren

The Boomer Century 1946-2046: How America's Most Influential Generation Changed Everything, Alexandria Productions, (2007) Richard Croker and Ken Dychtwald

For Entrepreneurs Only: Success Strategies for Anyone Starting or Growing a Business, The Career Press, 1994, Wilson Harrell

The Wellness Revolution: How to Make a Fortune in the Next Trillion Dollar Industry, John Wiley and Sons, Paul Zane Pilzer, 1994

ARTICLES

One of the most helpful websites I have found for those who want to retool the church's paradigm and develop "sticky" ideas is www.JoshHunt.com. He is a nationally known Christian coach and educator.

Pew Research Center, "Baby Boomers Approach Age 60"

"The Case of the Missing Boomers," Ministry Currents, January - March 1992,

Aging Adults: Boomers, Builders, and Beyond, Enrichment Journal, Winter 2002

“Targeting the Mature Mind,” David Wolfe, American Demographics, March 1994, 32–36

Editorial: "Involved Seniors"/It's Time for Boomers to Plan July 5, 2004, Minnesota Star Tribune

Report on "Reinventing Aging: Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement,", MetLife/Harvard School for Public Health,2004

Me Generation' becomes 'We Generation,( USA Today 8/2/2006) by Daniel J. Kadlec.

How can your church reach baby boomers? Steve Mills, Executive Director of Church Ministries, Northwest District, The Assemblies of God,

Churches Neglect Older Folks; Potlucks Won't Do, Lillian Kwon, Christian Post Reporter Fri, Jan. 12 2007

The Church In 2011: Catching The Age Wave, (Lifeway Biblical Solutions for Life, 7/10/06), by Thom S. Rainer

Celebrate The Diversity of Seasoned Believers

2008-03-30T00:05:00.002-04:00

The Old Testament writer reports on how generations of old responded to God or failed to respond. Paul points out that we are many and we experience Christ in different ways. We are given these experiences of grace so we can contribute our perspectives to help one another and to up build the church.

In Christ we are made one. We are united into one body. Unity involves diversity. Unity is not uniformity. Because of our unique life histories we have different graces that the Spirit gives us. Jesus teaches that our unity is manifested in our willingness to serve and to let others serve us.

None of us is sufficient in and of our self. God has made us so as to need each other.

The inclusive church welcomes the insights, perspectives, gifts and graces of each generation and each generation type. Membership in the church is intergenerational. It is the covenantal response of generations that unites us as one family through the Spirit.

The Spirit makes the church, the family of God, an inclusive body – a celebration of diversity.

Today in the name of religion many don’t trust diversity. We want everyone to think and behave as we do. Those who are different or who don’t conform to our expectations we tend to demonize.

This addiction to uniformity is a worldwide phenomenon. We see it played out in many Islamic countries and we see it played out in our churches and denominations. Our mainline denominations are being torn apart because there are leaders who tolerate and encourage diversity. The church whose motto is “reformed and always reforming” is in danger of becoming the church conformed and always conforming.

God brings many parts together so the whole will be greater that its parts. Togetherness brings about synergy; it’s creating a work that is greater than anything we could expect from individuals working separately. It’s a transforming power that can remake each of us and transform the whole world -- generation to generation -- into one holy orchestra where many parts join together to honor and praise our God who makes us one.

"Thy Kingdom come, O Lord;

Thy will be done on earth,

Even as it is done in heaven."

The Silent Sandwich Generation

2008-03-26T10:57:00.010-04:00

For the last 30 years, the emphasis has been on the “seeker sensitive” approach to reaching the “boomer generation”.

The Boomer generation was heralded as the cure-all, both financially and numerically, for the church. Paradigms were changed dramatically in the hopes that they would recognize and appreciate the changes that were made on their behalf.

Based on the 2006 U. S. Census estimates there are some 78 million boomers born between 1946 and 1964. In the 9 counties in the Cincinnati metro area, there are approximately 577,000 Boomers who will be in their “bonus round” by 2012.

Dr. Thom Rainer, in an article entitled The Church In 2011: Catching The Age Wave, estimates that two thirds of the Boomers remain unchurched.

A second people group that has been highlighted, and rightly so, is the generation referred to as the “Greatest Generation” (WWII or the GI generation). This generation has provided the leadership and stability for the church for many years.

However, sandwiched between these two generations is a generation that has been largely forgotten. They have been called the Silent Generation. This generation has stood silently by while the hymns they grew up singing have been scuttled. Many have patiently endured many “seeker sensitive” watered down feel good sermons. Many have faithfully given their tithes. They have remained faithful while “contemporary” has been redefined in ways that are foreign to them.

Consider this: In these same 9 counties, according to the US Census estimates(2006), there are approximately 647,743 members of the “Silent Generation”. Many of these folks are still able to take an active part in the life of the Body. In many churches, they are recognized once a month when an announcement in the bulletin alerts them to the monthly potluck luncheon and a monthly or quarterly bus trip to either Gatlinburg or Branson.

In this era where we are constantly encouraged to recycle and conserve energy etc, I am concerned that we are wasting some of the most significant resources God has given us.

The Boomer Blogger

The Church: Is She Ready For The Boomers??

2008-03-14T11:41:00.004-04:00

From the beginning, I have suggested that not only has society failed to prepare for the (Current Builder) and oncoming Boomer Wave but neither is the church ready or getting ready to welcome and integrate the most important resource of Seasoned Believers in history.

As I was thinking about this developing crisis earlier today, I decided to do some research to validate or challenge my impressions.

My research process was simple. I decided to see if the churches of my own denominational background were getting ready to minister to the large number of adults in society. It seemed that one way to do that was by reviewing current job openings listed on the web sites of nine different Christian groups. They were seven Bible Colleges, CrossLink (which connects people and ministries) and a weekly national church publication.

The data seems to validate my intuitive hunch. Here is what I found:

There were a total of 547 ministry positions excluding pulpit ministries listed on the five web sites. Out of the 547 jobs listed 383 (70%) were for people who were trained to minister to children or youth. There were no ministry openings for Adult or Senior’s-Seasoned Believers.

An additional area of research included a web site of a week long national church convention. The daily program listed only one event for “Seasoned Believers”. It was a social event, a “Senior’s Luncheon”.

One large denomination’s website also had a number of open jobs. The listing included 46 for ministers of children and youth. There were no jobs listed for Ministers to Seasoned Believers.

In a very happy discovery, I found one Pentecostal denomination that was recognizing the issue that faces us. The Assemblies of God recently appointed a part time National Director of Senior Adult Ministries.

Out of a total of 443 job openings, I found 0 Ministry Positions for Adult Ministries in churches and 1 for Adult and Seasoned Believers at the denominational level.

If you know of a congregation or denomination that has recognized the need for a Ministry to Adults or Seasoned Believers, please send the church name, address and contact number to me.

The Boomer Blogger

Read "No Country for Old People" in Key Links

2008-03-12T22:04:00.005-04:00

After 4 months of digging for information to emphasize that society in general and the church specifically are going to be flooded by 76 million Boomers who, by 2012, will be finishing their first careers.

Neither the government, the media nor the banks have made any provision for the oncoming Boomer Wave.

Marc Freedman, chief executive of Civic Ventures, a think tank focused on the aging society, is the author of "Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life." In the latter part of January 2008, he wrote an article "No Country for Old People" in the Washington Post. I have a link to that article in the Key Links list to the left. I encourage you to read it. Very well done and focuses with clarity on this neglected element of our society.

We are going to have a second round of meetings in April at the River Hills Christian Church in Loveland, Ohio. We will encourage Seasoned Believers (Christian Boomers) to share their dreams and their experiences in a collaborative way to create new businesses (both for profit and non profit) in order allow them to fulfill their desire to continue to contribute in a significant way to the community.

In the greater Cincinnati Metro Area (9 counties), there will be, according to the U S Census Bureau, some 577, 000 Boomers who will be in their “bonus round” by 2012.

An article quoted in a book I read about boomers called The Boomer Century 1946-2046: How America's Most Influential Generation Changed Everything by Richard Croker caught my attention. The article (page 237)is entitled The Church In 2011: Catching The Age Wave by Thom Rainer. Dr Rainer makes some observations (listed below) based on his research of the topic that reflect how I have been feeling too.

Dr. Rainer says, “Most cutting-edge ministries in the church for the past 40 years have been aimed at reaching the younger generations. Indeed, churches should continue to reach young people with the gospel. But few churches have given much thought or resources to reaching older generations. And if something does not change in our churches, this age wave will pass by with millions never connecting with the church, and with millions never responding to the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

He continues, “Most leaders admit that they have not even thought about the issue, much less strategically planned to reach this older generation.”

A few more observations by Dr. Rainer:

"About two-thirds of the 76 million boomers are unchurched, which means they attend church no more than twice a year.

The senior boomers will have the largest accumulated wealth of any group in America’s history.

This age wave will include tens of millions of men and women who want to make a difference in their older years. They have pursued many paths to happiness, and the unchurched boomers tell us that none have proved satisfactory.

These older adults will respond poorly to most forms of senior adult ministries in churches today. They will walk away from churches that focus on travel and entertainment as the primary “ministries” to senior adults. They want to invest themselves in something that is meaningful and longer-term.

These new senior adults will not perceive themselves to be older adults, and any organization that communicates to them that they are old will quickly lose the allegiance of this generation.

THE BOOMER BLOOGER

Boomer Entrepreneurs Part II

2008-03-11T23:01:00.003-04:00

When George Bush (#41) accepted the nomination, he told us that in the previous eight years - the Reagan Years – that there had been 17 million jobs created. What he did not say was that during the exact same period, the Fortune 500 lost 3.5 million jobs.

If it hadn’t been for entrepreneurs and the 20 million net new jobs that they created, where do you think we would be today?

In the years from 1994 to 1999, 1/3 of the Fortune 500 companies failed. It took the previous 25 years for that many to disappear. By 2010, if the same pattern prevails, my guess is that another third will have bit the dust.

Guess who is going to replace them? The entrepreneurs who dared to step out. It will not be the media, the banks and certainly not the government.

How is it possible for humongous companies, with all their resources, to be clobbered by a bunch of upstarts? For the last 20 years, entrepreneurs all over the country have been creating havoc by replaying the David and Goliath story by smiting giants.

Why are so many companies failing?? My guess would be that most large companies are dinosaurs waiting for their food to run out. They will be replaced by other dinosaurs whose fate will be the same.

The Boomer Blogger

Boomer Entrepreneurs

2008-03-11T15:26:00.005-04:00

I have made several remarks, in previous blog entries, as to the value of collaboration and the creation of new businesses (both for profit and not for profit) for those Boomers who do not want to retire but to RE-FIRE.

Having been involved in the creation of 501{c}3 ventures (non-profits organized for religious purposes) for the last 25 years, I recognize that many may be a little hesitant to enter this arena for any one of many “reasons”.

But Ron, “We are entering into a recession !!!!”

To quote Gabriel Heatter, a well known newsman, who, during WWII, began each radio broadcast with “There is good news tonight."

Now, I am not an advocate for recessions but, if you think about it, a recession, real or imagined, is the best time for entrepreneurial creativity.

What do companies do when there is a recession?

They retrench, cut back on advertising and services, fire people, close divisions, withdraw products, and so on.

What does this add up to?

They abandon “niches”. And those “niches” are fertile seedbeds for entrepreneurs, who listen carefully to the sad and mournful stories of the Fortune 500 companies. Maybe even shed a tear or two and then engage their creative entrepreneurial skills and get up and clobber them.

Just remember, for the last 20 years, entrepreneurs have been the subset of the economy that has prevented our country from sinking into another depression like infamous one in the 30’s

The Boomer Blogger

Retirement To Re-Fire-Ment Part I

2008-03-11T12:21:00.000-04:00

Existing community-service organizations have not always been very creative in designing volunteer opportunities. They have tended to think in terms of simple tasks that can be done without much planning or supervision, rather than in terms of the mission they are trying to accomplish and how to use volunteers to achieve it.

There are many accounts of underutilizing volunteers, such as the case of a retired physician who volunteered her efforts at a local community hospital, only to be offered a job refilling patients’ water pitchers.

