Building Adult Ministries, Leadership for Adults Over 50

• Born between the years of 1946 and 1964
• Approx. 78 million alive in 2005. In the 18 years prior to the Boomers, which are labeled the Builders, there were 49 million births
• 11,000 Boomers turn 50 or 60 each day (one every seven seconds) which equals over 4 million each year
• First Boomers eligible for Social Security in 2008
• First Boomers turn 65 in 2011 and the number of 65 and over will increase dramatically during the 2010-2030 period with twice as many 65 and over in 2030 than there were in 2000, growing from 35 million to 71.5 million and representing nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population
• By the year 2025, Americans over 65 will outnumber teenagers by more than two to one
• The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the population 85 and over could grow from 5.3 million in 2006 to nearly 21 million by 2050 which is when the youngest Boomers will have turned 85
• Life expectancy during the twentieth century went from 48 to 78 years of age

• Life expectancy predictions for the year 2040 range from the Census Bureau’s projection of 75 (men) and 83 (women) to the National Institute on Aging’s predictions of 86 for men and 91½ for women
• The average length of retirement during the twentieth century grew from one to 19 years
• The number of college students tripled between 1965 and 1975
• June of 1978 marked the first time in U.S. history that the proportion of women age 16 and over in the labor force surpassed 50 percent. Women were no longer limited to being a nurse, teacher, or secretary. Women had entered the workforce in mass, drastically changing the office dynamic.

Attitudes of the Boomers
• Retirement means something different these days. Historically, retirement suggested what we don’t do (work), not what we do do. People retired from something rather than transitioning to the next something. Thoughts of rocking chairs and doing nothing don’t square with Boomers. Depending on their financial means, they may or may not need a full, or partial, income but they need to do something. Since they are destined (statistically) to live longer and healthier, their Encore could last up to 30 years. They don’t envision that retirement is the “beginning of the end.”
• Boomers have always been out to change their world and in fact, they have in many ways; but they’re not done yet. They long to make a difference, to do something of significance. They hope that somehow the best is yet to come in their life and their contribution to society. They want to serve and they like a challenge! Boomers desire to leave a legacy that goes beyond good boss, wealthy person, or even great leader. They do desire to leave this world a better place and be remembered as someone who gave back.
• Boomers reserve the right to serve on their own terms. It’s not like they are all work and no play. They love to play and they love to travel. This means that they will look for opportunities to serve that fit their gifts, skills, and passions and don’t restrict them from their pursuit of pleasure.
• Boomers can easily fill their second half of life with so many activities that they are likely to say, “I’ve never been so busy” or “I don’t know how I had time for a job.” They are sandwiched between caring for aging parents and adult children with complicated needs. They love to care for (dote on) their grandchildren and in many cases they are trying to make up for the time they didn’t give their children because they were too busy working. And they are mobile! They aren’t dreaming of “A” trip, they are most likely in between trips. Motor homes, timeshares, second (or third) homes, and visits to far away grandchildren are all calling. They will be glad to serve, when it fits their schedule. Short-term service opportunities fit them well.
• Boomers expect excellence. They are interested in serving an organization, perhaps even for no pay, but they expect the organization to be run professionally so their time is well spent.
• Boomers don’t “play well” with the generation older than them, namely their parents. They aren’t interested in being part of their potlucks and bus trips, and don’t expect them to suffer through any monthly meetings. They are not likely to co-mingle with the Builders in typical senior citizen happenings but they will serve the senior adults—if it fits their schedule.
• Don’t call them seniors, senior citizens, senior adults, retirees or elderly. All of those terms refer to their parents. They’re not sure what they want to be called but know that those terms will drive them away.
• Boomers are not as frugal as the generation ahead of them and as a generation, they stand to inherit money measured in trillions. They are (or will be) the wealthiest generation known to mankind and they have proven their generosity over and over again as worthy needs have been brought to their attention.

