Five Cultural Shifts You Should Pay Attention To
Over at Duke Divinity School’s Faith and Leadership blog, Presbyterian pastor Carol Howard Merritt writes about some trends that church leaders should be paying attention to, particularly in relation to younger (emerging) generations. Her top five:
- Younger generations aren’t faring well in this economy. How do we handle money/debt/success, and are giving expectations realistic for them.
- Young workers often don’t have the choice to take Sunday off. Do we have opportunities for them to engage in community and worship at other times?
- Young people marry and have kids later because of expectations of fiscal stability before settling down. Do we have room for singles, or just “young families”?
- Young people connect via Internet. If you think you don’t have time for Facebook and Twitter, you’re wrong.
- Young people are worn out from the “culture wars.” Are you still fighting them? Are you open to searching young people who don’t know liturgy or what it means to be “Lutheran”?