If volunteers are to become genuinely committed, they must feel that they are a valued and integral part of the organization, not a group apart. It is exactly these more complex and sustained opportunities that will promote both personal growth and social growth. Creating such roles, however, will not be easy.

The case for collaboration and creation of new faith based non profit non profit ventures is even more important.

In my next blog entry, I will give more reasons for this approach to fulfilling the need for Boomers to continue to contribute to the community in a significant way.

The Boomer Blogger

Retirement To Re-Fire-Ment Part II

2008-03-11T12:19:00.000-04:00

Faith-based organizations, which have traditionally served as the most extensive home base for voluntary community service in the United States, will most likely remain a critical component of any new infrastructure.

Compared to many secular organizations, organizations of faith appeal to a broader spectrum of the population, including racial and ethnic minorities, immigrant populations, and people at varied income and educational levels. They are well positioned, therefore, to help provide the social connections that can link disparate members of the community together.

Consider, for example, Habitat for Humanity, a faith-based organization whose wide appeal extends across the lines of age, religion, political orientation, gender, income level, ethnicity, and geography. Moreover, older individuals often turn to organizations of faith when they are searching for meaning in their lives.

What is key for this new vision of the future, however, is that faith-based organizations direct a significant component of their attention outward to the larger community, as well as inward to their individual constituents.

This potentially puts them in a position to support the Boomers who have completed their first careers and are transitioning to their second careers and are exploring new areas and new possibilities as they leave behind some of the demands of full-time work and family.

The Boomer Blogger

Retirement To Re-Fire-Ment Part III

2008-03-10T23:45:00.008-04:00

The capacity to address the varied needs of aging boomers has yet to be developed. Communities have not yet developed plans to take advantage of the potential resource of retired boomers.

Changes in infrastructure and policies will be needed across all sectors of society—public and private, for-profit and voluntary, faith-based and secular. The process by which such changes occur may be slow, halting, and even contentious.

Yet, boomers will not—and need not—simply wait for others to create such structures. Out of necessity, they will likely make something new and different of this new life phase, as they have done with earlier phases of life. The question is, what will they make of it? And what can be done in the meantime to reach across the social spectrum and help them envision a life that achieves meaning by connecting in new ways to the community around them?

Faith-based institutions can foster the social networks that encourage members to connect not only to each other, but to the larger community as well.

As boomers enter later life with many relatively healthy, productive years ahead, they have the potential to become a social resource of unprecedented proportions, and create a new vision of what it means to grow older in America.

This possibility offers a way to reframe public discussion about the implications of the aging baby boom, shifting the focus away from the expectation of frail and dependent aging to one of activity and productivity.

Three conclusions will help realize this vision:

(1) large-scale efforts will be needed to mobilize boomers to contribute their time, skills, and experience to address community problems at the local level;

(2) many organizations that utilize volunteers will require substantial retooling if they are to attract and retain boomer volunteers; and

(3) the news media and the advertising industry can play key roles in helping society rethink the meaning, purpose, and status of the older years.

The Boomer Blogger

Five States Lead the Way in Recognizing the Upside of Aging Baby Boomers

2008-03-08T21:14:00.002-05:00

With a new understanding of the upside of the aging baby boom generation, leaders of several state governments are taking the initiative to develop policies and programs that make the best use of boomer experience.

In a new policy paper, Building an Experience Dividend: State Governments Lead Call to Engage Boomers, released today by Civic Ventures and funded by The UPS Foundation, Arizona, California, Maryland, New York and Massachusetts stand out for their efforts to engage adults over 50 in meaningful work and community service.

"The most interesting and innovative policy work on the aging of America is taking place at the state level," said John Gomperts, president of Civic Ventures. "From Sacramento to Annapolis, state legislatures are shifting the focus from the same old doom and gloom scenario to a much more complex and hopeful picture."

In Arizona, where more than 25 percent of the population of several counties is over the age of 60, a diverse group of stakeholders has joined together through the Mature Workforce Initiative to develop policy recommendations and launch new programs, such as a certification program given to businesses deemed "mature-worker friendly."

California is focusing on matching boomers’ desire to serve with specific labor shortages, such as the demand for math and science teachers and qualified managers in the public sector. California’s eServices office has created a database for retired job seekers to input their skills and interest, and for employers to search for employees.

And in Maryland, the Baby Boomer Initiative Act spurred the creation of the Boomer Initiative Council, which is tasked with developing a strategy to keep boomers engaged in their communities through work and volunteer opportunities.

The Boomer Blogger

Baby Boomers Retiring - How Will It Affect The U.S. Economy

2008-03-07T18:13:00.006-05:00

In an investigation conducted to discover how baby boomers expect retirement, here are some of the key findings:

For baby boomers, retirement is an occasion to dedicate themselves to the family and to enjoy their leisure time by pursuing their interests and hobbies. Anyway, they view retirement as a chance to improve their skills and find other career opportunities for their age.

Baby boomers quest for both personal and career fulfillment has becomes a driving force for them when preparing and planning for retirement. They secure social security by accessing health and life plans.

Baby boomers are an optimistic generation with conservative financial hopefulness.

So compared with their parents, baby boomers are far more likely to be continuously working while enjoying their leisure and comparatively the boomers made more money than their parents.

Tracing back to the annals of American history, the US economy has predominantly prospered since the baby boomers matured to enter the labor force. Historically, they are considered to be the prime source of the work force. But now that there is the expected demographic decline of baby boomers, the Unites States Bureau of Labor Statistics expect labor shortages that must be resolved quickly. Otherwise, it will inflict dire consequences to the economy.

However, there are some solutions to address the foreseen labor shortage by targeting the other variables that affect the demographic landscape. Organizations and firms can consider retaining the older workers, correcting the gender imbalance in work designations, outsourcing and hiring immigrants.

Since the baby boomers entered the labor force, the US economy has grown faster than its overall population. And the impending decline in the participation of baby boomers to service, will mean a slower rate of labor force growth as well as impact the economy.

To make up for the threatening flux of baby boomers’ contribution to work force, they should be encouraged to remain in service for a longer span. To encourage the aging baby boomers to stay in the labor force, enterprises and organizations should consider the following:

In the years to come, the minimum age of retirement of the recipients of Social Security pension shall eventually be raised to 70, affecting the baby boomer generation. With this incentive, baby boomers will likely to continue working over the age of 69-70.

Since baby boomers enthusiastically prepare for their retirement, these offers will boost their will to stay in the labor force. The aforementioned suggestions will offer mutual benefits for both the corporations and the baby boomers.

As the company understands the effect of the baby boomers’ retirement, they can thoughtfully prepare the upcoming adversities to the labor rate. These corporations and organizations involving the baby boomers need to start their investigation on how to customize their system to accommodate the aging employees. And they must find alternatives to ride the crest of the demographic wave caused by retiring baby boomers.

And learning the distinctive characteristics and views of the baby boomers towards retirement is a good strategy to learn how to deal with the situation.

Hello Boomers Magazine

The Boomer Blogger

Boomer Entrepreneurial Collaboration

2008-02-28T10:14:00.005-05:00

This Article appeared in Money Magazine (Dec 2006) by Pat Regnier, Senior Editor

Boomers and retirement: Trouble ahead!

Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research has surveyed employers, and they predict that half of their Boomer workers won’t be financially ready to retire at the traditional age. Not surprisingly, many of the employers also say that a big chunk of those Boomers will want to keep on working.

Working after the age of 65 can make a lot of financial sense. If you can do it, that is. I wrote a fairly upbeat article about delayed retirement a year ago, but the more I reflect on it–and the more reporting I do on this beat–the more skeptical I am that employers will happily welcome older workers as more Boomers hit their 60s. Management gurus and HR consultants often warn of a coming labor shortage, but of course it’s their job to scare employers into thinking they’ll need help finding good workers. As I wrote last year: “Peter Cappelli, an economist at Wharton, does think more older workers will stay on the job. But, he notes, hiring them won’t be the only option for employers. Just behind the busters [the smaller group of workers born after the Baby Boom] is a huge group of new workers: the boomers’ own kids. And taking on older folks is just one way for companies to deal with a tight labor market; they might invest more in technology or ship jobs to Bangalore.”

Beyond the macroeconomics, there’s the human factor. I’ve talked to lots of laid-off professionals in their 50s and 60s, and they complain that its hard to get younger managers to take them seriously. This is particularly tough on the most accomplished people, such as those who have run departments or even entire companies. There are only so many positions near the top of the pyramid, and once you get knocked off it’s hard to climb back on. Meanwhile, you’ve spent the past 15 or 20 years focusing on management tasks, so your technical skills (which you’ll need to find work lower down on the pyramid) might have grown stale. And even if they haven’t, age discrimination is common enough that you won’t get the credit you deserve for what you can do.

The growing importance of technology at work, and the breathtaking pace of technological change, may only make this worse. I’m just 35 and relatively tech-savvy–hey, kids, I’m blogging!–but I often feel like there’s a huge gap between myself and people in their 20s. I struggle to get my head around new Web applications such as social networking, and I’m sort of amazed and often a bit disgusted by the ability of the young’uns to multitask. Not long ago, and to my mild shame, I lost my temper with someone who, on the phone, sounded youngish, and clearly was both reading emails and finishing up a conversation with someone else on a cell phone. (In my day, phones connected to walls and we had to talk to one person at a time… and we liked it!) So how am I going to do fifteen years from now, when all of the kids coming out of college have communication chips implanted in their skulls and nobody gets my Dana Carvey references anymore?

Wait… that last part has already happened!!!!

The Boomer Blogger

Two Week Hiatus - Moving from Talking to Doing

2008-02-28T09:32:00.004-05:00

The last two weeks I have been involved in pulling together information which will be a part of a grant proposal......

Between going to a Foundation Center seminar and searching through 97,000 possible organizations trying to find those grantmakers who might be persuaded to honor our proposal and grant us the funds to help us "Re-Fire" the boomers who are finishing their first careers.

The time has come to stop talking and begin doing.

Will keep you posted.

The Boomer Blogger

Never Write Anyone Off

2008-02-12T00:52:00.000-05:00

As Good As It Gets
Directed by James L. Brooks
Columbia TriStar 12/97 DVD/VHS Feature Film

Melvin (Jack Nicholson in an Academy Award-winning performance) is a successful Manhattan romance novelist who prefers to keep people at a distance. He verbally assaults neighbors and strangers and suffers from an obsessive-compulsive disorder that compels him to jump down the street in order to avoid cracks in the sidewalk. The only person who isn't frightened or appalled by him is Carol (Helen Hunt in an Academy Award-winning performance), a patient waitress at the restaurant he frequents.

In this hilarious drama about personal transformation, writer and director James L. Brooks pulls out all the stops. A little dog softens Melvin's heart and opens him up to the joys of generosity. Carol, whose son has chronic life-threatening asthma, is the lucky recipient of his largesse.

When Melvin's neighbor Simon (Greg Kinnear) falls on hard times after he's robbed and severely beaten, the romance writer takes him in with great and warm hospitality. After demonstrating multiple kindnesses, Melvin is ready for the biggest challenge of all — learning to express his love for Carol.

As Good As It Gets is a shaggy dog romantic comedy. All its messages are worth taking to heart. Don't judge people too quickly. Never write anyone off. Even the weirdest and most irritating people are full of surprises. Everyone is capable of love.

Reviews and database
by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

The Boomer Blogger

Hospitality Is Not A Choice

2008-02-10T23:15:00.001-05:00

In The Message Bible translation, 1 Peter 4:8-10 says, “Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless – cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you.”

None of us deny that it’s easier to share hospitality with family and friends than with the stranger on the street. The New Testament teaches us that Christians are the ones with open hands, open hearts, and open doors. When we open our hearts as well as our homes, we’re practicing Christian hospitality.

1 John makes it plain that when we love others, we are showing our love for God. He loves us completely and unconditionally. Equally, when we love and serve others in the community through hospitality, we are also serving God.

The Boomer Blogger

Hospitality versus Entertaining

2008-02-09T23:56:00.001-05:00

What do you think of when you hear the word hospitality?