Spiritual Realities
• The Christian Boomers have had unprecedented opportunities to grow spiritually with access to Christian radio, Christian publishing, parachurch organizations to match everyone’s special interest, television and cable programming, and a church in every neighborhood. Ministries like Bible Study Fellowship, Community Bible Study on top of small groups, Sunday School and weekly worship hour teaching have filled those who would listen with knowledge. What are these “mature” believers to do with their Bible training? Hide it under a bushel? No, they must in turn teach others and mentor and disciple the newer Christians and the younger men and women and be a spiritual compass for their children and grandchildren.
• Christian Boomers like Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, and many others have heralded the importance of purpose driven, intentional, strategic ministry. It rings true with their peers who are more motivated to serve in the Kingdom of God because the cause is worthy than simply out of loyalty to the organization like their parents and grandparents were inclined to do. Boomers can sniff out a worthy cause and a leader worth following as easily as they can detect spiritual sleepwalking or a church on life support because it simply exists to perpetuate its own existence. Boomers respond to a clear and compelling vision articulated by wise leaders with servant hearts.
• The last couple of decades have ushered in a paradigm shift in local church missions. It used to be that partnership in missions involved sending a check to a missionary you would probably never meet who was serving in a country you would never visit. The faithful partners were praying for their sent missionaries but despite the instantaneous efficacy of prayer, the requests being prayed for were a month old due to transcontinental mail service. Partnership these days is defined by instant e-mail updates, crystal clear Skype or cell phone conversations, and teamwork that involves teams from the local church visiting the missionary on their mission field. Boomers are hungry to partner in mission work and must be given a menu of opportunities that start locally, spread nationally and include third worlds, dark regions, unreached people groups, and the homeless shelters and AIDS hospices of their own cities.
• Music in the church ushers in new tensions with every new generation but the musical interests of Boomers are quite eclectic—remember, they grew up on rock and roll. Hymn sings are for their parents, they desire a blend that allows the instruments they listened to on records and eight tracks and even played themselves to be used in accompanying the hymns and worship songs that allow them to draw close to God through the power of music.
• The fear of evangelizing is unfortunately an intergenerational trait that Satan continues to battle Christians with and Boomers are no exception. The fact is that if the statistics for total Boomers is mind-boggling, so are the numbers of the spiritually lost in their second half of life. The harvest is plentiful and despite the statistics that inform us that if one doesn’t become a Christian at an early age, the likelihood that he/she ever will is slim; with God all things are possible. In fact, the need to find significance more than success and the Boomer predisposition to be restless in their pursuit of happiness leads them to be good candidates to keep searching until their hearts find their rest and peace in Christ. Boomers cannot ignore the spiritual emptiness of their peers; they must proclaim the Good News, somehow!
• It may seem sadly ironic that at a time when the church needs more capable leaders, the seasoned leadership veterans are unwilling to make long-term commitments. Then find ways to get short-term commitments! How could the church leverage what they learned in their careers and apply that knowledge and experience for the sake of the Kingdom. Forget that they won’t teach Sunday School nine months of the year or be an Awana Commander; ask if they will substitute or fill in for two months in between trips. Assign them special projects because of their industry expertise. Your pastor or board doesn’t need to investigate the new copy machine—ask someone who has “been there and done that” to do the analysis and submit the recommendation. If they are unwilling to serve on a year-round board, then ask them to be a leadership mentor or form a short-term focus group on a particular leadership challenge.
• Stewardship holds no mysteries; the formula is that if someone believes in a cause, they will give toward that cause. The Boomers have a lot to give but on the other hand, they are afraid of not having enough reserves to carry them throughout their life. Cast the clear and compelling vision, draw them in as essential partners in carrying out the vision, and then challenge them like everyone else to give at a level that demonstrates their trust in God for their future, not just their financial portfolio. They are different than most people younger in the church, in that they typically have sizable assets that are not liquid that could be unleashed for the Kingdom’s sake. A personal challenge along with God’s confirmation could generate gifts that help churches move into their “what if money was no object” lists.

Rev. Holck can be contacted at encoregeneration@mac.com.

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