Boom

The Lord has given us the resources by which we can know Him better, through which we can grow
and to become more effective in fulfilling His direction. 1st Peter 2 says:
2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

He has transformed our hearts, and He is calling each us to a deeper walk with Him - He has removed, as we see in Scripture, a stony and rebellious heart that does not desire the things of God and placed within us a heart that wants to know and follow Christ, because we have been born again. So, out of the abundance of the new heart, we recognize the potential we have as believers and develop a desire to obey Him in all things.

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God desires for us to grow in Him, and by His Spirit and through His servants, He teaches us how we are to live - we have potential to grow and He will place us in a position for growth and usefulness.
1st Thessalonians 5 says:
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

The generation known as the Baby Boomers consists of people who were born between the years of 1946 and 1964 - so, these are my people, my generation.  And, the results of a 45-year study shows that they are getting more involved in church!

Thom Rainer, President and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, reported this information on his website, and he's pretty pumped about it, it seems.  He's someone who discusses church trends and developments, and described this data as "amazing."

Rainer writes:

One of the most significant longitudinal studies (a study over many years) ever done provides a treasure trove of information for church leaders.

And one of the most significant findings is the increasing number of baby boomers becoming more involved in religious activity like churches.

This discovery is the major finding from the latest wave of data collected from the Longitudinal Study of Generations, which was originally developed in 1970 at USC by then-assistant professor Vern Bengston. His successors have collected a ninth round of data in this 45-year study. The research was funded by the John Templeton Foundation.

He writes, "Here is the gem in the study: One in five boomers have increased their religious and church activity in the past few years."  Rainer calculates, "That’s approximately 19 million boomers when the percentage is applied to the entire generation."

The study yields three "major" reasons for these developments:

1. Boomers have more time, and they want to use that extra time pursuing a more meaningful life, including church.
2. Boomers are becoming more aware of the brevity of life and are seeking answers to questions they had not previously asked.
3. Boomers are more aware of the fragility of life. They don’t have the young and healthy bodies they once had. Such an awareness is driving them to find more meaning in the lives they do have.

So as we see a significant number of Baby Boomers becoming more involved in church, there is the potential for spiritual growth in their lives - and Boomers in general are poised to become more significant influencers.

Karl Vaters, writing for Christianity Today, challenges Baby Boomers in three areas. He says that, "you need to know that our primary mission at this stage of our lives is to become the elders and equippers that every generation of the church always needs."

He also points out that the latest generation is in need of mentoring, writing:

...this new generation is as open, maybe even more open to being mentored by their elders than Boomers ever were. We’re the ones who came up with the phrase “don’t trust anyone over 30”, remember?

If we will step up, they will listen. But we can’t become the elders the church needs by complaining, demanding or whining about them.

The three areas are, briefly:

1. Stop Isolating, Start Engaging

2. Stop Complaining, Start Encouraging

3. Stop Demanding, Start Equipping.

So, we recognize the potential of these individuals in our local churches.  And, we can also recognize God's positioning.  We can realize the place to which God has called us and seek for Him to use us more effectively in that place.  And, we can be sensitive to His hand as He moves us to where He wants us to flourish for His Kingdom's sake, and for the advantage of future generations.