Church Planting Series, Part twenty-eight
Where will new Kingdom leaders come from? Are we developing them? Are we making room for their ideas and mistakes? Do they have a significant place around the leadership table? Two observations make this question even more urgent.
Observation #1: I was on a run in Florida recently and saw a group of 70-year-olds whiz by me on road bikes. Each was dressed like Lance Armstrong. These guys were flying.
I turned a corner and saw a man in his eighties dressed in his technical running gear, adjusting his playlist selection on his iPod.
These guys are not like my grandparents were. They’re still center stage, grabbing the gusto, and living life to the full.
The result? A good number from the late Builder generation and early Boomer generation still hold strong places of leadership in the church. They will be actively leading for a long time. The key questions are:
Will they make room for the leadership voices of new generations?
Will they intentionally identify and mentor new leaders?
Observation #2: My older brother is like many in our generation. He and his wife waited to have children. He is now 50-years-old and has a 5-year-old child.
A significant number of people in the U.S. are getting married older, waiting to have children, and having fewer children.
The result? The age gap between parents and children is growing. Instead of 30 or 40-year-olds succeeding their parents’ generation in leadership roles, many 20-year-olds will be in that position. The key questions are:
Will these 20-year-olds have access to a faith-maturing, leadership development process from their parents’ generation?
Will these young leaders be given a chance to reach their generation for Christ in new ways that fit who they are?
If we don’t make room for a new generation of leaders, share leadership and Kingdom lessons with them, and allow them to have a meaningful voice, they may find themselves alienated from the church and ill-equipped to bring Jesus to a broken world.
Are you actively making room?
Next Time: Making Room for the older and younger, together in the church.
5 comments:
Great questions Mike. Another thought, will what many call "leadership" in some congregations be what 20 and 30 somethings will engage in...or...do we need some new images of leadership, moving from leadership as serving on a board or committee to engaging and leading hands-on mission and ministry.
Yeah, what Paul said. Maybe it's an "all of the above" images of leadership, perhaps being sensitive to particular abilites and leadership areas (gifts) young people have (administrative, hands on etc...) and trying to intentionally plug them into those op's.
I agree. This change has been happening for a while now. People have been less willing and excited to serve as the secretary, treasurer, etc. of an organization. People really don't even want to go to meetings! They want to make Christ's difference in the world through meaningful service to ones in need.
I think these are great questions to be asking in the church. I am beginning to wonder if the new image is really an old one. I am thinking about the image of "incarnation." I believe the younger generation wants to be the hands and feet of their Savior. The generation that will no longer let the Great Commission fail because of our Great Omission.
If we see 'the church' as the duality of the existing forms of leadership (boards, etc.) along with the incarnational ministry opportunities, then how can younger leaders be a part of both? I'm blessed to have been asked to do so, but I don't think that's the case for many leaders my age. Why not?
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