The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as “welcoming guests with warmth and generosity; a fondness for entertaining; and well disposed toward strangers;” but biblical hospitality goes much further than a mere “fondness of entertaining”. It is seeking to minister rather than impress.

In her book Open Heart, Open Home,(Mainstay Ministries 2005), Karen Mains writes, "Entertaining says, “I want to impress you with my beautiful home, my clever decorating, my gourmet cooking.” Hospitality, however, seeks to minister.

It says, "This home is not mine. It is truly a gift from my master. I am His servant and I use it as He desires. Hospitality does not seek to impress, but to serve.” "

In the original language of the New Testament, hospitality is translated literally, “the love of strangers” (Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words). This is the word Paul used when he wrote to the Roman church urging them to “practice hospitality” (Romans 12:13, NASB).

Thus we are to actively pursue, promote, and aspire to hospitality. We are to think about it, plan for it, prepare for it, pray about it, and seek opportunities to do it. In short, the Romans 12 passage teaches that all Christians are to pursue the practice of hospitality.

It is not an option or a preference—it is a command. Hospitality was one of the defining marks of the Early Church—one that has, I believe, been lost in our busy, overly committed, twenty-first century families and churches; nevertheless, God’s command remains, “practice hospitality”.

Likewise, we are reminded not to “neglect hospitality” (Hebrew 13:2, NASB) but to “be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (I Peter 4:9-10, NASB).

“Expect great things of God as He uses your life and home. No matter what your background, your style of entertaining, or the condition of your house, God can make miracles happen and change people’s lives for eternity!” (The Joy of Hospitality Barbara Ball & Vonette Bright, New Life Publications, 1995). He can use your unique personality, experiences, even your specific geographic location for His purposes. Just make yourself available and begin to practice.

The Boomer Blogger

Secret to Becoming a 5 Star Church

2008-02-09T20:34:00.000-05:00

In the beginning of creating this blog, I fell victim to the longstanding conventional wisdom that in order to bring the Boomers back to church and have them stay , churches should tinker with the mechanics of their services in order to make them "seeker sensitive"..

In his book (Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business), Danny Meyer comments about how many businesses shine brightly when it comes to acing the tasks but emanate all the warmth of a cool fluorescent light. That explains how a flawless five-star restaurant can actually attract fewer loyal fans than a two and three-star place with soul.

Meyer developed the winning recipe for doing the business he calls "enlightened hospitality."

The fact is that there are many churches who have the finest buildings, the most well rehearsed praise music, finely crafted sermons and amazing graphics. The Scripturally mandated opportunity for baptism is there. The ever present baptistry is heated and ready. The elements of communion are always on hand.

Certainly a five star operation by all standards.

Why is it, then, that many potential “5 Star Churches” do very well in getting people in the front door but have problems with the revolving back door??

There is a passage in Proverbs that I believe speaks to this situation: ”A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in baskets of silver” (Proverbs 25:11).

A church may have all of the “5-Star” elements present (apples of gold) but if we do not place these elements in a proper setting (baskets of silver) they will have very little meaning to guests and members alike.

That basket of silver is simply hospitality.

The Boomer Blogger

No One Pointed

2008-02-05T19:45:00.000-05:00

Several years ago, my wife and I spent 4 nights at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia.

www.thehomestead.com). It was one of the most unbelieveable experiences we have had in our marriage.

When we checked into the resort, the female concierge at the desk walked us all the way to our room. Every other place we’ve ever stayed simply pointed in the direction of our room or pointed to a very confusing map and expected us to wander around by ourselves.

After a couple of days, I noticed a pattern: Every time I’d ask where something was, the person would leave their post and take us to the desired destination. This small gesture was huge to me.

At the end of every conversation I had with a staff member, they always asked the same question: “Is there anything else at all I can do to serve you?”

In most places, if you ask for something, the answer might be “Yes,”… and then the conversation’s over. The people at this resort were always looking for additional ways to serve.

What they didn't know was that we had not paid for our visit. It was a gift to us. We were there without spending a cent($400.00 a night). It was by the grace of another that we were there. We couldn't afford it. We didn't even know it existed.

It didn't matter to the staff. They treated us as though as we belonged there. Sounds like something someone else did for all of us, doesn't it??

When someone walks into our churches, they don’t have a clue where to go. Instead of pointing towards the room for two-year-olds or toward the bathroom or toward the small group booth, we should stop what we’re doing and walk them all the way to where they’re going. Who knows? We might make a difference… or even make a new friend.

The Boomer Blogger

Angels Unaware??

2008-02-05T02:11:00.000-05:00

When has the Lord come to us in the presence of strangers, passers-by, sojourners, and visitors? Did we go "out of our way" to welcome them? Did God speak to us through them? Did we find good news by welcoming someone with whom we were strangers? Or did we miss it because we were preoccupied with our own concerns, good though they may indeed have been?

It is very clear that in God's eyes the way the faith community treats people (especially those who are strangers) is extremely important to him. In fact, it is clear from Scripture that hospitality is a moral obligation and an expression of gratitude for God's graciousness in accepting us. God may indeed use opportunities of hospitality to speak to us. What would God think if he visited our church? What does God think when he does visit our church in the presence of someone we don't know, or someone who is different than we are: strangers, sojourners, refugees, and visitors?

Questions:

1. Describe a situation in which you were the stranger. Was it a good or bad experience for you? Why?

2. Who are the strangers in your church's neighborhood? Who is welcome and who is not in our community of faith?

3. How could you and your church show strangers hospitality? Can you name three specific suggestions?

4. Think of ways in which you and your family can make newcomers feel welcome when they visit your home, your church, your community.

5. When has God used a stranger to bring a "Word from the Lord" to you?

6. Have you ever been the stranger to a faith community and brought a word of good news to them? Describe the experience

The Boomer Blogger

Lesson In Hospitality

2008-02-05T02:06:00.000-05:00

In chapter 18 of Genesis. Abraham is sitting in the heat of the day at the entrance of his tent, hoping to feel a gentle breeze to soften the heat of the desert sun. Three strangers appear, and immediately Abraham welcomes them and prepares a meal for them so they can be refreshed.

He said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way--now that you have come to your servant.

This is partly the behavior of Bedouins who know the importance of hospitality in the middle of a long journey across a wilderness. But it is also the natural reaction of a man who is aware of the graciousness and hospitality of his God, and his need to reflect that spirit in his own life. He has learned to treat others the way he would have others treat him. And so within moments bread is baking and the fatted calf is being roasted, and the strangers are soon refreshed and strengthened for their journey.

Then the surprise: these strangers then bring the Word of God to their host and hostess. One of them tells Abraham that the next time he passes by, a year from now, Sarah will be pregnant. The "word of the Lord" came through the strangers who appeared at the home of one of God's people. We can't help but wonder what would have happened if Abraham would have given them the cold shoulder, been indifferent to their needs, and simply pointed them toward Sodom. Centuries later the writer of Hebrews put it this way: Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it (Hebrews 13:2).

The Boomer Blogger

Hospitality's Purpose

2008-02-05T00:16:00.000-05:00

The purpose of hospitality is to prepare a welcoming space for encounters with God’s word. It’s not that God’s word cannot be heard in barren, inhospitable places or circumstances. God is not so limited, but we are. God can speak in any situation, but we, frail creatures, cannot always hear.

The Bible witnesses to the struggle of the Hebrews in the wilderness where they were so preoccupied with the lack of creature comforts that they constantly complained against God and Moses. To keep their attention, to keep them moving, to keep them faithful, God often found himself preparing dinners of manna and quail. Only then, when fed, could they hear the word. So it is with us.

Faith communities are rediscovering the theology of hospitality. As congregations change, many have been forced to reclaim this wisdom as old as Abraham. The image is one of the local congregation as a mission outpost instead of a family chapel. These congregations no longer lukewarmly welcome visitors, but enthusiastically expect them. Instead of simply trying to fit them in, these congregations plan for the stranger.

If the theology of hospitality is to create a welcome environment where the word of God is more easily heard and understood, then we must always be attentive to what people need so that their eyes, ears, hearts and minds are open to the Spirit of God.

Gospel hospitality will not allow people to starve physically or spiritually. True welcoming is more interested in the needs of the guest than the preferences of the host. It’s something to keep in mind when entertaining those angels unawares.

The Boomer Blogger

Hospitality Theology

2008-02-04T20:10:00.000-05:00

Hospitality is an art form. Along its spectrum we all fall somewhere between Martha Stewart and the person who has the pizza place listed on the speed dial. We might shrug off the matter of hospitality styles as an unimportant detail of life except that there appears to be a theology of hospitality at work in scripture.

Prime examples of this theology are found in the narratives of two dinner parties: one by the oaks of Mamre and the other in the village of Bethany. Abraham and Sarah spontaneously entertain strangers who appear suddenly during their afternoon nap. Mary and Martha entertain their friend Jesus. They know that he is known as a personality, and even talk sometimes about whether or not their friend could be the Messiah promised to God’s people. He is a friend whose presence makes the hostess dust off the good china and polish the silver.

Theologically speaking, hospitality is vital. Not because of the food -- how much there is and what is served is inconsequential. A little unleavened bread and a cup of wine will do in most cases, because what truly brings us together is the word.

During the eating and the drinking al fresco at Mamre and around the table at Bethany, God’s word is shared. The strangers (who the reader knows are God and angels) come to dinner to deliver a message: God promises Abraham and Sarah that the barren will rejoice. At dinner, Jesus shares the promises of God with Mary that the lowly will be lifted up, the dead will be raised, the blind will see and the hopeless given hope.

Genesis 18:1-10a; Colossians 1:15-28; Luke 10:38-42

The Boomer Blogger

The Transforming Power of Hospitality In The Church

2008-01-30T21:08:00.000-05:00

In Danny Meyer’s book on the “transforming hospitality of business”, Meyer uses an illustration of a light bulb with the goal to attract as many moths as possible:

“Now what if you learned that 49% of the reason moths were attracted to a bulb was for the quality of its light (brightness being the task of the bulb) and 51 percent of the attraction was to the warmth projected by the bulb (heat being connected with the feeling of the bulb).

It’s remarkable to me how many businesses shine brightly when it comes to acing the tasks but emanate all the warmth of a cool fluorescent light. That explains how a flawless four-star restaurant can actually attract fewer loyal fans than a two- and three-star place with soul.

In business, I want to be overcome with moths....." 1

As church leaders and members, we need to reflect on this illustration. We must be a scintillating string of one-hundred-watt light bulbs whose product is the sum of 51 percent feeling and 49 percent task.

If we do, we will realize that very often we focus so much on the tasks (brightness) that we are oftentimes simply "blinding" people who we should be attracting with "warmth" or the feeling that we engender in people in our encounters with them.

In the church, I want to be overcome with moths

1 Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business Danny Meyer: Harper Collins 2006

The Boomer Blogger

The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business

2008-01-30T20:12:00.000-05:00

At age twenty-seven, Danny Meyer, with a good idea and scant experience, opened what would become one of New York City's most revered restaurants-- Union Square Cafe.

Little more than twenty years later, Danny is the CEO of one of the world's most dynamic restaurant organizations, which includes eleven unique dining establishments, each at the top of its game. How has he done it? How has he consistently beaten the odds and set the competitive bar in one of the toughest trades around?

In his book(Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business), he shares the lessons he's learned while developing the winning recipe for doing the business he calls "enlightened hospitality."

This innovative philosophy emphasizes putting the power of hospitality to work in a new and counterintuitive way: The first and most important application of hospitality is to the people who work for you, and then, in descending order of priority, to the guests, the community, the suppliers, and the investors. This way of prioritizing stands the more traditional business models on their heads, but Danny considers it the foundation of every success that he and his restaurants have achieved.

Some of his other insights:

Hospitality is present when something happens "for" you. It is absent when something happens "to" you. These two simple concepts-- "for" and "to"-- express it all.

Context, context, context, trumps the outdated location, location, location.

Shared ownership develops when guests talk about a restaurant as if it's "theirs," That sense of affiliation builds trust and invariably leads to repeat business.

Err on the side of generosity: You get more by first giving more.

