Understanding the Missing Generation

Carol Howard Merritt in her book, Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation says it is no longer important for someone in their twenties or thirties to go to church (p. 16). By that she means that the classic reasons people tend to choose church participation (meeting friends, denominational loyalties, societal pressure, programs for the kids) are all covered through other aspects of the culture today. So when a young adult walks into a church it’s significant, and we in the church ought to be paying attention. That young person has come with a need the church ought to be able to address. Merritt says the young adult “searches for connection in her displacement: connection with God through spiritual practices, connection with her neighbors through an intergenerational community, and connection with the world through social justice outreach (p. 16).

For Those in the church seeking to reach the next generation, Merritt’s book is of great interest because she is herself a young adult - generation X, for those of us who like those distinct categories. Merritt herself doesn’t care for such categories and tends to lump anyone after the baby boom generation into a group she terms “younger adults.” Baby Boomers and older are termed “older adults.” The categories may actually be useful for the church today. There does seem to be a fault line right around the age of 45-50, where Generation X begins, that divides the church between the olders and youngers. Young Adults are beset with particularly challenging life circumstances and seem to have a distinct new take on the world. Understanding these new generations is key to finding effective new directions for the church.

Merritt’s description of the plight of younger adults is compelling even though one sometimes wants to remind her that being a young adult has always been hard. Certainly young people have always struggled with older members of society who do not want to listen, do not want to change and insisted the younger generation wait its turn and exercise a little patience. Merritt’s description of this generation of younger adults, however, reminds us there are unique difficulties effecting today’s young people. Growing up in the seventies as women went back to work and largely renegotiated marital and family expectations, younger adults suffered through sky rocketing divorce rates and fractured families. In the years they were supposed to be nurtured and formed they were often caught in the midst of custody and property battles that left their families in tatters. They left “home” for college just as public funding for college decreased and college costs rose. Forced to rely on college loans, they graduated with huge debts only to encounter a depleted job market. Young adults today struggle to locate steady employment, often having to settle for temporary work without benefits. Having been pushed aside, forgotten or used most of their lives it is not surprising these young adults are reluctant to trust institutions, including the church.

Remarkably Merritt says the mainline church is just the body to minister to this missing generation. An important reason for this is the mainline church’s leaning toward inclusion, its value on the formation of community and a rich heritage in faith practices.

Young Adults are inclusive in their thinking. Merritt points out that the younger generation’s appreciation for post modernist thinking has fostered a humility about absolutism of faith. The post modernist focus on “truth in everything” leads the young Christian to consider and respect other faiths while yet affirming their own. She also points to a huge acceptance of people with alternative sexuality. Merritt says that 70% of young adults are fully accepting of Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgendered lifestyles, and they object to the church’s stance on issues surrounding the GLBT community. This is a justice issue that is important not only to the small percentage of GLBT persons in the church but also to a large portion of the under forty population. She chastises the mainline church and her own Presbyterian church for not wholly welcoming the leadership gifts of all people in the church. I imagine she and young adults across the Presbyterian Church are rejoicing at the changes in the Presbyterian Church this summer. Merritt says young adults across the country are leaving conservative denominations by droves. Those who do not abandon the church completely are finding their way to small and mid-size mainline denominational churches where their alternative beliefs are more likely welcomed, inclusivity is increasingly valued, and community is nurtured.

Community, says Merritt, is hugely important to these younger generations. Having struggled to make their way in the world, young adults often find themselves displaced from family and friends. Burdened with large debts and frequently uncertain of work, they often still live with parents, move in with friends, or move through a series of rental properties. In such circumstances many young adults struggle with a sense of failure. They long for supportive mentors, a safe place to meet and make real friends and a community with whom to share their lives and families. Merritt continually asks whether the church is ready to extend real hospitality to these young people. Our society is quick to condemn young adults today. Oblivious to the real challenges facing the younger generations, older adults are quick to attribute their financial troubles to lack of discipline or extravagance, and their reluctance to make commitments to social ineptitude. Surely we can do better in the church!

Carol Howard Merritt says she is “writing with enormous hope, because a generation of young, spiritually progressive adults is wandering, looking for a home, a place where they can finally rest.” She states, “Mainline denominations have tremendous resources for meeting and caring for them, and young adults have great gifts that they can offer the church” (p. 5). I find her assessment of the possibilities with young adults hopeful as well. They need us and we need them. How can we not have a heart for our young people?