Psalm 145:4 says, “One generation will commend your works to another.” David, the writer of this Psalm, understood that it is imperative for one generation to pass on the stories of God’s miraculous works among them so that the next generation will not forget how they have arrived on the scene. But I believe David had a unique perspective on the reverse effect of generational impact when he, as a young man, made a profound impact on an old war.

In his youth, after slaying the lion and the bear, David embarked upon the defining moment of his life as he picked up five smooth stones out of the stream. He had been sent to the frontlines of the battle by his father, Jesse, to deliver bread and cheese and to check on his three older brothers. His visit was met with resentment but David was not deterred. He had heard with his own ears this uncircumcised Philistine defying the armies of the living God. Courage came over him for God’s reputation needed to be defended. He saw the situation a bit differently than his older, more experienced brothers.

Hearing of David’s disdain for Goliath, King Saul sends for David and promptly lectures him on his deficiencies: “You’re too young, you have no fighting skills and by the way, Goliath has been a warrior in training since he was your age!” David pleads with Saul who responds by placing his own armor on the young, skinny and overly optimistic David. Clunky and oversized, the armor does not work for David since he is a shepherd. This leads us to the stream where David picks up these five smooth stones. The rest is world-wide known history!

Across the landscape of our nation we see a lot of each generation declaring God’s work among themselves, but not enough commending of God’s works from one generation to another. We’re pretty good at marketing to our niche demographic groups but maybe not so good at sharing God’s great deeds in a cross generational way.

We need many more older and seasoned believers who will be willing to mentor and encourage the gifts in our young men and women but without putting their own armor on them. We also have a generation of young David’s who are ready to fight alongside their older more experienced brothers if we will only invite them, embrace them and dare I say, learn from them.

We must all look at the future of how the next generation will take hold of leadership within the American Church and necessarily change it. How well this transition happens depends on how well we obey Psalm 145. Here are five values we must embrace that may help us slay the giant that keeps the generations apart. Think of them as five smooth stones.

Five Smooth Stones

1. Family

In our divorce culture the idea of family is more important than ever. Building healthy, strong and secure family churches means inviting every age to participate. Contrary to some opinions, I believe that one of the greatest desires of the Millennials is to belong. They want to be rooted, connected and celebrated within a family. If we will see our churches as families instead of consumer warehouses, we’ll produce better materials, creativity and solutions in the Church.

1. Cooperation
   

I’ve seen many college groups and young adult ministries splitting off from a more mature and established church to build their own churches. Instead, I believe the Church needs to adopt a symbiotic relationship between older and younger believers to accomplish all that God wants in this generation. Consider this. Wouldn’t it be incredible if we could take the maturity, wisdom and resources of age and put them together with the energy, enthusiasm and creativity of youth? This kind of synergy would result in making the church more relevant than ever.

1. Innovation

The most significant impact the millennials may have on the church of tomorrow may be their technological creativity. In a placeless society where virtual reality is a way of life, we’re going to see more innovation in the way the church connects, communicates and creates community. Instead of resisting, the older generation must embrace new ideas while bringing their wisdom and experience to the table. The Church needs a new way of innovating and it includes more than just one generation.

1. Respect

In order for there to be cooperation and innovation shared between the generations, their must be mutual respect. It begins with a healthy respect for heritage and history. Those who ignore history are bound to repeat it. However, the older generation must respect their younger co-laborers by allowing them to have input, leadership and a place at the table where new ideas and creativity can continue to improve our effectiveness as the Church.

1. Humility

1 Peter 5:5-6 says that young men should be submissive to those who are older but in the next breath says that all of us should clothe ourselves with humility. This means none of us can afford to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. We must not buy into the lie that those who are older have nothing to offer the new landscape of ministry, nor can we afford to dismiss our younger siblings because of some perceived youthful idealism or inexperience. We can all learn something if we’re willing to be humble.

As I listen to what the next generation of young leaders is saying, I sometimes feel like I’m in a time warp. At 42 years old, I’m classified as generation X, but I’m old enough to see many similarities between the Jesus movement of the 1970’s and what our young brothers and sister are saying about the church today. Our “Boomer” parents were the first to come up with “Church, our way!” rejecting the rigidity of Christian tradition in America. They were also rejected by the established mainline denominations as long-haired hippies, but with their massive population numbers they began to dominate the cultural landscape.

As the first generation of Jesus Freaks, they hungered for authenticity and a genuine demonstration of God’s power. They created their own church culture, unencumbered by tradition and powerlessness, which morphed into the mega-church movement of the 80’s and 90’s. Incredibly, we may be repeating history.

In one sense, we must not make too big of a deal over the changes we’re experiencing in the Church in America. I mean, let’s face it, there is practically no surprise in a college sophomore thinking he’s stumbled onto a new idea that no one has ever thought of before, only to realize a few years later that every generation has wrestled with their own hunger for “authenticity” for instance. You just have to smile when you think about it. It’s innocent. It’s idealistic. And it’s wonderful. Dr. Mark Roberts wrote a poignant article in Worship Leader Magazine last year that taps into this cyclical idea when he speaks of each generation “moving to the comfortable middle” and then ultimately feeling “the sting of being passé.” (Millenials September ’07)

What takes the sting out? What helps guide the idealism of a twentysomething? In a word, LOVE. Parents who love their kids are encouraging and helpful. Kids who love their parents are respectful and kind. Grandparents sacrifice for their grandkids because they love them! Love and sacrifice are required if we are going to listen to each other’s music and embrace one another as a family.

When we surrender to one another and we are willing to embrace one another regardless of age, culture or style, we find something amazing happening.

Mentoring. Creativity. Presence. Authenticity!

What was once known as the generation gap has disappeared. This isn’t the first time we’ve wrestled with generational differences but it may be that we have a chance to anticipate and collaborate like never before. We don’t have to repeat history. We don’t have reject what came before us or what’s happening now.

I’m encouraged by the signs. I have great hope for the Church in North America, but I do not believe any one generation can do it alone. There is a great need for a multi-generational approach—one generation proclaiming God’s mighty works to another—Psalm 145.

We need many more older and seasoned believers who will be willing to mentor and encourage the gifts in our young men and women but without putting their own armor on them as Saul did to David. We also have a generation of young David’s who are ready to fight alongside their older more experienced brothers if only we will invite them, embrace them and dare I say, learn from them.

We won’t win the battle ahead without each generation sharing with the other the great exploits that God has done among them!

 

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 18th, 2008 at 10:00 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.