Wherever your center lies, know it, name it, believe in it. When you cede your core values to someone else, it's time to quit.

English 101 : Pay Attention To The Prepositions

2008-01-29T20:33:00.000-05:00

“Hospitality is present when something happens for you. It is absent when something happens to you. These two simple concepts—for and to--express it all.” 1

I have been thinking about this one a lot lately: How much of church life is experienced by the average, ordinary person out there as “to” instead of “for” them? We do stuff “to” people all the time? We preach to them, we sing to them, we make announcements to them?

How much different would our ministry be received if everything we do was “for” ministry? A pastor friend of mine said something like this to me years ago, though I never thought of it as practicing “hospitality” at the time. He said, “We don’t preach “to” a people, we preach for them. We offer the word of God to give expression the work of the Spirit at work within a community of faith.”

In what ways can all that we do as Christians be experienced by people as our being “for” them, the way God gave his life “for” them? What would it mean for us to express our ministry in a way that makes everyone who comes in contact with us feel as if “these people are for me, they are on my side?”

1..Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business Danny Meyer: Harper Collins 2006

The Boomer Blogger

New Testament Hospitality : Part 3

2008-01-29T02:22:00.000-05:00

In the New Testament, three apostles write repeatedly about the importance of hospitality (Rom 12:13; Heb 13:2; 1 Pet 4:9; 3 John 1:5; 1 Tim 2:3; Tit 1:8). But it is Jesus who lifts the importance of hospitality to a divine level.

“Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in…Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”
(Matthew 25:34-36, 40)

These principles of Christian hospitality have been practiced since the time of Abraham, but in the modern age the church abandoned the traditional language of loving strangers in favor of a new dialect. We called it “seeker sensitivity.” The seeker church movement has taken the Abrahamic idea of hospitality (host first, ask questions later) and reversed it.

Now, thanks to the influence of business practices and marketing, the church tries to discover everything possible about its target guests and then hosts according to their predetermined expectations. The result has been a radical shift in the way Christians worship and express their devotion to Christ and a dehumanizing of Christian hospitality.

Old Testament Hospitality : Part 2

2008-01-29T02:14:00.000-05:00

In Genesis 18, Abraham went out to greet three strangers. He took this idea of hospitality a step further. When the visitor is an ordinary person of equal rank, the host merely rises. But Abraham welcomes the strangers by bowing low to the ground and he offers himself as their “servant” even though he was a very wealthy man with servants of his own.

Abraham asks no questions. He expects no payment. He places no conditions upon his hospitality. He merely welcomes these total strangers as honored guests worthy of his very best food, effort, and attention. Only later, after the strangers have eaten and rested, does Abraham engage in conversation and discover their true divine identity.

Throughout the Scriptures we find that God is concerned with the treatment of strangers. He commands his people to act fairly toward strangers (Exodus 22:21), to provide food for them (Leviticus 19:10), and to love them as one of their own (Leviticus 19:34).

The Boomer Blogger

Market Analysis vs Scriptural Principles : Part 1

2008-01-28T23:05:00.000-05:00

Market research has replaced the Scriptural call to love strangers. As a result, the responsibility to be hospitable is no longer felt by individual members of the church. Every aspect, including the music, sermon, and worship service, has been test-engineered to do the job instead.

Market analysis has also shown that (many, some, few) people prefer to visit a church anonymously. Since such analysis cannot be wrong. seeker-driven churches have often avoided identifying newcomers. Jesus may be among us in the form of a stranger, but we would never know it unless he filled out a response card.

This radical hospitality means a return to the Abrahamic principle of “host first, ask questions later.” Rather than trying to determine our target audience’s desires in advance, we should welcome strangers indiscriminately into our midst and honor them by authentically revealing who we are.

As St. Chrysostom, the 4th century pastor, said, “Hospitality is not manifested in the richness of our fare, but in the generosity of our attitude.”

The Boomer Blogger

New Language before New Paradigm

2008-01-28T20:40:00.000-05:00

If we are going to be able to capture the attention of the 555,000 boomers (374,000 who are unchurched or church alumni) who are about to retire in the greater Cincinnati area, those of us who are active members must learn a new language.

There are no CDs or DVDs needed to learn this language. This language we must learn is the language of hospitality. Learning this language will allow us to love the unknown people in our area and, by the way, will cause you to love the unknown people in your area also.

In Biblical times, travelers in the desert areas of the Middle East depended on the hospitality of strangers for survival.

There are two rules to learning the language of hospitality:

1. Host first

2. Then ask questions.

Exercising this new language is not dependent on the guest’s identity – only their need.

As an unknown pastor notes: A worshipping community which is radically hospitable to outsiders is appealing to a spiritually-minded generation who can readily spot “spin and marketing.”

The Boomer Blogger

Intergenerational Services

2008-01-22T21:28:00.000-05:00

Storytelling has, for countless centuries, been the primary mode of sharing and passing down information about heritage, tradition, moral decision making, group norms, values and critical thinking.

More often then not, villages were constructed such that dwellings surrounded a central gathering spot. This spot attracted a great deal of commerce and trading as well as important resources such as water, food and company.

Stories were often told in such places on a regular basis. It was common to have various children, parents or elders come to the town center to trade, catch up on the news and listen to the stories.

Often the stories were designed to make the young and old alike think about their lives, consider how to summon goodness, live healthfully and find contentment in one’s life.

These are the very things that a religious community tries to do. Because we rarely have town centers anymore, it is our nature to be more intentional about creating and caring for the communities where we find this kind of company, information and stories. Thus, we’ve built churches.

The Boomer Blogger

Boomer Expectations

2008-01-17T00:44:00.000-05:00

What do baby boomers expect to see in a church?

Answer: high-quality preaching, good music and social groups, says Lyle E. Schaller, an Illinois religious consultant.

Baby boomers also expect big meeting rooms, a quality kitchen, child care, ample parking and clean rest rooms.

Focus on the Family, July, 1999, p. 11

The Boomer Blogger

New Role For Boomers

2008-01-16T21:43:00.000-05:00

One of the themes that keeps reappearing in my research regarding the coming Boomer Wave is that Boomers want to matter. The work that they do in their middle-ageless years must make an impact that rewards them with a sense of meaning and fulfillment. The mission will be as important as money.

In rejecting the notion of retirement, Boomers are also refusing the role of “retiree”. Having thought of themselves as youthful for so long, they now find themselves psychologically unable to fill those shoes.

Boomers will not retire and, as Gary Sweeten says, they should “Re-fire”. Others use the term “retread”. Re-firing and re-treading are roles they are willing to play.

"Boomers want to stay mentally and physically active and remain connected to others. They believe it is ok to relax as long as doing so is taking a break – not dropping out.

Boomers want a role that preserves possibility, not one that necessitates closure. Not retiring but renewing, resurging and remaining on the scene." 1
****************************
1.Generation Ageless, J. Walker Smith and Ann Clurman, Harper Collins Publishing (2007)

The Boomer Blogger

Blog Bibliography (to Date)

2008-01-16T10:05:00.000-05:00

I would strongly encourage those who are interested in learning more about this demographic phenomenon called The Boomer Wave to read the following books and articles:

Books

Generation Ageless, J. Walker Smith and Ann Clurman, Harper Collins Publishing 2007

Made To Stick (Random House, 2007) Chip and Dan Heath

Ageless Marketing: Strategies for Reaching the Hearts & Minds of the New Customer Majority, David B. Wolfe, Robert E. Snyder, Dearborn Trade Publishing, a Kaplan Professional Company

Exit Interviews, William Hendricks, (Chicago: Moody, 1993), p. 260.

Halftime: Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance by Bob Buford,

Unlimited Partnership by Lloyd Reeb and Bill Wellons

The Power Years: A User's Guide to the Rest Of Your Life (2005) by Ken Dychtwald and Daniel J. Kadlec

Practicing Greatness, Reggie McNeal, Jossey-Bass, 2006

Baby Boomerang: Catching the Boomer Generation As They Return to Church (1990) Doug Murren

The Boomer Century 1946-2046: How America's Most Influential Generation Changed Everything (2007) by Richard Croker

ARTICLES

Pew Research Center, "Baby Boomers Approach Age 60"

One of the most helpful websites I have found for those who want to retool the church's paradigm and develop "sticky" ideas is www.JoshHunt.com. He is a nationally known Christian coach and educator.

"The Case of the Missing Boomers," Ministry Currents, January - March 1992,

Aging Adults: Boomers, Builders, and Beyond, Enrichment Journal, Winter 2002

“Targeting the Mature Mind,” David Wolfe, American Demographics, March 1994, 32–36

Editorial: "Involved Seniors"/It's Time for Boomers to Plan July 5, 2004, Minnesota Star Tribune

Report on "Reinventing Aging: Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement,", MetLife/Harvard School for Public Health,2004

Me Generation' becomes 'We Generation,( USA Today 8/2/2006) by Daniel J. Kadlec,

How can your church reach baby boomers? Steve Mills,Executive Director of Church Ministries,Northwest District,The Assemblies of God,

Churches Neglect Older Folks; Potlucks Won't Do, Lillian Kwon, Christian Post Reporter Fri, Jan. 12 2007

The Church In 2011: Catching The Age Wave, (Lifeway Biblical Solutions for Life, 7/10/06), by Thom S. Rainer

We Want To Know What You Think

2008-01-12T23:39:00.000-05:00

The blogisphere is rampant with blogs that are politically partisan and very controversial. There are others that are bashing Christianity, our nation and the "outdated" values to which my generation subscribed.

The majority of those blogs have a great deal of activity as people who support that particular point of view engage in a dialogue. It seems that, if a blog is not controversial, there is little activity generated.

Dr. Gary Sweeten and I are interested in finding out if your church is:

1. re-tooling for the "Boomer Wave" that is coming our way, and

2. what your church is doing to take advantage of the experience and wisdom of the "Seasoned Believers" in your congregation.

It will take only a minute to leave us a comment to let us know.

Dr. Gary's blog can be found by using the link that is on the right side of this post.

Encourage your pastor and leadership to read our blogs and to enter in to a meaningful dialogue as to how we can deal with the 78 million Boomers on the horizon.

Hope to hear from you. Thanks.

The Boomer Blogger

Developing A Boomer and Pioneer Ministry PT 3

2008-01-10T02:01:00.000-05:00

5. Build your adult ministry on adult motivators.

Marketing researchers have identified reasons older adults buy or don’t buy certain products. Their discoveries are valuable to church leaders who seek to reach this same generation and encourage them to adopt a new lifestyle in the Christian faith and community. According to these studies, older adults are motivated by one of five values which form the foundation of their meaningful activity:1

• Autonomy. They desire to be or remain self-sufficient.

• Social and spiritual connectedness. They respond to people more than programs.

• Altruism. They desire to give something back to the world.

• Personal growth. They desire to continue developing as human beings.

• Revitalization. They respond to activities that bring fresh and new experiences.

Effective older adult ministries of the 21st century will be those that integrate these values and motivators into a creative variety of activities and experiences.

The age wave is swelling. The 60-plus age group is growing three times more rapidly than the population at large. For the first time in American history, there are now more citizens over 65 than under 18.

The age wave is rapidly approaching. Churches that are not prepared will be swamped by the sheer numbers, diversity, and impact of these older adults. If churches are prepared, they will get out their surfboards and catch the ride of a lifetime.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1. For a more comprehensive discussion of these values, see the following article, David Wolfe, “Targeting the Mature Mind,” American Demographics, March 1994, 32–36

The Boomer Blogger

Developing A Boomer and Pioneer Ministry PT 2

2008-01-10T01:48:00.000-05:00

3. Begin with a “Seasoned Believers” ministry, not a senior adult group.

This distinction is important. If you have a senior adult group, you limit potential involvement to those individuals who see themselves as senior adults. Many other adults in your congregation and community will not identify with a senior adult group.

By contrast, if your paradigm is a “Seasoned Believers” ministry, all kinds of groups can develop, many of which would not even be identified as senior adult. A 300-member church could have 10 to 15 various Boomer/Pioneer groups responding to a variety of needs and touching the lives of many more people.

