Where have the Elderly Gone? (Diversity: Part 2)

If you haven't thought about the importance of diversity maybe you haven't felt its absence. Let's face it, if an African American, Indian, or Hispanic individual have never attended your church you probably won't ask where they've gone. But there is a group of people who should shock almost any congregations by their absence. I'm speaking of the generation born prior to World War II.

Where has the "Greatest Generation" gone? I don't know about you but I don't see them in church anymore. I see a lot of aging Baby Boomers, Genereation Xers and Melinnial kids, but the generation born prior to World War II seems surprisingly under represented. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they don't go to church. I'm saying they don't go to my church.

I've talked to quite of a few individuals of my grandmothers generation. I've found that many are attending churches that represent the values and styles of there own generation. They attend churches where people sing hymns, share pot-lucks, listen to long indepth sermons, and are not subject to the constant beat of drums. They are attending churches as they use to be.

I attend a church thats the exact opposite. Its a very modern church. There are no hymn books, instead we project all worship music on two giant screens. We don't have pot-lucks, instead we have coffee bar. Instead of deep indepth sermons, we have drama and videos to capture the decreased attention of the audience. We don't have a senior minister but we do have a childrens pastor, a junior high pastor, and a high school pastor.

Let's face it, the elderly haven't left us, we've left them. We've raced ahead without listening to the wisdom and incite of the generation that has gone before. We've been so self-centered, seeking our own prefrences over that of others. Why arn't we more accomodating? Why don't we sing hymns? Why does our worship always have to sound like a rock concert? Why don't we take the time to listen?

If you have never recognized your church's lack of diversity this is a good place to start. I hope you can see that church is perhaps becoming even less diverse then it was fifty years ago. I hope you can see that diversity is not always about race. We need to show the world that Jesus has broken down the barriers dividing the world. How, you ask? I'm glad you asked. I'll focus on that topic in my next post.