Probably no topic has been so discussed in the twenty-first century church as to how to reach the Generation X crowd. It seems as if all churches today are concerned with including in their church the generation that has been coined as “generation X.” This generation would include people that have been born between 1965 and 1980.
The good news is that numerous churches of today have been able to navigate the murky waters of reaching this despondent generation. I have coined these churches "X churches" because of their passion for this generation. In working with these churches I have noticed certain characteristics that have enabled them to engage gen Xer’s into their ministry.
1. The X Church values young leadership.
These churches have learned how to turn on the leadership styles and skills of these young professionals. They recognize that these entrepreneur spirits are at least already mid-level managers or business owners in the marketplace. These churches know that these leaders will not tolerate being an integral part of their business but marginalized in the business of the kingdom.
2. The X church practices spiritual coaching.
Business coaching is now a billion dollar business. Executives have seen the need to help their employees to develop their skills through one-on-one coaching. Successful X churches have tapped into this trend and have offered young leaders spiritual coaching. They have moved away from “classes” and moved into “partnerships” and “coaching relationships”. This one-on-one relationship is exactly what the generation X is calling for. Remember this is a generation that is isolated and disconnected. They long to be engaged and connected.
3. The X church connects people through relationships.
This church does this through a variety of ways:
4. The X church motivates creativity through spiritual challenge.
The X church knows that the people in this age group want to be challenged. They desire to do something of significance for God. This church does not hesitate to call their members to discipleship. They demand commitment and that commitment is met with unchallenged faith.
Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider, on the TV show, Northern Exposure, Northern Lights, once said, “I guess what I'm trying to say is, I don't think you can measure life in terms of years. I think longevity doesn't necessarily have anything to do with happiness. I mean happiness comes from facing challenges and going out on a limb and taking risks. If you're not willing to take a risk for something you really care about, you might as well be dead.”
To become an X church it will cause you and your church to take a significant risk. But as we have just read, if we don’t take risks, we might as well be dead. Unfortunately unless something changes many our churches are quickly approaching that state.
Ken Gosnell is the lead pastor for a new church work in the DC Metro area. You can contact Ken at Kenspeaks@gmail.com
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