4. Develop a statement of purpose.

A clearly written purpose statement will be the guiding light for a successful older adult ministry. This purpose statement should be accepted by the members and be a yardstick to measure progress regularly. If a clear purpose statement is not established and used early in the ministry, the activities will become increasingly self-serving and self-centered.

Here is one purpose statement developed by an age-sensitive adult ministry. Use or adapt it if it describes the purpose you desire for your adult ministry. If not, create your own.

The adult ministry has as its purpose to communicate and share God’s love to those inside and outside the church family. The assumption behind the adult ministry, the groups, and activities is that they exist for the purpose of serving, not being served; of giving, not receiving.

(#5 in next blog)

The Bloomer Blogger

Developing A Boomer and Pioneer Ministry

2008-01-10T00:53:00.000-05:00

Five principles important to developing a Boomer and Pioneer ministry are:1

1. Train “Seasoned Believers” Coordinators

Success of a “Seasoned Believers” ministry will be directly related to the quality of its coordinators. Coordinators with a genuine love for the group to whom they minister will be the most successful.

In research conducted with 500 churches that had a full- or part-time Boomer and Pioneer ministry staff member, only 20 percent of them had received some training in this area of ministry. They were far more effective—and their ministries were more likely to be growing—than were leaders who had received no training.

It was also found that semi-retired pastors had more positive results as Boomer and Pioneer ministry coordinators if they had awareness of the unique issues and opportunities of “Seasoned Believers” ministries.

2. Get the facts.

Abundant, accurate information properly interpreted and applied enables churches to be good stewards of God’s grace and effective communicators of the gospel of Christ.

What are the actual statistics in your church?
How many members over 50? 55? 60? 65?
What are the age groups in your community?
How many are homebound?
What percentage are male or female?
What are the needs and interests represented in your prospective constituency?

Effective programs and activities will be based on the findings of your research.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1. David Wolfe, “Targeting the Mature Mind,” American Demographics, March 1994, 32–36

(3-4 continued in next post)

The Boomer Blogger

Status Quo Doesn't Bode Well For The Church

2008-01-09T08:56:00.000-05:00

Why isn't the status quo good enough?

It means the old ways of conducting a "senior adult ministry" must be reevaluated. The term senior adult is becoming politically incorrect.

As the boomers inch toward the Pioneer age group(the first boomers turned 50 in 1996), the stigma attached to the word "senior" will make it a liability to effective ministry. When churches offer a "senior" adult program, at most, only 15 percent of church members who are qualified to attend actually attend.

Research shows that most people do not want to be lumped into the senior citizen category. Emerging strategies necessary for effective ministry to Boomers adults have many implications for evangelism and the programming and scheduling of church activities.

The church that is age sensitive will provide a variety of groups to appeal to the diversity of interests, needs, and activities for each age group.

The Boomer Blogger

We Must Change Our Strategery (apologies to President Bush)

2008-01-09T00:36:00.000-05:00

The graying of America provides an enormous opportunity for the church to find effective ways to respond to the challenge of its aging population. But without a major retooling of strategies and tactics, the church will be left behind. What can be done?

Realize that all seniors aren’t seniors. A new generational grouping has emerged in our society during the past generation. Their members are called Boomers and Pioneers and include those people between ages 50 and 70. They are, according to U.S. News & World Report, “a new generation, different not only in size but in vitality and outlook.”

Boomers and Pioneers are living healthier, more active, productive, longer lives. In reality, people of 50 or 65 can expect to live 15, 20, or 30 more years. It is, indeed, their middle years. In their own minds they are certainly not senior adults. We must realize that age makes a difference.

Post-Moderns (30 years old) are different from Boomers (60 years old)—not only in the hair on their heads but the mind inside. Most Boomers and Pioneers think differently from younger adults.

David Wolfe, a knowledgeable researcher and marketer, draws some fascinating contrasts between the Boomer/Pioneer groups and the Post-Moderns: 1

Boomers/Pioneers
• Declining influence by peers
• Declining materialistic values
• More subjective
• More introspective
• High sensitivity to context
• Perceptions in shades of gray
• More flexible
• More individualistic
• More discretionary behavior
• Less price sensitive
• Complex ways of determining values
• Whole-picture oriented

Post-Moderns (Young Adults)
• Heavily influenced by peers
• Highly materialistic values
• More objective
• More extro-spection
• Low sensitivity to context
• Perceptions in black and white
• More rigid
• More subordinated to others
• More predictable behavior
• More price sensitive
• Simple ways of determining values
• Detail oriented
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1. Ageless Marketing: Strategies for Reaching the Hearts & Minds of the New Customer Majority, David B. Wolfe, Robert E. Snyder, Dearborn Trade Publishing, a Kaplan Professional Company

The Boomer Blogger

How Can The Church Benefit From The Boomers Coming Back??

2008-01-08T00:22:00.000-05:00

Isn’t it ironic that in the midst of decreasing resources, many churches don’t realize the hidden treasure inherent in the Pioneer (ages 61- 76) and the Boomer (ages 43 - 60) adult groups of the church?

What are some common church problems that can be solved by these groups if they were active in ministry?

Lack of dedicated workers. These adults, especially in the Pioneer group, average two to three times as many available hours for church-related activities as any other age group.

Financial shortfalls. According George Barna, Pioneer ("Seasoned Believers")** church members give seven times the amount of money than younger members give in the same church.

Members transferring or moving. These two adult groups change addresses an average of once every 12 years compared to the national average of once every 7 years.

Lack of long-term church membership. These two adult groups are loyal and committed to their churches.

Biblical illiteracy. Most of the members in the Pioneer and Boomer groups have a wealth of maturity and wisdom they can share with others.

**"Seasoned Believers" is a Trademark of Sweeten Life Systems

THE BOOMER BLOGGER

Is Your Church Boomer Sensitive?

2008-01-05T23:46:00.000-05:00

Most churches in America are following a course that will miss one of the greatest social changes—and greatest opportunities—in American history: the coming Boomer wave.

Like beach residents who are unaware of the approaching tsunami, many congregations seem to assume the future of the church is its youth. Today and well into the 21st century the more accurate description is: The future belongs to the old.

Of course, as we have said previously, most churches have a token Boomer/Senior adult class, a monthly potluck, a monthly field trip to a nearby outlet mall and a Spring trip to Branson, Missouri. Such approaches, however, are woefully inadequate for the task of reaching and ministering to the rapidly growing community of persons over 50.

"Why are most churches so Boomer insensitive?

Possible reasons are:

Ageism. This discrimination diminishes and demeans age. Unfortunately, it is alive and well not only in our society but also in our churches.

Ignorance. A minuscule number of church leaders have been trained in the unique needs, opportunities, and outreach strategies required for persons over 50.

Irrelevance. Most older adult church groups are still operating on past assumptions. Boomer adults today are far different from their parents or grandparents." 1

1. (Aging Adults: Boomers, Builders, and Beyond, Enrichment Journal, Winter 2002)

THE BOOMER BLOGGER

"But I don't want to go to church!!!"

2008-01-01T21:56:00.000-05:00

"You have to go. You're the Pastor!!"

What is the one of the problems churches are facing in getting boomers back into church?

Boredom.

Here is what Hendricks's study revealed: "Sermons were not very popular among this crowd [who had left the church]. At best, sermons were tolerated; at worst, they were infuriating. Perhaps the most common complaint was that worship services were boring. It was not that these gatherings were not interesting; they were not worshipful."(1)

The number one problem in most churches is boredom. It is not bad theology or poor organization. It is the carefully disguised yawns. A survey done by ministry currents attributed the decline of Baby Boomers attending church to the fact that church is "irrelevant to daily life."(2)

This is not an appeal to be entertaining in our teaching. It is an appeal to be interesting. It is an admonition to be obedient to Titus 2:10, ". . . so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive."

We have failed to make the teaching of our Lord attractive. Consequently, we have lost a culture that is deeply interested in God, prayer and Christianity.

____________________________________
1. William Hendricks, Exit Interviews, (Chicago: Moody, 1993), p. 260.

2. "The Case of the Missing Boomers," Ministry Currents, January - March 1992,

The Boomer Blogger

Extra!! Extra!! Read All About It !!!!

2007-12-31T10:37:00.001-05:00

For Pastors and Church Leaders who really want to learn new strategies and paradigms in order to reach the Boomer Wave that is coming our way, I have three more suggestions for you.

1. Exit Interviews (Moody, 1993) William Hendricks

The author interviewed several people who had left the church to find out why they were no long involved. Very Revealing!!!

2. Made To Stick (Random House, 2007) Chip and Dan Heath

This is a book Dr. Gary Sweeten suggested that I read. It deals with ways to transform the way we communicate ideas. These brothers give us examples of strategies to make these ideas "stickier". The book identifies 6 qualities of an idea that is made to stick.

3. One of the most helpful websites I have found for those who want to retool the church's paradigm and develop "sticky" ideas is
www.JoshHunt.com. He is a nationally known Christian coach and educator.

THE BOOMER BLOGGER

Why Haven't We Reached Them?

2007-12-30T07:49:00.000-05:00

Contrary to much of the evangelical media hype on the secularization of America, we live in a very God-conscious country. Barna found that 7% of the unchurched plan to visit a church this year.(1) Another 33 percent say they would consider returning to church. They are waiting for a friend to ask or for a top quality and interesting offering from a church.

Forty percent of the unchurched population are open to returning to church this year! Two thirds of the unchurched said religion was either very important or somewhat important to them.(2) Most unchurched have attended church regularly in the past. "Eighty five percent of all unchurched adults have had a prolonged period of time during which they consistently attended a church."(3)

Who are these people?

William Hendricks interviewed several of them and told their stories in the must-read book, Exit Interviews (Moody, 1993).

Here is what he found out about those who have left the church:(4)

• They are not saying they want to leave the faith.

• They are not saying they want to leave the church.

I say it again: we live in a culture radically exposed to Christianity and interested in God. Evangelism ought to be shooting fish in a barrel.

Two questions:

• Why aren't we reaching them?

• What can we do about it?

The answer to the first question is as easy as it is unsettling. People came looking for God in our churches and didn't find him. Three-fourths of unchurched Americans describe having a meaningful relationship with God as either very important or somewhat important.(5)

Yet, two-thirds of people who attend church say they do not experience God in their worship services on a regular basis.(6) "What they typically get is an experience with people who talk about and hope to interact with God."(7) It is not that they are not interested. They have come asking. We have failed to deliver. We are like a restaurant where hungry people came looking for food and walked away frustrated and still hungry.
____________________________________
1. George Barna, Evangelism that Works (Ventura, California: Regal, 1995), p. 68.
2. Ibid, page 52.
3. Ibid, page 50.
4. William Hendricks, Exit Interviews, (Chicago: Moody, 1993), p. 258.
5. George Barna, Evangelism that Works (Ventura, California: Regal, 1995), page 57.
6. Ibid, page 58.
7. Ibid, page 58.

The Boomer Blogger

Refreshing Our Memories re : Boomer Wave

2007-12-29T09:04:00.000-05:00

Retiring Boomers Pose Policy Challenge

Starting Jan. 1, every 7.7 seconds a baby boomer will turn 60.

Boomers at a Glance

The sheer size of the baby boomer generation has meant that society in general has had to adjust to its needs, from a school building boom in the 1950s to the counterculture revolution of the 1960s.

A look at who the boomers are:

-- A boomer is any U.S. resident born between 1946 and 1964, when the country saw a bulge in birthrates.

-- More than 75 million adults are boomers.

-- Boomers make up 26 percent of U.S. population.

-- Starting Jan. 1, every 7.7 seconds, a boomer will turn 60

-- The number of retirees will soon be growing much faster than the number of new workers.

-- Average median boomer household income: $60,000.

-- Average median household income: $44,500.

-- 26 percent of boomers expect to live comfortably in retirement.

-- 17 percent say they won't have enough money to cover basic needs.

-- 21 percent expect Social Security to be their main source of income.

-- 33 percent expect to have a more comfortable retirement than their parents' or their children's generation.

Source: Pew Research Center, "Baby Boomers Approach Age 60"

What kind of paradigm does the church offer??

