An E-mail Questionnaire
I recently received a very interesting e-mail questionnaire that asked all about modern ministries. I enjoyed answering the questions and thought I would post them for those of you who might be curious as to what our philosophy towards running Youth, Young Adults, and even Music ministries is all about.
Questions? Interested in participating? Contact me:
rgatienzajr@yahoo.com
(612) 280-2970
********************************************************
Are you a Builder, Boomer, Buster, Bridger?
Builders (1920's & 1930's) ___
Boomers (1940's & 1950's) ___
Busters (1960's & 1970's) ___
Bridgers (1980's & 1990's) _X_
1) What is life like for people in this life-stage?
Life, for me (I don't know if I can speak for everyone in my "age bracket") is exciting and limitless. With the advent of modern communications technology and the ease of travel, information is quickly accessible and the whole world seems to be right at my fingertips. All of this technology, however, is not without its pitfalls. I feel that our generation suffers from immense feelings of isolation and loneliness. Even with cell phones, television, internet, My Space, iPods, instant messaging, video conferencing, etc - with all of these tools that are intended to bring people closer together - we find ourselves spending more time with "technology" and less time with people, almost to the point where we don't know how to interact with live human beings anymore. And though internet friends can be fun and interesting (lets face it, friends on the 'net can come from all over the world), rarely will you find one that can really be there for you; one that can give you a hug when you've received devastating news or pick you up from the airport after a long business trip. Therein lays the problem with "virtual communities"; when you need help - someone to actually be there for you when you need them and do more than just "chat" - who can you turn to? Also, how much can you really trust (or love) someone whom you've never even seen in real life? Growing up in LA this was much more apparent than it is here in Minnesota. A perfect illustration is last year's movie "Crash" which really captured, I think, the isolation that this generation is starting to recognize.
On top of all that, I think people of my generation feel misunderstood. We all don’t belong to the "MTV Generation", we're not all of us members of "Generation Y" or "Generation X" (and labels like the "bridgers" are definitely things that we don't care to recognize); I mean some of us were born in the late seventies, eighties, and early nineties, and our world has changed consistently and radically in that short period of time. We don't all hold to the post-modern philosophical belief that there are no absolutes, and we don't necessarily feel that being politically correct needs to incorporate an intricate dance on eggshells when we're hanging out with our "ethnic" friends. But, what I believe is commonly held by all of us is that above all things ... see the answer to question #2 ... hahaha
2) What is important to people in this life-stage?
What I've noticed seems to be an important thing to most people in my age bracket is truth. This could prove to be both a benefit and a detriment to church ministries and evangelism, depending on how it is approached. What I long for in a relationship - whether it be business, personal, or what have you - is genuine honesty; meaning the person doesn't hide behind masks or sugar coat what they're trying to say. This is also true with anything in life whether its politics, salespeople, or friendships; true honesty, regardless of how blatantly offensive or difficult to understand it may be, is most likely what people in this life-stage value the most. And what many of us may find the most offensive are lies and deception, especially lies of omission. When you're raised used to being able to acquire information about any subject imaginable in an instant on a magical box hooked up to a telephone line or cable cord, it's frustrating when you feel that the truth is being kept from you.
This, in a way, I think lends to the next thing that people of this life-stage value which is "self-expression." Everything is customizable these days, from McDonalds Extra Value Meals, to furniture (have you been to IKEA lately?), to cars (such as the Scion brand by Toyota). Finding ones self identity, being true to it, respecting, appreciating, loving, and expressing it in unique ways (making your mark in human history) is tantamount to having a joyful experience as a "bridger" (again, having other people tell you what/who you are is most definitely not the way to go). Myspace.com is the perfect example of this. See the answer to questions #1 for why I think this is an issue.
3) What are the positive experiences that can happen in this life-stage which may be unique to this period?
So far, one of the most positive things that happened to me that I think is unique to this period is discovering who I am and being able to broadcast that to the world without fear or inhibition (take this e-mail for example). Differences are celebrated more today than they have probably ever been. Not to say that strife between races, cultures, and religions no longer exist (it's obvious that they still do), but more people are more open to more ideas in this time period than probably any other period in history.
4) What are the potential crises for adults in this life-stage?
