The One’s Who Built Our World
Inter-generational ministry matters. We saw that last week. God’s design for ministry is for it to be inter-generational and for the Church to be made up of people of all ages and backgrounds. To serve all generations, we need to understand the different generations that make up churches.
The first generation we will look at is the Builders or the Silent Generation. This generation comprises people born between roughly 1922-1946. This generation is the most experienced generation that we will find in a church. I want to be extremely clear- we are going to talk in broad generalizations. Some Builders will perfectly fit these descriptions, and there will be people who have nothing in common with this. Our goal is just to identify trends that we see in this generation.
Many different things influenced the Silent Generation, but some notable events that they witnessed include World War 2, for all but the youngest of this generation, the Cold War, and many cultural changes.
Jay McChord, a Christian speaker and trainer on the dynamics of different generations, emphasizes how this generation tends to emphasize rules. This is a generalization and is not true at all times, but it is a trend that demographers have found.
This generation must be anything but silent in the Church today. Instead, Christians must see the important lessons that this generation has and can pass down. The Silent Generation has so much wisdom, and they have invaluable life experience. It is important to seek out that wisdom.
In 2 Timothy 2:2 we read, “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” This is an important example of discipleship and how discipleship starts with lessons being passed down. The Builders have many lessons that they can pass down. We need to be quick as Christians to learn from their experience and what they have seen.
But what about a Builder who is not saved? How can we reach them effectively? One way would be to talk about the consistency that we have from Jesus. See, Jesus never changes. The Builder generation has seen many changes. But the one constant is Jesus.
Another effective way to share the Gospel with a Builder would be to talk about how Jesus perfectly creates the best rules ever. Jesus’s rules are perfect and will never fail. They will always perfectly lead us, and they are entirely holy.
As I said at the beginning, every person is different, so not all of these thoughts are going to work for all people, but we must consider the different generations that we find in the Church to effectively minister to everyone. What are your thoughts about the Builder or Silent Generation? I would love to hear them!
Pastor Daniel