2007-12-27T15:40:00.000-05:00

“In the corporate world, there are two types of partnerships (paradigms):

limited and unlimited.

"In the limited partnership model, the pastor is the general partner who brings the limited partners alongside of him."((Unlimited Partnership by Lloyd Reeb and Bill Wellons)

They have limited roles and virtually no risk but, as limited partners, they are expected to put their money into the organization. These limited roles happen mostly inside the church: small group leadership, Sunday School classes, missions, ushers,greeters, choir director, etc..

There are some areas where the limited partners have no role. An area of some concern among "Seasoned Believers" in many churches is the selection of worship music. The worship music and choruses are touted as "contemporary music". When you have 4 - 5 generations represented in the assembly and the praise and worship part is geared to the youngest group, it hardly represents "contemporary" music to the other 4 generations.

When have you seen the church hand out a questionaire asking you for your 25 favorite worship hymns and choruses?? A friend told me about a funeral he attended where the lady had been a member of large church noted for singing off the wall instead of from the hymn book. However, at her funeral, they sang "It Is Well With My Soul". My question is why didn't they play it when she could still sing it?

"In the unlimited partnership model, the pastor and/or others in leadership, come along side of individuals and help them realize how they can use the gifts and talents God has given them. This realization will motivate them to be purposeful ambassadors for God outside the four walls of the church. He wants us to make eye contact with the world.” (Unlimited Partnership by Lloyd Reeb and Bill Wellons)

Multitudes of this generation want to get out on the playing field. In the Metro Cincinnati area (five counties in SW Ohio, three counties in Northern Kentucky and one county in SE Indiana), the US Census Bureau estimates that there are 555,000 boomers who will finish their first career beginning January 1, 2008.

According to George Barna, Gallup and other researchers, they have estimated that two thirds of them are “unchurched” (that is attending church services less than twice a year).

If they are anywhere close in their estimates, that means there are some 374,000 “unchurched” boomers coming down the “refire” highway.

Whether they retire to the shelf or refire for God will be determined, in large part, by how we in the church receive them .

The Boomer Blogger

Back To Ephesians 2:10

2007-12-26T15:58:00.000-05:00

What is it that I was created to do and what are the things prepared for me?

More likely, it's going to be a portfolio of serving roles. If I stop long enough to listen carefully to God and His call in my life, it's not likely that He has been using all these years in my life just for some kind of drifting period. Instead, it was preparation.

If you look at Acts chapter 7, it gives us an incredible fly over of Moses' life. In today's language, we would say he spent his first forty years in Egypt getting his MBA and working his way up through corporate Egypt.

Then at age 40, God tapped him on the heart. He looked up from his desk and, for the first time, he walked out into his community and saw the pain and suffering and the needs around him through a totally different lens.

The passion that God had put deep in his heart to free God's people from their bondage just exploded. We know that he reacted wrongly and he had to go out into the wilderness. In that wilderness experience, his halftime experience, God detoxed him from some of the baggage from his first half. It gave him a time of solitude and reflection to think and listen and then, finally, he encountered God in the burning bush. It was there he got his assignment from God. It is not a coincidence that that's where we get our assignment.

The big deal is not affluence. It's availability. It's stopping to make eye contact with God and to get our assignments from Him. Then we must make eye contact with the world.

It's going to cost us something. There is an ancient writer who wrote this one compelling line – "God doesn't need me, He wants me.".

The reason a life of significance always involves risk and sacrifice is because, frankly, God doesn't need me (or you, for that matter) to show up for His plan to succeed. He wants me. He wants you. He wants to move each of us from the things that have captivated us to a place where we are satisfied to partner with Him in order to change the world one person at a time.

It's going to demand not only the eye contact with God but also the heart contact to get the mission accomplished. Then it will take the courage and the faith to step out. But whatever we do, we must make sure we are fulfilling His mission, His assignment for our lives.

+++++++++++++++++++

This post contains concepts and ideas found in one of the books I strongly encourage you to read:

Unlimited Partnership by Lloyd Reeb and Bill Wellons

Core, Capacity, and Context

2007-12-25T01:30:00.000-05:00

Is there a question that ultimately is the one that sends "Seasoned Believers" off into this pursuit? Is there some burning passion or a cause that begins the process?

It's a great question and the word "process," needs to be noted. This is a journey. It is a process. It is a lot more than a point-in-time statement or idea. Regardless of how we get at it, we need to focus on three simple words –
core, capacity and context.

When we speak of core, we're trying to help "Seasoned Believers" really come to grips with how God has wired them, what their God-given gifts and abilities are, what their strengths are, what's at the core?

Capacity refers more to margin – time margin for giving themselves away. You may ask , "What about the guy who is working or the woman who is working?"

All of that comes into play to determine what kind of time margin each would have for leveraging who they are in other areas.

That's what context is all about – best fit, serving opportunity, one that aligns with what God has wired them to do, so that's really what we're trying to get at.

+++++++++++++++++++
This post contains concepts and ideas found in one of the books I strongly encourage you to read:

Unlimited Partnership by Lloyd Reeb and Bill Wellons

Invest or Divest ??

2007-12-24T22:25:00.000-05:00

The boomers who are finishing their first careers are the most educated, have more wealth and have contributed more to making a difference than any other generation in the history of mankind. Their desire to make a difference has, for many, not diminished.

The “Seasoned Believers” among the boomer generation face a dilemma. The church, by and large, has failed to recognize the boomer wave that is approaching and has not re-tooled to receive them.

Society (including the Churched ( ed. note) does not yet know how to engage 77 million people in rebuilding social capital over a 15- or 20-year span of later adulthood. The demographic phenomenon that makes this vision possible is much too recent for society to have adapted, resulting in what sociologists call “structural lag” (Moen 2003).

It is not simply a question of revamping existing institutions to absorb the boomers when they come. Nor is it only about keeping boomers busy, doing something that interests them in a way that has some marginal social value. Creating the infrastructure that will support and sustain the kind of vision that has been described may require creating new institutions, transforming existing ones,(Cobb and Johnson 2003; Johnson et al. 2004)

Unless the Church changes the current paradigm, we will fail to utilize the life experiences, the talents and the dreams of some 374,000 local “unchurched” boomers.

We had better begin the changes now to allow the Boomer generation, already in the church, to find the “good work which God has prepared for them”. They will not allow themselves to be relegated to sitting on the “shelf”. We are to purposely represent God in our communities.

Will we invest in them or will we divest ourselves of the Boomer Generation??

From Success To Significance *

2007-12-24T09:13:00.001-05:00

Why do so many people react negatively to our writings and talks about staying active and involved as Seasoned Believers? Why is there so much resistance by Boomers and Pioneers when they hear us say, those generations of Believers have the greatest reservoir of talents, gifts and experiences to say nothing of financial resources the world has ever seen?

Maybe they think we are talking in code. Maybe they have been used to hearing Pastors brag on them just to pull them into some activity that the Pastor is interested in. One time a Pastor approached a friend and another fellow about taking, what he termed, a “leading role of great importance” at a Pastors’ Conference he was sponsoring.

They were thrilled to be asked and eagerly wanted to know what he had in mind for them to do. Maybe he wanted them to tell the Pastors about their experiences and ideas. Maybe he had seen their gifts and talents in action and wanted to show case them in front of all these clergymen and they would be in the limelight. No, none of those things were on his list. The very important, highly critical role was to provide the donuts.

Bill Bright is famous for many reasons. One of his slogans was, “God loves you and He has a wonderful plan for your life.” Far too many religious leaders are known by a different slogan. “God loves you and I have a plan for your involvement.”

But God gave us a plan of action that is like that of Dr. Bright’s and it is revealed in Ephesians 2:8-10

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

We are all familiar with verses 8-9. The problem is we stop there.

Very seldom do we include verse 10.

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

It is not our goal to get you to carry out more of our plans. Quite the opposite. We want to help you discover your gifts, talents and call and find a place where you can be involved in activities that fulfill your passion. We want you to find the “Good Works” Paul mentions in Ephesians. God already has them planned out for us so it shouldn’t be so hard.

Most of us have been involved in ministries and jobs to please others. As Seasoned Believers, it is time to find places where that really fits us not just “carry donuts”.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
* Title of this blog posting is taken from a chapter of a book I have encouraged as many as will to read: "Unlimited Partnership" by Lloyd Reeb and Bill Wellons

Also my thanks to Dr. Gary Sweeten for helping me make this posting coherent

Blog Bibliography (to Date)

2007-12-22T10:28:00.001-05:00

I would strongly encourage those who are interested in learning more about this demographic phenomenon called The Boomer Wave to read the following books and articles:

Books

Halftime: Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance by Bob Buford,

Unlimited Partnership by Lloyd Reeb and Bill Wellons

The Power Years: A User's Guide to the Rest Of Your Life (2005) by Ken Dychtwald and Daniel J. Kadlec

Practicing Greatness, Reggie McNeal, Jossey-Bass, 2006

Baby Boomerang: Catching the Boomer Generation As They Return to Church (1990) Doug Murren

The Boomer Century 1946-2046: How America's Most Influential Generation Changed Everything (2007) by Richard Croker

ARTICLES

Editorial: "Involved Seniors"/It's Time for Boomers to Plan July 5, 2004, Minnesota Star Tribune

Report on "Reinventing Aging: Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement,", MetLife/Harvard School for Public Health,2004

Me Generation' becomes 'We Generation,( USA Today 8/2/2006) by Daniel J. Kadlec,

How can your church reach baby boomers? Steve Mills,Executive Director of Church Ministries,Northwest District,The Assemblies of God,

Churches Neglect Older Folks; Potlucks Won't Do, Lillian Kwon, Christian Post Reporter Fri, Jan. 12 2007

The Church In 2011: Catching The Age Wave, (Lifeway Biblical Solutions for Life, 7/10/06), by Thom S. Rainer

Editorial: "Involved Seniors"/It's Time for Boomers to Plan

2007-12-22T01:28:00.001-05:00

July 5, 2004, Minnesota Star Tribune

Can the people who brought America the "designated driver" concept sell the nation on the "involved senior"?

They've announced that they plan to try. For the sake of a society that will be swamped with 60-somethings in only a few more years, they should get lots of encouragement.

The Center for Health Communication of the Harvard School of Public Health and MetLife Foundation announced on June 15 that they are collaborating on a national media campaign aimed at today's senior citizens and the baby boomers who will join their ranks in only a few years. They plan to promote the idea that service to society, through either paid or volunteer work, is the American way to spend one's senior years.

The MetLife and Harvard folks are plotting such a campaign now, for good reasons: The first wave of the giant baby boom generation is just four years away from age 62, the age after which retirement from full-time employment becomes commonplace.
In surveys, many of those early boomers have said they plan to become community volunteers when they leave full-time work. But research has found that people tend to be less likely, not more, to volunteer after retirement than at midlife. What's more, on average, baby boomers have shown less propensity than their parents did at every stage of life to vote, join community groups, give time and money to charity, and otherwise serve their communities.

The boomers' retirement has the potential to unleash "a social resource of unprecedented proportions," the MetLife-Harvard project says -- but only if boomers get hooked on civic involvement. If they don't, society stands to be burdened by retired boomers, not enriched.

Minnesota state demographer Tom Gillaspy said as much when he addressed a Citizens League audience last month: "In part, our future will depend on our ability to break the link between age and dependency. How can we keep senior citizens involved, actively participating in the paid workforce, actively participating in the volunteer workforce? How can we make sure that we will not see a major expansion of dependent populations, but rather of people who are still actively involved, actively participating in our economy?"

The Harvard-MetLife project says part of the answer lies in changing the image of seniors conveyed in the medium the boomers know best -- television. Susan Moses, the project's codirector, said last week that her group will work with the Hollywood creative community to foster positive images of involved seniors in a variety of TV program settings.

The project also encourages organizations that want to put seniors to work in their communities to gear up now to recruit and engage the larger pool that's coming. The project's report, "Reinventing Aging: Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement," offers helpful suggestions, as does Minnesota's own Vital Aging Network. Those resources are available at www.hsph.harvard.edu/chc/ and www.van.umn.edu.

