We need to be considerate of other generations

There are things that happen in the life of a church in which the staff need to address.  Some of these things involve changes to the way things go or happen in the life of the church.  

Many times in these conversations I hear a voiced concern that we ought to be careful not to leave anyone out as we make changes.  If someone does not have a computer or email then we have to be careful to make sure that even those people keep getting notifications and publications by standard mail.  

I get it.  We do need to be considerate of generations. 

The problem I have with this "consideration" is that it is really care for one generation at the expense of others.

While we are slow to adopt new technologies and changes, for fear of leaving behind some in an older generation, we are also loosing the young generations who look at cumbersome changes as un-engaging and ill-relevant.  

It seems as though young generations are asked to tolerate the slow changes and status quo for the sake of others, but I do not see much reciprocation from other generations.  Not upsetting one generation becomes the expense of losing another generation.  

So yes, we do need to be considerate of ALL generations.  

Alternate idea for Children's church

My son is 2 and 1/2 years old and my wife is a preacher in Arlington.  Jude, our son, is as active as any other kid his age and he has that overwhelming stigma to overcome of being a DOUBLE preacher's kid.  Here is a picture of him in worship a few Friday nights ago.

He sits by himself next to Mrs. Virgina Thompson who is a saint of AHUMC.  Literally he sits there the entire time and I am not even around.  

It got me thinking about how much I appreciate the fact that AHUMC does not have "Children's Church" during worship.  

Each week my son sits with a saint of the church (either at AHUMC or at First Arlington UMC) and participates in worship.  He has different models around the church, not just his parents, guiding him and helping him.  Notice Mrs. Virgina holding the song sheet for Jude to see.  He does not sing just yet (his daddy is not much of a singer either), but she sits with him and shows him "how we worship" together.  

I was thinking what if at church we had parents partner up with older adults to sit with children and model "worship" for these little ones?  I know my son is much better "behaved" for others and follows others better than for Estee or me.  What if children were being mentored in worship by saints of the Church each week?  What if parents sought out mentors for their children (such as Mrs.Virginia) to help them grow in the faith?  What if all parents were as active in our children's faith development as we are in their soccer development?

Anyway, in case I never said it before, I thank God for Mrs. Virgina.

Who are mentors to you or your kids?

Generational gap - revisited sort of.

While reading the book The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life by Richard Florida I ran across several quotes which I thought were greats. However, this quote instantly connected me to a previous conversation which took place here on this post.

The author of this book writes about the different worldview and values of what he identifies as the “creative class” which is budding in the United States and which, he forecasts, will be the dominate group of people in the USA.

On of the characteristics which Florida identifies with this “Creative class” is the value of diversity. He writes that “When they [members of the “creative class”] setare sizing up a new company and community, acceptance of diversity and of gays in particular is a sign that reads “nonstandard people welcome here.”

This is a good way of putting what I feel is being expressed by my peers and what I hold as a personal value as well. Maybe this is why my peers and I, in many ways, do not talk much about or think about homosexuality being a sin because it reflects an underlying value – diversity. That is to say, if homosexuality is a sin then being different is a sin.

This book is a fantastic read and does not talk about theology at all. It is a cultural study of sorts and one for which (and I know several of you people out there will shrill when I say this) I resonate with deeply. It speaks to my situation and position in life it reflects the values for which I hold in many regards. If you are looking to understand some of the people in your life whom you think are ‘lazy’ or ‘odd’ or just plain ‘different’ and cannot understand why the young people of today are the way they are – then you should check this book out.

Generational gap???

Over the past several weeks I have encountered people who share with me issues that are near and dear to them. I understand that we all have different passions and callings and we all have different things that give us energy. However, I read something the other day which made me think.

The author shared that he overheard a conversation about ordination of practicing homosexual. One of the two people in the conversation which the author overheard said, “That’s your generation’s issue. We’re way past this.”

That struck me as an ‘ah-ha’ moment. This might be at the heart of several conversations I have had with the people who have shared their passionate issues. So, I began to think about some of the issues which I do not perceive as issues to my generation but seem to be issues to other generations. Then I began to think of issues of my generation.

These are very broad and not scientific, but I add these thoughts to the conversation.

“Your generation” issues:

Homosexuality

Universal Truth

Hell/Heaven Dichotomy (soul sorting)

Liberal/Conservative (Red/Blue)

Community as face to face time

Women in ministry

Pro-choice/Pro-life

“My generation” issues:

Ecology

Bioethics

Fair Trade

Innovation

Health Care

Rebuilding things

Pluralism

Secularism

Global Village creation