Loneliness and abandonment are big ones. The shape, size, and function of the family unit is changing and areas of support that people in the past used to be able to count on (parents, siblings, grandparents, small communities, best friends) are taking new forms that sometimes leave large gaps. The growing fast paced urban lifestyle of today promotes buying things online, ordering food from home, going to church on channel 25, and driving your own car to work just to sit alone in a small cubicle. People don't need to interact with people anymore. Go to any Barnes and Noble and you'll see tons of featured books on the subject; you don't have to go into the aisles, just look at the end-caps. One book by Aura Mae (a famous hair-stylist) titled Get Some Hairapy claims that one of the things lending to increased stress and loneliness in women today is the fact that they no longer spend time talking with other women in hair salons like they used to. This relaxing and refreshing time of fellowship with other women spent relaying troubles and triumphs used to happen on a regular basis but is very uncommon in todays culture (think along the lines of what Lucy and Ethel used to do on "I Love Lucy").
5) What should be included in a congregation’s ministry to people in this life-stage?
Ministries today should have ample space for participation and a willingness to face real issues with real facts and reasons. Above-all, as I mentioned, people in this life-stage want to be able to be themselves as well as feel like they belong. Ministries have to be bold enough to face real issues that "my" generation is facing, but more than that they have to somehow go beyond Sunday and make a real personal connection with those being ministered to. In a sense, churches may have to walk a fine line; being willing to do what "modern" services and mega-churches do best which is present the Word in a way that really appeals to the "bridger", yet at the same time provide the small and comforting feeling of community that small-town turn of the 20th century churches are said to be legendary for. There are many ministries that already do this well such as "The Upper Room" in Minnesota or "Mosaic" in Southern California.
Personally, I'm not sure what exactly should be done. Perhaps we need more small groups with staff that can relate more to those ministered to, and maybe we need to utilize services such as MySpace and Yahoo Groups to disseminate information and advertise upcoming events. Maybe that's why Rick Warren's video/book hybrid study A Purpose Driven Life was so popular among people of all ages. Really what I think we do need for sure is to instill a true sense of Christ centered fellowship that can show this generation that Christianity is still very applicable and very relevant, and we have to be brave enough to say why to perhaps the most cynical society in history. We also have to ourselves (as ministers, both clergy and lay-ministers) be comfortable and honest with who we are so as not to come off as hypocrites; not perfect, but not fake.
6) How can the Church reach unchurched people in this lifetime?
It may come down to one-on-one evangelism, it may not. It might come down to every church having a MySpace account and a PodCast, and it might not. It's truly hard to say in this era with limitless mediums for communication how best to go about reaching unchurched people. I say, don't be afraid to jump into the proverbial "lion's den" and use 'em all.
Questions? Interested in participating? Contact me:
rgatienzajr@yahoo.com
(612) 280-2970
********************************************************
Are you a Builder, Boomer, Buster, Bridger?
Builders (1920's & 1930's) ___
Boomers (1940's & 1950's) ___
Busters (1960's & 1970's) ___
Bridgers (1980's & 1990's) _X_
1) What is life like for people in this life-stage?
Life, for me (I don't know if I can speak for everyone in my "age bracket") is exciting and limitless. With the advent of modern communications technology and the ease of travel, information is quickly accessible and the whole world seems to be right at my fingertips. All of this technology, however, is not without its pitfalls. I feel that our generation suffers from immense feelings of isolation and loneliness. Even with cell phones, television, internet, My Space, iPods, instant messaging, video conferencing, etc - with all of these tools that are intended to bring people closer together - we find ourselves spending more time with "technology" and less time with people, almost to the point where we don't know how to interact with live human beings anymore. And though internet friends can be fun and interesting (lets face it, friends on the 'net can come from all over the world), rarely will you find one that can really be there for you; one that can give you a hug when you've received devastating news or pick you up from the airport after a long business trip. Therein lays the problem with "virtual communities"; when you need help - someone to actually be there for you when you need them and do more than just "chat" - who can you turn to? Also, how much can you really trust (or love) someone whom you've never even seen in real life? Growing up in LA this was much more apparent than it is here in Minnesota. A perfect illustration is last year's movie "Crash" which really captured, I think, the isolation that this generation is starting to recognize.
On top of all that, I think people of my generation feel misunderstood. We all don’t belong to the "MTV Generation", we're not all of us members of "Generation Y" or "Generation X" (and labels like the "bridgers" are definitely things that we don't care to recognize); I mean some of us were born in the late seventies, eighties, and early nineties, and our world has changed consistently and radically in that short period of time. We don't all hold to the post-modern philosophical belief that there are no absolutes, and we don't necessarily feel that being politically correct needs to incorporate an intricate dance on eggshells when we're hanging out with our "ethnic" friends. But, what I believe is commonly held by all of us is that above all things ... see the answer to question #2 ... hahaha
2) What is important to people in this life-stage?
