Customer Reviews

Reaching People Under 40 While Keeping People Over 60: Being Church for All Generations (TCP Leadership Series)

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America's established congregations face a dilemma - how do they reach younger adults without alienating those over 60? The future may lie with this younger cohort, but the financial support and leadership of many congregations is to be found in the older group. Eddie Hammett and James Pierce have attempted to address this dilemma, making it a must read book for anyone involved in leadership in these congregations.

Hammett is Senior Leadership Consultant for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, a coach and trainer for Valwood Christian Leadership Coaching, and founding partner for the Columbia Partnership. His partner is a certified life coach who focuses on helping organizations transition effectively. It is important to note that while the publisher, -- Chalice Press, is a Mainline Protestant publisher the book has definite Baptist roots and tenor. That being said, the message it holds will be of value to congregations from across the theological spectrum - even if the illustrations at points seem rather Baptist.

While the book has a "church growth" feel to it, the authors recognize that we have entered a postmodern era where the church must embrace a missional understanding of itself. The focus is not just adding members, it's ministering to the world in which the church exists. For pastors of traditional congregations it's important to hear that younger people aren't all that interested in what Hammett calls "nickels and noses." They want to make a difference and don't have time or energy to spend on committees or details. Mission not business is the focus.

Part of the purpose of the book is to explain to the two constituencies the concerns and issues of the other. Here he leans on generational theory. He also challenges the two groups - which are in no way homogeneous - to listen to the other. In a brief chapter near the end of the book he talks to those between the ages of 40 and 60. This group - largely composed of Baby Boomers - is called to lead and to interpret. They are (I can say we are) the glue that can bind these two groups together. They are the thought leaders and innovators, the ones who are called to introduce and manage the changes the church faces. In this capacity this cohort is changed with bridging the younger and older groups. Hammett and Pierce suggest that the older set see themselves in missional mode. That is, just as missionaries must learn and understand the language and culture of the group they will minister to and with, so must those who are long established in the congregation. They must, he suggests, if this is to be successful learn to appreciate - if not enjoy - the music and concerns of those much younger than themselves. At the same time, they are called to empower and mentor those who are younger. And here is a primary issue - Baby Boomers have not shown themselves adept at either mentoring younger people or show willingness to pass on leadership to those younger than themselves. That "me first" identity that has dogged the generation effects this part of the church experience.

The point in this effort is to move the church from an "us vs. them" mentality where everyone loses, to one that allows for a "win-win" situation. It is, to use a metaphor that I've grown fond of lately; we must learn to tend one vineyard while planting another. To do this effectively, changes must happen first to values and then to structures.

Our habit is to focus on structures rather than on values, but changing staff assignments or adding programs will have little meaning if we don't first address the core values of the congregation. Among those values is missional focus. If we are focused inward on taking care of those already in the fold, then it will be difficult to minister to those outside the walls. In other words, we must be first committed to the cause and be clear about what that cause is. It is clarity as to cause that will help guide the congregation as it loosens the hold of rules and regulations.

For churches to effectively connect with younger people, they must change. Change will happen, though the authors offer a caveat. While form changes, function doesn't (Great Commission and Great Commandment). It will require reallocating staff and volunteer time and energy. It means changing the way we worship, study the Bible, and minister in the community. Many of these changes will prove unsettling to older adults, whose culture is very different. They will tend to focus on nickels and noses, which is why values must be changed first. All of this will take considerable energy to teach, interpret, and encourage. Perhaps it's no surprise, considering his own vocation, but Hammett places emphasis on the idea of coaching. He encourages congregations embarking on this journey to engage a professional coach, one who can guide them through the difficult times and offer resources. At the same time, he encourages leadership - especially pastors - to see themselves as coaches. Throughout the book he presses this case by what he calls "coaching questions."

If you are planting a new congregation that is focused on younger adults, perhaps communities such as those proposed by Emergent leaders, this book may hold little value. But, for those who are charged with leading established congregations and wish to help their congregations become missional communities that include both the young and the old, this book is essential reading. And, if you're not Baptist or don't speak the evangelical language that pops up throughout the book, don't worry about it - look for the many words of wisdom that will help you move forward in ministry.

I have been wondering since I entered the ministry how we can honor the faithful elders while attracting those under 40. Here is a book that is up-to-date and takes a church step by step through the transformation needed to reach younger people while honoring the elders.

One caveat, the authors come from an evangelical theological standpoint, so if you are more liberal theologically, you will need to filter some of their statements. This does not detract from the usefulness of the book.

Every mainline minister and church who would like to get out there and engage people needs this book.

Can you think of a question about the future vitality of existing congregations that is asked more often than "how can we reach people under 40 while keeping people over 60?" I can't! And neither could primary author Eddie Hammett when an over 60 woman first posed this question to him.

