Posted: Feb 6
Stewardship with the Baby Boomers
By Generations & Stewardship
This is the third in a series that discusses William Strauss and Neil Howe’s theory of generations in American history, and its implications for stewardship. Click Here to read Part One: Generations of Faith. Click Here to read Part Two: Stewardship with the GI Generation. Click Here to read Part Three: Stewardship with the Silent Generation.
The Baby Boomers may be the most famous generation in American history. Born in record-breaking numbers after World War II, they transcended boundaries, created new rules, and pushed and pulled the country into new ways of thinking. The largest generation ever to be born in America at the time their birth (though they have since been eclipsed by the Millennials), their numbers have led to outsized focus on their age group throughout their lives.
In contrast to the usual dates for Boomer births, 1946-1964, which are often quoted in the press, William Strauss and Neil Howe determined that the generational cohort they call the “Boomers” was born during the years 1943-1960, believing that it is not the sheer number of children born during a time period that creates a generation with a common outlook, but rather the life experiences they share. People born between 1943-1960 were too young to remember World War II and its sacrifices, but for most of them, the assassination of John F. Kennedy is etched in their memories.
Consider the world the Boomers grew up in. Their GI Generation parents created a safe, prosperous world. Institutions such as the church, government and the education system were stable. Rule-respecting GI parents wanted the best for their children, and encouraged them to express their individuality. Music and arts programs flourished in schools; alternative methods of education began to gain ground.
In an adult world of conformity, people were astonished when these youngsters’ search for meaning began to boil over in youth-led discontent. In contrast to the focused discipline of Silent Generation change leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., younger Boomer rebels experimented. Drugs, spiritual awakenings, communal living – all were part of a larger search for meaning.
The church, associated as it was with the established, stable world of the Boomers’ childhood, was not seen as a leader in a search for spiritual meaning, and religious traditions lost ground. Boomers were not interested in tradition so much as in truth, and their individuality, cultivated in their childhood, led many to decide that they could determine truth on their own, based on what felt right.
The Boomers form the bulk of our current leadership generation, in the church and in the political world. Their ways of looking at the world and relating to other people have become prominent. They are no longer rebels in the same way as when they were young, but other characteristics have remained the same. Ever wonder why politics is so polarized? Why disagreements in the church have become lines in the sand, leading to bitter splits between rival factions? The old, genteel, back-room gentlemen’s agreements of the Silent Generation have given way to the Boomers’ black-and-white insistence on absolute truth and justice, however they define it.
Boomers still seek truth; they have established new paradigms for congregations; they do not hesitate to criticize in their quest to create something new and better. They are idealists. They critique stale social order and seek personal spiritual experiences. They want vision, inspiration, and transformation.
In talking stewardship with Boomers, it is first helpful to understand who they are. No longer the rebels of their youth, they tend to be married or partnered, 2-career families with grown children. They seek personal meaning in their work life as they do everywhere else, so they work very hard. Time is more precious than money to them; they are less likely than older generations to come to a church-wide stewardship event. Respect their time, and tell them the things that are important for them to understand.
What Boomers generally want to understand is the vision – not the budget. How does your stewardship appeal relate to their quest for spirituality and personal meaning? How does it help them become better disciples of Christ? And, for the church, what is the vision? What are you trying to accomplish? Draw big, inspiring brush strokes; paint a picture of spiritual inspiration and transformation.
When talking to Boomers, stress ways the church can make a difference, in causes such as helping the environment, teaching children, and alleviating poverty. Meet them near their offices for coffee or lunch – they are less likely than older folks to want you to come to their house for a visit. Let them express their opinions – they have many, and they are valuable and transformative. Above all, stress the spiritual benefits of a community that can bring a fuller meaning to life and work.
The Rev. Susan B. Snook is Vicar and Church Planter of the Episcopal Church of the Nativity, Scottsdale, Arizona, and is also a member of the TENS Board of Directors.