What I've noticed seems to be an important thing to most people in my age bracket is truth. This could prove to be both a benefit and a detriment to church ministries and evangelism, depending on how it is approached. What I long for in a relationship - whether it be business, personal, or what have you - is genuine honesty; meaning the person doesn't hide behind masks or sugar coat what they're trying to say. This is also true with anything in life whether its politics, salespeople, or friendships; true honesty, regardless of how blatantly offensive or difficult to understand it may be, is most likely what people in this life-stage value the most. And what many of us may find the most offensive are lies and deception, especially lies of omission. When you're raised used to being able to acquire information about any subject imaginable in an instant on a magical box hooked up to a telephone line or cable cord, it's frustrating when you feel that the truth is being kept from you.
This, in a way, I think lends to the next thing that people of this life-stage value which is "self-expression." Everything is customizable these days, from McDonalds Extra Value Meals, to furniture (have you been to IKEA lately?), to cars (such as the Scion brand by Toyota). Finding ones self identity, being true to it, respecting, appreciating, loving, and expressing it in unique ways (making your mark in human history) is tantamount to having a joyful experience as a "bridger" (again, having other people tell you what/who you are is most definitely not the way to go). Myspace.com is the perfect example of this. See the answer to questions #1 for why I think this is an issue.
3) What are the positive experiences that can happen in this life-stage which may be unique to this period?
So far, one of the most positive things that happened to me that I think is unique to this period is discovering who I am and being able to broadcast that to the world without fear or inhibition (take this e-mail for example). Differences are celebrated more today than they have probably ever been. Not to say that strife between races, cultures, and religions no longer exist (it's obvious that they still do), but more people are more open to more ideas in this time period than probably any other period in history.
4) What are the potential crises for adults in this life-stage?
Loneliness and abandonment are big ones. The shape, size, and function of the family unit is changing and areas of support that people in the past used to be able to count on (parents, siblings, grandparents, small communities, best friends) are taking new forms that sometimes leave large gaps. The growing fast paced urban lifestyle of today promotes buying things online, ordering food from home, going to church on channel 25, and driving your own car to work just to sit alone in a small cubicle. People don't need to interact with people anymore. Go to any Barnes and Noble and you'll see tons of featured books on the subject; you don't have to go into the aisles, just look at the end-caps. One book by Aura Mae (a famous hair-stylist) titled Get Some Hairapy claims that one of the things lending to increased stress and loneliness in women today is the fact that they no longer spend time talking with other women in hair salons like they used to. This relaxing and refreshing time of fellowship with other women spent relaying troubles and triumphs used to happen on a regular basis but is very uncommon in todays culture (think along the lines of what Lucy and Ethel used to do on "I Love Lucy").
5) What should be included in a congregation’s ministry to people in this life-stage?
Ministries today should have ample space for participation and a willingness to face real issues with real facts and reasons. Above-all, as I mentioned, people in this life-stage want to be able to be themselves as well as feel like they belong. Ministries have to be bold enough to face real issues that "my" generation is facing, but more than that they have to somehow go beyond Sunday and make a real personal connection with those being ministered to. In a sense, churches may have to walk a fine line; being willing to do what "modern" services and mega-churches do best which is present the Word in a way that really appeals to the "bridger", yet at the same time provide the small and comforting feeling of community that small-town turn of the 20th century churches are said to be legendary for. There are many ministries that already do this well such as "The Upper Room" in Minnesota or "Mosaic" in Southern California.
Personally, I'm not sure what exactly should be done. Perhaps we need more small groups with staff that can relate more to those ministered to, and maybe we need to utilize services such as MySpace and Yahoo Groups to disseminate information and advertise upcoming events. Maybe that's why Rick Warren's video/book hybrid study A Purpose Driven Life was so popular among people of all ages. Really what I think we do need for sure is to instill a true sense of Christ centered fellowship that can show this generation that Christianity is still very applicable and very relevant, and we have to be brave enough to say why to perhaps the most cynical society in history. We also have to ourselves (as ministers, both clergy and lay-ministers) be comfortable and honest with who we are so as not to come off as hypocrites; not perfect, but not fake.
6) How can the Church reach unchurched people in this lifetime?
It may come down to one-on-one evangelism, it may not. It might come down to every church having a MySpace account and a PodCast, and it might not. It's truly hard to say in this era with limitless mediums for communication how best to go about reaching unchurched people. I say, don't be afraid to jump into the proverbial "lion's den" and use 'em all.
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