As a constant observer and encourage of congregations, Eddie determined he ought to write a book on this subject. He teamed up with a friend--Randy Pierce--who had been a spiritual traveler for many years, and represented the under 40 crowd. Randy, now a practicing Christian, is able in this book to recount the perspective of under 40 persons who are searching for a church experiences that speaks to their needs.

The approach taken by this book is not a big bang approach where congregations get whiplash in the middle of making changes needed to attract people under 40. It is a coaching and learning approach where congregations develop the capacity to do and/both--reach the under 40 crowd while simultaneously affirming the the 60 plus stakeholders. It is a win-win approach that seeks to carry everyone forward into God's future.

Along the way various approaches are suggested in dealing with the existing tension in congregations before they start this journey, and the additional tension likely to arise as congregation focus on the under 40 and over 60 folks.

This is also a very personal story for Eddie, as he recounts in his book. He talks about how the "ah hah's!" needed by the over 60 stakeholders was experienced in his home church that led them to embrace changes that would attract the under 40 crowd.

Throughout the book are helpful coaching questions that can be used for dialogue sessions in congregations. Also, do not miss the coaching interview between Eddie and Randy at the end of the book.

Reaching People Under 40 While Keeping People Over 60 is one of several resources that speak to the transformation journey of congregations. Others to consult are:

Pursuing the Full Kingdom Potential of Your Congregation (TCP Leadership Series) Recreating the Church: Leadership for the Postmodern Age (TCP Leadership Series) Renew Your Congregation: Healing the Sick, Raising the Dead (TCP Leadership Series)

The church is in the midst of a non Christian or post-Christian culture and like the frog in the pot of water set to boil, it doesn't realize it's dying. It needs a wake up call. It needs not only a wake up call but also some help getting out of its comfortable place. While the over sixty crowd" pays the freight", so to speak, and faithfully continues to carry the brunt of the load, the church still must ask the questions: "Why are we doing this?" "What's the point?" Though they don't ask these specific questions, Hammett and Pierce address the question, "what's the church that finds itself in this sort of dilemma to do--especially if it wants to make a difference and reclaim its relevance in a post-modern/post-Christian culture?"

While the intent of the book is not to be a worldview study on postmodernism the authors do address what is going to take to reach those of a different worldview and mindset from those who already belong. They also offer some helps with regards to what changes might be needed in order for the church to effectively engage those who are different.

I really resonated with this portion of the book because this is what those of us involved in overseas missions have had to do in order to communicate the gospel effectively in other cultures. In the same way, churches that wish to reach people different from themselves must become missional, must work diligently to understand the language, the culture, and other aspects of the worldview in order to communicate the gospel in relevant ways to those whom they wish to engage. Being missional begs the question, "What needs to be done to effectively engage those different from us?" I think Hammett and Pierce have an extraordinary understanding of this aspect of helping churches become more missional.

Of course, change(s) can be unsettling and it can be costly. Here is where Eddie and Randy's coaching strengths come into play. There is probably not a more effective way for leading congregations through genuine change or transformation, i.e. a transformation from a maintenance mode to a missional mode, than through coaching. A coach approach to change allows powerful questions to reshape the values and thinking and to find focus that leads to positive action.

As a missional strategist working in postmodern Western Europe, what the authors have to say about church in America makes perfect sense to me. Though our methods and forms of church may look different from church in America, I think Hammett and Pierce offer good, solid help, not only regarding what needs to be done, but "how" churches can better position themselves to do what needs to be done.

I find their coach approach intriguing, and in fact, I am using that approach more often as I relate to and train church planting strategists and national partners overseas. I think the book provides a great analysis as to what the issues are for existing churches who want to become more missional while at the same time assisting them in counting the costs and offering some practical steps to begin the journey towards relevance and effectiveness in reaching those who are not like them.

Lonnie Reynolds
Cross-cultural Strategy Leader

Instead of reviewing "Reaching People Under 40 While Keeping People Over 60", I want to share how my church used this book in conjunction with a recent "Generations Together" weekend led by the authors, Eddie Hammett and Randy Pierce.

I would describe my church as a fairly typical Southern evangelical church of moderate size whose members are predominantly 50 and above. Our young pastor of less than a year has effectively brought us to consensus that we want to be a multi-generational church, but willingness to change to make that a reality, well, that's another story.

Enter the "Reaching....Keeping" book. Over a period of months we were encouraged to read this book, and the deacons met twice to discuss it a month before the weekend. The weekend format included a church-wide dinner and session on Friday night, a Saturday morning session for deacons and spouses, a joint adult and youth Sunday school session, and Eddie's message during the Sunday church service.

