Ministering to Different Generations

As leaders of the church, we are concerned about reaching the different generations. Several years ago, a concerned church would try a more contemporary worship service to reach the younger generation or "baby boomers". Today, that contemporary service is attended by older people, and the younger generation wants a loud rock service (to which some of the congregation need to wear ear plugs to worship). Our desire to reach people for Jesus Christ leads us in all kinds of directions in order to relate to the various cultures of our generations. 


Someone who greatly understands ministering to different generations is Craig Miller, staff person at the General Board of Discipleship of the Methodist Church. Miller has written several very helpful books on generations, including Baby Boomer Spirituality, Culture Shifts (with Liz Icaza-Willetts), NextChurch.Now, PostModerns, Contemporary Worship for the 21st Century (with Danile T. Benedict), and Forty-Sixty (with Richard H. Gentzler, Jr.). 


I have asked Craig Miller to be one of our keynote speakers at the 2012 Leadership Conference: Reaching the Peak of Excellence, that Leadership Nexus is doing in Colorado Springs on July 31^st, August 1^st, and August 2^nd. Miller will be speaking about generations as a part of his leadership training, primarily, on the last day of the conference. I would recommend that you attend this conference, not only for the leadership teaching that will be fantastic, but to hear Craig Miller explain about how to understand and reach the different generations. Go to our event page or to the GBOD website to find out more about Craig Miller.

Raising Money for Ministry

Pastors continually struggle with the issue of how to raise money. In seminary, we were taught about stewardship and giving, yet, in a difficult economy, we were really never prepared for the struggle we find the local church in today. We desperately need help in being effective in stewardship, fundraising, and church financial management.

Bob Crossman has served as a leader in the Methodist Church in Arkansas and other places. He has written a new stewardship program titled, Committed to Christ: Six Steps to a Generous Life. I would encourage you to get his materials if you are struggling with this coming year’s stewardship program. 

Bob Crossman will be speaking at the 2012 Leadership Conference that Leadership Nexus is doing in Colorado, July 31- August 2, 2012. If you are interested in enrolling for this conference, please visit our website. The teaching that Bob will be doing is worth the trip!