Never before in history have we had four generations in the work place. This provides great rewards and great challenges as churches and ministries bring together these generations into healthy teams to share the Gospel and make disciples. Since volunteer servants are a core strength of churches and ministries, this reward vs. challenge of four generations extends beyond the office to the servant leadership also. So whether you are in a large church that has a multi-generational staff or you are in a single staff church, understanding how these four generations interact is important.
The Four Generations
- Matures/Traditionals (Born between 1925 and 1946)
- Baby Boomers (Born between 1946 and 1964)
- Generation Xers (Born between 1965 and 1980)
- Generation Ys or Millennials (born after 1980)
Five Personal and Lifestyle Characteristics
The video below is from AGCareers. In it, they present a clear understanding of the four generations by looking at Five Personal and Lifestyle Characteristics of each generation. While they focus on the workplace, this insight has value for servant teams as well.
- Core Values
- Family
- Education
- Communication and Media
- Dealing with Money
Discussion
What resources or ideas have you used to facilitate the four generations working well together in the church office and/or on ministry teams?