In promoting the weekend, our pastor said he anticipated it to be a watershed event in the life of our church. I believe time will prove him right. The sessions were anything but boring; you might even say they were highly entertaining. It was exciting to see church members of all ages huddled around the tables with their creative juices flowing, discussing how best to use our church facilities in outreach or which of the many great ideas that surfaced should we focus on. Eddie's and Randy's use of humor and personal story along with their vulnerable and authentic presentation styles "helped the medicine go down" as we came to grips with the fact that we live in a postmodern world where church values are no longer dominant and where the generations differ radically on how they prefer to "do church."

Three main points from the sessions really resonated with me:

1. You have to change values before you change structures.
2. It was reassuring to hear of a two-track plan by which things
remain comfortably the same for the larger church body while
a remnant receives the church's blessing to investigate
another track that involves some risk-taking.
3. "Intentional" is a word that sticks in my brain. Eddie and
Randy shared examples of intentionally relating to postmodern
persons through innovative means. We realized most of our
friends are Christians, so it will take some intentional
planning to form relationships with those who are not.

I give the "Reaching...Keeping" book 5 stars and also accolades for the weekend built around the content of the book. I believe we are going to see a difference in our church.

Keeping and Reaching is an insightful glimpse at what today's churches will need to embrace to survive and accomplish the great commission--reaching a new generation. If you're a leader who is ready to roll up your sleeves and dig in, this is the book for you.
This book does a thorough job describing where we are today and gives practical steps for birthing the future. I recommend this book to all church leaders who want to survive the 21st century.

Edward Hammett along with James Pierce have created and established one of the most important reads for Church Leaders today. This book gives proper insight into developing a win-win solution(s) for connecting the generations for the cause of Christ. I am, currently, pastoring a multi-generational church and I am dealing with the need "to reach" and the need "to keep" situation which has created ongoing tensions and frustrations. However, this book systemically lays out a thoughtful and concrete approach to addressing the issue in a way that honors all generations. It is at once insightful, incise and inspiring. The book gave me a measure of hope that it could be done; but also, gave me the mindset on how to do it. I would recommend this book for any church leader who desires to be as wise as the sons of Issachar who "...understood the signs of the times." (1 Chron 12.32).

If you as a church leader are bewildered by all the critiques of today's church, this book is a must read. It separates the cultural influences of today's church and then demonstrates how the church can remain scriptural while at the same time reaching the unchurched. This is not a theory book, but a practical one! A great book for core leaders to read and discuss one chapter at each meeting. God's church will never be the same!

Rockland Community Church (Front Royal, VA) is a relatively small (about 60-70 people) interdenominational church that was founded 60 years ago through the merger of neighboring Baptist and Methodist Churches. Our congregation is composed of people largely over 60. I became the pastor almost two years ago. At 38, I am the youngest adult who regularly attends our church.

We began to work through RP<40WKP>60 a couple of months ago. Our Deacons and I are going through it chapter by chapter at our monthly meetings (which is a bit too slow of a pace, I think, to create much momentum). I am also leading a small study group (4-5 of us) who are going through it a chapter each week (this is about the right pace).

So far, I think it is having a positive impact. So much of what we read (at least the parts that describe the >60 crowd and the dynamics of older congregations) really resonates with who we are as a church. The insights into the <40 crowd have helped to substantiate what I've been trying to communicate for the last two years.

I also shared some information about church life-cycles (google "bullard" and "church life cycle") that really helped paint the picture of where we're at and where we will soon end up if we don't become proactive. We are still in the early stages of this journey, but I'm hopeful that we will have the strength and the courage to begin to make changes that help us reach people under 40 while at the same time keeping people over 60.

Just this last Sunday, I read a couple of paragraphs to the congregation in order to explain why we are beginning to introduce some "newer" (I'm intentionally avoiding the label "contemporary") music (using recorded music). The paragraphs I read (beginning on p. 52 and ending on p. 53) included the statement, "The builders of the church, those over sixty are being called to become missionaries to a younger generation. They need to learn to speak this other 'culture's' language, develop relationship bridges, and discover ways to communicate the truth about our awesome God to the next generation."

As we seek to live out the Great Commission, I hope that we will come to see ourselves as "missionaries to a younger generation" -- for their sakes and for ours ... and, most importantly, for the sake of the kingdom.

www.rockland.cc

This easy to read book is very informative and helpful if you are going through the changes caused by age differences among a church group. We have especially used the detailed descriptions of each age group and how they react to life and change as we discuss actions that much take place in today's culture. The author does not give specific solutions to the problems, but gives the reader the questions to ask as the group works through a problem and comes out on the other side with success. A must read if you see this need in your church.