Six Generations in Church - part 1

Due to increased longevity of our populations, churches have six generations alive at the same time and actively involved. Churches must deal with six different attitudes toward architecture, furniture, expectations of staff, worship styles, what to wear to church, giving, going “green” at church, etc. All churches face this logistical nightmare. As this generational shift relates to giving, there is a chasm between the mindsets of younger and older generations. Whereas the oldest generation is known for giving to appeals, Generation Y prefers to give to causes.

• GI Generation (1901-1924)
  o They are trying not to outlive their money
  o They prefer to give to institutions
  o They have very high trust levels of institutions and organizations
  o They are the Greatest Generation that fought World War II
• Silent Generation (1925-1945)
  o They are trying not to outlive their money
  o They like to give to institutions
  o They have high trust levels of institutions
  o They grew up in the shadow of World War II and the prosperity of the 1950s
• Baby Boomers (1946-1964)
  o They are in their peak giving years
  o The like giving to designated funds and causes
  o They trust organizations moderately
  o They grew up during the 1960s and Watergate
• Baby Busters (1965-1983)
  o They are beginning to be major givers
  o They really like designated giving
  o They have low trust levels of government and organizations
  o They grew up during Iran-Contra, Jim Bakker and PTL, and plenty of other scandals
• Gen Y or Millennials (1984-2002)
  o They are just beginning to give
  o They prefer to give designated gifts
  o They have low or no trust levels of organizations
  o They grew up with the Web and know they have access to anything and everything
• Gen Z or iGeneration (2003- )
  o They are too young to have a view on giving right now
  o They will probably give significantly to designated causes

Lead On!
Steve