Me Generation' becomes 'We Generation

2007-12-16T14:24:00.000-05:00

Sometime ago I read an article in the USA Today with the above title. It is written by Daniel J. Kadlec, who co-authored The Power Years: A User's Guide to the Rest Of Your Life. In my opinion, this book is the best source of information available on the "new old" in America. For people seeking to reach and engage the Baby Boomer, this book is also a must read.

Kadlec, in the USA Today story, profiles the "new old" in this nation. "Many prosperous Americans are choosing to give while they live so they can control how their money is spent or enjoy watching it do some good. As boomers seek to give something back and stay at work longer, they will begin to blend the two by developing personally rewarding businesses designed to serve the greater good. Like Robert Chambers, 62, who retired to start a non-profit that makes low-interest car loans to the working poor in New Hampshire, and Martha Rollins, 63, who has a furniture company staffed by former convicts in Virginia."

"The challenge is not, as many have argued, how to pay for an aging society. It's how to harness the skills of a vast, willing and able new crop of maturing Americans who want to stay in the game longer, give something back and help cure society's ills. If we can do that, our aging society may pay for itself--and then some."

This is a golden opportunity for the church in America that "gets it" with what some are calling the Encore Generation. But will the church find new ways to "harness the skills" of this massive cohort of mature adults, and find significant ways to "keep them in the game" and impact the Kingdom of God?

Here is another tidbit I saw on the Leadership Journal website:

Fewer Kids Among Us: Children under age 18 made up 26% of the U.S. population in the year 2000. By 2020, that number will decline to 24%. By contrast, at the end of the baby boom in 1964, kids made up 36% of the population. With fewer kids and longer lives, expect greater need for senior adult ministry.

Did you catch that? "Expect greater need for senior adult ministry." People who really get the current demographic in the U.S. are coming to the same conclusions with respect to church ministry. We need to give more focused attention to the Older Adult population in our churches and in our communities.

The Boomer Blogger

The Power Years Part 2

2007-12-16T12:52:00.000-05:00

4. We'll be Wiser about What Matters

"Having climbed much of the mountain, you now have a pretty good view of life. As we accumulate and make sense of life's lessons, most of us have come to appreciate that the joy that money alone brings is fleeting, and that true happiness revolves around love, relationships, and our sense of fulfillment at work and at play.

Most of us reach this basic understanding in our middle years--sometimes precipitated by the death of a parent, our kids leaving home, or the failure of a career or marriage. But for the most part, by the time we're fifty and still young enough to shape our later years, we understand that money, while it's important is not what underlies happiness..."

5. We'll have New Freedoms

"The kids are gone or soon will be. College and house are paid for--well, mostly paid for... In addition to braces and summer camp and all the things you put in your house are largely paid for; you don't need a lot more stuff. With many of your biggest parenting-related financial obligations coming to an end, you'll be endowed with greater freedom to do the things you've always wanted. Meanwhile, your busy schedule is beginning to let up, providing you with a windfall of free time that will let you take on new challenges or pursue hidden passions and long-suppressed dreams."

"And because the economy will want to simultaneously prevent a brain drain and declining consumption by keeping all of us earning and spending longer, it will become easier to stay at work or start a new career. The vacuum of workers maturing means that older adults will be in demand and more able to choose our own schedules, and still remain valuable. With the rise of flextime and part-time schedules and contract and project jobs and job sharing, there are millions of exciting paths for us to explore in the work world--throughout the world. With online universities, we can retrain at home or pursue a life as a writer or artist or some other dream."

6. We'll still have Clout in the Marketplace

"Our huge numbers and often free-spending ways have ensured throughout our lifetime that anyone with something to sell would be inclined to tailor it to our wants and needs. Our demographic and financial wells of influence won't run dry as we mature. We will live longer and healthier and remain active consumers... While we are just 30 percent of the population, we control more than 70 percent of all the wealth and account for more than 50 percent of consumer spending. As we mature and collectively inherit an estimated $20 trillion, we will be as cherished as ever in the marketplace."

"Advertisers will need to break free of their addiction to youth. Many wrongly believe that all adults have already chosen the brands they will stick with for life, while young people have yet to choose their cola, sneaker, cell phone, or whatever. This flawed view will stop paying off; marketers will increasingly come to realize that at fifty or sixty we not only have money to spend but also are eager to ditch our old lipstick for the latest colors. As we age, we will remain interested in new adventures and experiences, and we will spend freely to reach our full potential in the power years."

7. We'll be Open to Change

"Personal growth and self-improvement are the new order, and as this mind-set blossoms, it will open the doors to fulfillment and achievement that might otherwise have been stifled. The world of continuing education may best illustrate the appetites of a generation that loves to learn and grow. Already a thriving adult-education industry has begun to flourish, including magazines, books, audio, video, Internet learning programs, and adult-education seminars, workshops, and courses."

"About forty million adults participate in one or more educational activities each year. As the need to continuously upgrade skills becomes a requirement, lifelong learning will become commonplace. In response, colleges and universities have begun to aggressively pursue adult students. USA Today recounted: 'admission officers and financial-aid directors from campuses across the USA echo the message: Older students are as desirable--often more so--as the traditional 18-24 college crowd. And they're just as eligible for grants and loans as their younger brethren.' Adults, they say are better motivated, usually have educational goals in focus, and have experiences to share with younger students."

I think Dychtwald and Kadlec make a pretty compelling argument for why the remaining years for the boomer aged American are accurately characterized by them as the power years. But at the same time, I wonder who is getting this message out to these very people?

I heard recently about a man who was laid off from a large company that he helped start with two others some 20 years ago. The man is 60 years old, and his company has pretty much told him that his value to the organization is no longer great enough to warrant him staying on the payroll. He expressed to my friend that even though his work culture is telling him that he is no longer valuable, he has never felt like he had more to give in terms of wisdom, expertise, and even energy.

I wonder how many millions of boomers are feeling a similar kind of dissonance.

While the culture is trying to tell them they are finished, they don't at all want to feel like they are. And in fact they aren't. Could it be that this is a prime opportunity for the church to rise up and bring this information out of the closet and thereby affirm to these oncoming millions of mature adults that perhaps the best years of real life and significant contribution are still ahead of them?

Questions to ponder:

How should this information influence the way our churches seek to connect with the Baby Boomers?

What are some of the differences you notice between the boomer and the builder in their perspectives on aging?

What kinds of things might need to change in the way you do ministry with older adults in order to engage the boomer more effectively?

The Power Years

2007-12-16T11:17:00.000-05:00

Ken Dychtwald is known as an expert on the Baby Boomer in the United States. He is a boomer himself, and as a gerontologist he has studied the Boomers for more than 30 years. The thing I like most about him is the fact that he is so positive about the limitless potential of the Boomer. The Power Years--A Users Guide to the Rest of Your Life was published in 2005 by Ken Dychtwald and Daniel J. Kadlec.

It is a must read for anybody who is seeking to engage the Baby Boomers in active church ministry and kingdom building. In the first chapter of the book, the authors make the case as to why the remaining years of life for the "new old" are truly the Power Years. They list 7 reasons:

1. We'll Be Living Longer and Healthier

"We will live longer and grow old later in life than any previous generation. Incredibly, two-thirds of all those who have made it to age sixty-five in the history of mankind are today walking the earth. We are not just living longer; we are also in better health and enjoy greater youthfulness and vitality. There are more 50-and sixty-year-olds running marathons, buying Harleys, starting new careers, going to rock concerts, and getting facelifts than ever before. Our increasing longevity and good health, coupled with our natural desire to remain youthful, are the greatest forces behind the power years...The upshot is that great numbers of people--not just exceptions--are able to work and play as they like far longer than anyone might have expected."

2. The Cyclic Life plan will replace the Outmoded Linear Model

"The landmark New Retirement Survey that he (Dychtwald) directed in 2004 with Merrill Lynch was based on interviews with more than three thousand boomers. The study found that only 17 percent of them said they intended to stop working for pay forever in their next stage of life. A whopping 42 percent reported that they hoped to cycle in and out of work and leisure for extended periods throughout life; 16 percent expected to continue working part-time; 13 percent were planning on starting their own business; and 6 percent fully intended to keep working full-time right through their retirement years."

Incredibly, of the 76 percent who intended to continue working in some fashion, more than half were hoping to do so in a completely new career or line of work!

"Further, when asked why so many wanted to stay involved with work, the overwhelming response was not money. Instead, two of three said the main reason was to stay mentally active. Members of our highly educated and productive generation simply don't want to live a life of intellectual stagnation and mental irrelevance."

3. We'll Have a Big--and Growing Pool of Role Models

Late achievement, while multiplying in frequency, isn't altogether new.

Grandma Moses didn't start painting until she was almost eighty.

Groucho Marx launched a new career as a television show host at sixty-five.

George Bernard Shaw was at work on a new play when he died at ninety-four.

Galileo published his masterpiece Dialogue Concerning the Top New Sciences at seventy-four.

Noah Webster was seventy when he published An American Dictionary of the English Language.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Guggenheim Museum in New York at ninety-one.

Mahatma Gandhi was seventy-two when he completed successful negotiations with Britain for India's independence.

Colonel Sanders was 65 when he began Kentucky Fried Chicken."

"In their day, these remarkable men and women may have been considered highly unusual. But these Ageless Explorers have carved new trails ahead of us and represent the first wave of maturity pioneers. We baby boomers will be next, and we'll turn this thorny trail into a superhighway. "

(More in next post)

The Boomer Blogger

Learning Communities

2007-12-16T01:47:00.000-05:00

For the last month, I have been leading up to the necessity of the church changing much of the old paradigm for a new and basically different one. How are we going to challenge and utilize the hoards of Boomers who will begin finishing their first career beginning Jan 1, 2008.

I want to turn to another aspect of The Boomer Wave. I have looked at the websites of 25 local churches and all 25 had basically the same superficial approach to "Seasoned Believers". They are supposed to be happy with a monthy lunch and a periodic bus ride to far and near.

One website indicated that one of the additional activities available to "Seniors" was to be a greeter. Another website added that they go bi-monthly to a Nursing home.

I was reading Practicing Greatness, Reggie McNeal, Jossey-Bass, 2006 this week. He writes about the value of learning communities. I want to excerpt out some of what he says:

"Increasing numbers of lifelong learner-leaders have either created or joined intentional learning networks. These networks are organic and fluid, based in shared affinities such as a worldview-ministry paradigm and a similar ministry assignment (church leader, staff member, and so on). Some ministry associations provide a learning network for their members as part of the value-added features of membership. Some denominations facilitate the emergence of these networks (learning communities or learning clusters) by providing resources, recruiting facilitators, and convening the networks... "

"Several reasons account for the rise of learning networks. First, smart leaders realize the short shelf life of whatever formal preparation they had for their role. They are aware that a new world poses new leadership challenges across the board, from shifting paradigms to enhancing skills to developing resources to nurturing personal development. Leaders can no longer adequately build knowledge alone; there is simply too much to learn. Privatized learning not only fails in its ability to deliver adequate content; its process is also fundamentally flawed. Collegial learning allows leaders to check their own biases and prejudices, to question their assumptions, to figure out what they don't see that keeps them from learning..."

"The rise of learning networks acknowledges the recent trend of leaders who enter spiritual leadership roles from other careers. These leaders are less likely than their predecessors to put their call on hold for years to go through academic course work and credentialing before engaging in active leadership. These leaders, coming from business and educational backgrounds, are often highly competent and usually highly motivated people who feel a sense of urgency to shift their life work, so they are anxious to be deployed and engaged as rapidly as possible. These leaders bring a boatload of skill and experience to the table. They just want to get with other leader-practitioners to shorten their learning curve and to accelerate their development so they can take on and succeed in their current assignment." (Practicing Greatness, pp. 66-68)

"Learning communities debrief the life and ministry experience of the participants. They challenge each other's biases and decisions. They create knowledge together by articulating an expanded awareness of what is going on in their lives, their ministries, and the world around them."

"There are several approaches to convening these communities. Some meet in the face-to-face sessions of two to three hours once a month, some more and some less frequently. Some communities augment their face time with Internet communication. Some peer-mentoring groups study books together; some retreat together or attend conferences together; others invite resource people to visit their group...No matter the type of learning stimulus, the major learning curriculum is the same: the participants own the leadership of the learning."

The Boomer Blogger

The Boomer and God

2007-12-15T16:21:00.000-05:00

The baby boomer is returning to church. In the 1970s, nearly 43 percent of the people in this age group attended church or synagogue. Today only 33 percent of persons born between 1946 and 1958 attend religious services. But they are not returning to just any church. Jack Simms, a nationally known authority on the baby boom, lists 10 characteristics common in churches that are effective in reaching the baby boom generation:

1. They are open to a spiritual experience.

2. Their Bible teaching stresses practical living.

3. They place a healthy emphasis on relationships.

4. They have fewer titles and less formality.

5. They understand the new family in America.

6. They share their faith by what they say and do.

7. They recognize the ability of women.

8. They place an emphasis on worship.

9. They have a high tolerance for diversity.

10. They are action-oriented.

Simms suggests that the church that wants to reach baby boomers should evaluate itself on a scale of 1-10 in each category listed above.

If the score is:

• 65 or less -- The church needs dramatic improvement.

• 66 to 80 -- The church is not doing badly.

• 81 or more -- Folk will miss the NFL prename show and arrive 30 minutes early to get a parking spot.

Robert Bats adds the following as characteristic of a church that attracts the baby boomers:

1. A strong worship focus.

2. A meaningful educational program for all ages.

3. An orientation toward experience and practical action rather than intellectual and theoretical approaches.

4. A high degree of tolerance and an acceptance of diversity.

5. An emphasis on inclusion, with a particular concern to include women and newcomers in leadership.

6. An informal style that is highly relational

(More later)

The Boomers' Belief System

2007-12-14T11:46:00.000-05:00

The church must understand baby boomers before it can effectively reach and minister to them. In his book, The Baby Boomerang, Doug Murren says there are at least nine aspects of the boomer's belief system that must be understood if the church's ministry approaches and methods are to have any impact on them.

Boomers are not belongers. They are not as interested in membership as they are in participation. They are more interested in the individual than the institution.

Boomers detest formality. They are looking for a church that provides warm, friendly environment for developing relationships, yet is casual and practical in its approach to life. They have a low sense of denominational loyalty and won't tolerate anyone putting guilt trips on them because they are not committed to the institutional church.

Boomers have grown up wanting experience rather than theory. They want to experience life personally rather than be told about it. Their approach to spiritual life is no different. John Naisbitt, in Megatrends 2000, says that the next decade will be a time in which people will seek a "spiritual experience."

Boomers come to church to get something applicable to their lives. They are interested in how-to sermons and teaching. They look for relevancy, not simple, pat answers.

Boomers expect women to be treated as equals and to be given leadership roles. Husband and wife teams in ministry are a great way to help meet this expectation.

Boomers want the contribution of singles to be celebrated and expected. In the year 2000, singles comprised more than 50 percent of the adult population over 18 years old. Churches must accept, understand, and minister to the diversity and needs of singles. The church must be willing also to encourage the contribution of singles to the life and ministry of the church.

Boomers believe that the high level of dysfunctionality within their group needs to be addressed. They have grown up with major life problems: alcohol and drug abuse, broken homes, and sexual promiscuity. One in four women has been sexually abused. Deliverance, recovery, and support groups are part of the healing process. Sunday school classes that function as recovery and support groups should be very effective.

Boomers applaud innovation. They like to try new, adventurous things. They enjoy variety and spontaneity, expect challenge, and despise mediocrity.

Boomers have a sense of destiny. They want to make a difference. They support what they feel will make the greatest impact. They are looking for a cause that is challenging and worthy of commitment. They are active rather than passive in their general approach to life. They are busy and want to stay that way. Time is more important than money to them. Therefore, they will get involved in what they feel is the best use of their time.

How can your church reach baby boomers? Part II (con't)

2007-12-14T11:13:00.000-05:00

"4. Develop active lay ministry involvement. The baby boomer wants to make a difference. These people will give time to things they feel make the most difference. Causes that stimulate action include social problems, children, poverty, abortion, illiteracy, elder care, substance abuse, AIDS, and environmental protection. The Sunday school class can take advantage of these interest areas and use them for ministry and evangelism.

5 Cultivate a casual, informal atmosphere. People are looking for a place where they can be themselves. The Sunday school class can be relaxed, informal, and interactive by using more participation and fewer lectures. Even the way people dress can cause the atmosphere to be cold and formal. Let people know you are more interested in them as individuals than you are about how they dress.................................

The church cannot cater to every whim of the baby boom generation. Yet to ignore or refuse to be attentive to their needs and desires will render the church ineffective. To understand, adapt, and change will help us reach this generation."

How can your church reach baby boomers? Part I

2007-12-14T10:55:00.000-05:00

Steve Mills,Executive Director of Church Ministries,Northwest District,The Assemblies of God, has written a piece that speaks to the need for a paradigm change that is necessary for the church to ready herself for the wave of Boomers that is heading her way.

Here are his words:

How can your church reach baby boomers?

Let me suggest some ways:

"1. Provide multiple options in programs and ministries. Elective classes give options and choices. In a society where people are struggling with major life problems, such as alcoholism, addictions of many kinds and immorality, recovery and support groups provide a positive means to health and growth. Some classes can meet at different times during the week other than the traditional Sunday school time. With a class or group meeting on Tuesday night, as well as the normal Sunday school time, more people might become involved. The traditional concept of church and Sunday school must give way to new methods and approaches to reach this generation.

2. Keep the teaching practical, positive, and personal. The self-help and how-to sections of a bookstore reveal subjects of interest, such as how to have a happier marriage, how to be a better parent, how to manage your money, how to deal with your job and boss, how to deal with life problems and addictions, how to deal with your past successfully, and how to know that the Bible is God's Word. In a world marked by hopelessness, the good news is that Jesus is the answer. But we must present the good news in everyday terms to which people can relate.

3. Provide opportunities for relationships to develop. In an impersonal, high-tech society, people are searching for a place in which they feel loved, cared for, and significant. Sunday school classes need to be structured so people have time to develop significant relationships. This can be done in small group interaction during the class, by fellowship time before class, or by group activities outside of class. Three things can help you have a successful class----a coffee pot, good discussion, and ministry to personal needs of those in the class. These help build a sense of community, a need which this generation feels."

(More in next blog post)

Statistics According to Social Security

2007-12-12T15:55:00.000-05:00

Statistics According to Social Security,

"Over the next 14 years, the number of people over 50 in the U.S. will grow 74 percent, while people under 50 will increase by only 1 percent," according to research conducted by Edwin J. Pittock, president of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 10,000 Baby Boomers are turning 50 every day and the trend will continue for the next 10 years. In 2000, the elderly population increased from 130 million to 419 million over the last 50 years.

More people are living longer which will cause all of the stages of life to shift; fewer children are being born and more older adults are living longer; and many older adults will continue to work long after "the normal" age of retirement.

This will pose several serious problems for the church unless we are willing to make some changes in the culture and operational structure. Any attempt to implement these changes must be handled with care

Paradigm Shift Needed

2007-12-03T15:23:00.000-05:00

Traditional Service 8:30 am Contemporary Service 10:30

Services will be required for “Seasoned Believers” at a time of day suited to their age and state of health. If 8:30 a.m. is the only time this intergenerational service is offered, it disfranchises many elderly people who cannot be up and dressed by that hour, having also coped with essential medication and toiletries. (Allow me a personal note: 8 am is not the best time for many aging bladders!) By way of contrast, most of their grandchildren are still sound asleep in bed and would not appreciate their Youth Service being at 8:30 a.m.

“Seasoned Believers” need such an opportunity – but as a regular feature of church life, not as an occasional special extra!

Participation in Services

“Seasoned Believers” belong to a generation brought up to community singing and, of course, to congregational hymn singing. Not only are they pre-TV, but some are even pre-radio. They sang around the piano in homes, sang hymns and choruses at Sunday School, fellowship meetings, fellowship teas, rallies and the like.

Many of us gathered around the piano in the fellowship hall after an evening service and sang hymns and choruses for an hour or more. Many were members of church choirs consisting of children, youth and adults who practiced and sang hymns, etc (a significant example of intergenerational co-operation and fellowship).

“Seasoned Believers” predate the ‘listening’ culture of the transistor and walkman era, rock concerts, singing groups, bands and soloist, and the un-singable syncopated meters of many modern hymns and choruses. They, therefore, expect to be able to join actively in the singing. Such forms of services are not mere nostalgia or a yearning for sentimental self-gratification, but are a means of spiritual refreshment and encouragement to spiritual growth. They are also essential if “Seasoned Believers” are to have confidence in inviting their peers to evangelistic and outreach services.

By some odd form of logic, the choir singing or a cantata and the very playing of an organ are seen as signs of senile self-indulgence, in fact, almost a form of idolatry. Yet the domination of a service by a band (with strong beat and loud amplification) is an indication of vitality in worship! The value of well planned intergenerational services and social activities from time to time within the total church community will lie in the degree to which they are generationally representative.

The Boomer Blogger

Reconnecting Boomers with the Body of Christ

2007-12-02T13:53:00.000-05:00

Older folk do not seem part of most churches vision for growth. This is despite the fact that are already the fastest growing segment of the community and will continue to be so as ‘Baby Boomers’ begin to join the ranks of the “Seasoned”.

While fully supporting the need to plant new churches - perhaps of an unconventional kind - to attract the unchurched, what about reaching the ranks of the many older folk who are the ‘were-once-churched’?

These ministries are not even mentioned in the vision statements of most churches. If your church’s outreach to this age group is limited to visits to nursing homes (valuable and essential as they are), note that statistics show that over 90 per cent of “Seasoned Believers” are not to be found there! They want more than a couple of bus trips and a potluck each month.

We seem to have forgotten that in their childhood and youth, a goodly percentage of both the older and the newer band of “Seasoned Believers” attended Sunday School.

This is particularly true of the Baby Boomer generation who, in the two post-war decades, were the catalysts of the building of many Christian Education Centers in churches. They were also in home Bible studies, and participated in youth groups, fellowship teas and evening services, house parties, camps and rallies, as well as sporting teams under the auspices of the churches.

As they approached adulthood, the rapid secularization of our society in the 60s and 70s presented them with competing influences, interests, activities and commitments that left no time for God or church-related activities.

However, not all their earlier contacts had been negative. In many cases there is a reservoir of positive experiences and good relation-ships waiting to be tapped. For many, in the absence of a genuine Christian commitment or parental example, it was not a matter of conscious rejection, as much as neglect in the face of attractive alternatives – and those attractions no longer apply today.

Those who are invited to ‘come back’ to church often find nothing that accords with their memory, nothing familiar, nothing they recognize and not even one hymn or song or chorus they can even follow, let alone attempt to sing!

As quoted in the September 2006 Southern Cross: “New research by the Southern Baptists indicates many Boomers are profoundly nostalgic. Among ‘de-churched’ Boomers, it was found that a significant number would return to church if it resembled the church of their 1950s childhood.”

In order to be “seeker friendly”, many churches began to change their worship service to what they called “contemporary worship” with contemporary songs, contemporary music and contemporary worship bands.

What they did not realize that “contemporary” is an ever moving target like the simplistic computer game “Duck Hunt”. The definition of contemporary is “happening, existing, living, or coming into being during the same period of time”. What is going on in most churches today is not contemporary to the “Seasoned Believers”.

If it is appropriate to hold services that are specially designed to appeal to youth or to young families, with their kind of music and message, why not for “Seasoned Boomers”?

Any evangelistic outreach to this potential harvest field must include "Seasoned Believers” in the planning and execution.

Most churches provide services that cater for the sub-culture of youth and of young families, but services suited to the sensitivities, interests and learning needs of “Seasoned Believers” are equally as essential. In any case, many older Christians with hearing aids are physically unable to attend some modern services!

Moreover, if “Seasoned Believers” are to continue to grow and mature in worship and fellowship, being restricted to an 8 am service is not the answer.

I do have some suggestions. (more later)

The Boomer Blogger