COMMUNICATION IS BASED ON understanding and relaying perspectives. Take the perspectives of three generations (Boomers, Gen X and iGens) on technology. Baby boomers thought television was the cat’s meow. For Generation Xers, Atari and computers stole the show. The Net Generation (or iGen) doesn’t know life without instant communication through the Internet or cell phones. While iGens use a plethora of communication devices, they are described as demanding and have poor face-to-face communication skills. Baby boomers, known for their optimism and progress made with social justice efforts, can’t understand the apathetic viewpoint and cynicism of Generation Xers. Gen Xers don’t understand struggling for causes under the threat of world obliteration by nuclear war.

As each decade rolls in with new inventions, social trends and historical events, each generation’s perspective is shaped. With the variety of viewpoints and expectations, how does the Church talk the language of three different and sometimes opposing generations?

Steve Lizzio is the director of ABF Resources.com and pastor of adult ministries for Hope Church in Mason, Ohio. In his 20 years of ministry, he has found that, regardless of how culture influences a church-goer’s perspective, people bond under the umbrella of common interests. He has found that they don’t bond well, however, in forced interactions.

Groups created soley to mix the young and old don’t work, Lizzio says. “The biggest obstacle is keeping everyone’s interest in long-term environments,” he continues. Though people enjoy the diversity of such groups in the beginning, “relationships do not go deeper frequently because their life stages are so different.”

Grouping geographically doesn’t go far in creating community either, he notes. “Here at Hope Church, they had multigenerational, geographical, mid-size groups that met at the church about a year before I arrived,” Lizzio says. “Within a year, they moved away from the geographical, because people were not sticking to the group. They were not connecting for the long haul. Eventually, the multigenerational group did find a niche.”

Lizzio finds groupings based on common interests, such as work in the community, hobbies or age, work the best. “My point is that people do not want to be forced into multi-generation relationships,” he says. “It is much healthier when they choose this environment.”

Grouping according to age is important to the leaders of Scottsdale Bible Church (SBC) in Scottsdale, Ariz., which has 4,400 members divided between two campuses and one chapel. Senior Pastor Jamie Rasmussen and the other leaders continuously survey church members to determine their needs, says Danielle Juengel, communications specialist for SBC.

Such was the case with SBC’s singles ministry, Crossroads. At the end of 2005, the ministry had grown to 300 members, ranging in age from 20 to 40. Desiring to keep the ministry’s original focus on young adults, Crossroads was disbanded and re-created into Soma. Church members over the age of 34 were discouraged from coming to Soma. However, this left out a large group of newly divorced men and women, single parents and others. So SBC created Access, a group for their more than 200 members who were 30 to 40 years old and needed leadership to address issues relevant to their lives, such as dating, single parenting, careers and health issues.

“There is something significant to people desiring to go through either challenges or life stages together, because people can identify with each other and share fresh ideas,” Lizzio says.

A church using smaller groupings can create environments specific to each generation’s spiritual growth. “More than 80 percent of our regular adult attendees are enrolled every quarter in small groups that meet in homes on various nights of the week,” says Jenna Sampson, communications coordinator for North Coast Church in Vista, Calif. “We offer nearly 300 groups that target every age and stage of life, from college to senior adults.”

Another excellent point of connection is work. North Coast Church cancelled 23 weekend services in April 2007 in order to send 5,442 attendees into the community to tackle 92 major service projects at 54 sites. The projects included large renovation and landscaping projects at local public schools, community centers and homeless shelters, along with dozens of smaller projects such as blood drives, beach clean-ups and home renovations. “The total financial impact of labor, materials and costs for the entire event exceeded $1 million,” Sampson says. “It was such a huge success that we plan to do it again in October 2008.” “I had hoped that a weekend of service would be a great opportunity for church members of all ages to realize the kind of impact they can have when they lock arms together to get something done,” says North Coast Church’s Senior Pastor Larry Osborne.

“But without a doubt, the enthusiasm for service, the impact and magnitude of the projects and gratitude of those we were able to help out far exceeded my wildest dreams. I’d have to say it was one of the top highlights of my 27 years of ministry here.”

Lizzio agrees with the positive effects of church members working together. “Our serving ministries are doing a great job of this,” he says. “We are beginning to start mission-driven, midsize groups that are multigenerational in the areas of orphan and adoption passions, international student ministries and international missions. We are even going to encourage them to meet as whole families on a regular basis.”

Having various age groups work together inside the church is another way to keep generations mixing, communicating and serving each other. “We have kids from ninth grade and up serving regularly alongside adults,” Lizzio says. “We believe that kids can be using their gifts and passions now; they don’t need to be grown up to serve. Our kids’ and youth pastors have really encouraged this environment.”

The Kids’ Praise program at North Coast Church requires 190 volunteers to run the weekend program for more than 500 kids, Sampson says. Volunteers also run the Wee Praise, Frog 5, Tower 6 and junior-high programs.

At The Well in Lake Mary, Fla., children are given the opportunity to serve in prayer and worship. “We have a great children’s program called Kids Can,” says Joseph Thompson, lead pastor. “We genuinely believe that kids can pray, worship and know God for themselves, and so we live out that belief authentically. We have the kids be part of our worship as well as having their own worship service. We have them pray and get involved with our missions and other outreach activities.”

Whether a generation’s voice is John Lennon, Kurt Cobain or Kanye West, music can be a huge point of dissension between generations. Some are a little country; others are a little rock ’n’ roll. So how do you encourage a congregation to worship with raised hands instead of putting their hands over their ears? You give them variety.

“Encore,” one of North Coast Church’s three Sunday night video services, meets in the main auditorium.

North Coast Church does this in an extreme way. Offering 21 worship options at three campuses, the church uses its main campus to feature multiple, simultaneous worship venues. “You can choose the style of worship that you like and still enjoy the same great teaching in every venue,” Sampson says.

Using a live video feed from the main sanctuary to several locations, worshippers get to praise the Lord in their style (with others who share an appreciation for their taste in music). The venues are divided as such:

North Coast Live: Original venue with a full-worship band and live teaching in the main auditorium.

Video Café: Contemporary gospel worship, Starbucks coffee, pastries and a message via the big screen.

The Edge: An edgier atmosphere with big subwoofers and the same message via the big screen.

Country Gospel: Featuring gospel and bluegrass worship, Starbucks coffee and cookies, with a message via the big screen.

Early Bird Café: Starbucks coffee, pastries, and full-band worship in the video café with a message via the big screen.

Traditions: A mix of classic hymns, old favorites and contemporary worship with Starbucks and pastries; the message is given via the big screen. Communion is served once a month.

Canvas: A venue for artists, featuring a full-coffee bar and a portion of the sermon, worship and art throughout the service. 

With larger churches, compartmentalization is good for connecting individuals and creating community. In venues created for worship, such as North Coast Church, individuals feel a greater sense of belonging. For smaller to mid-sized churches, the use of face-to-face moments for the congregations can create a greater understanding for all ages belonging to the church. “There are many strategies in developing a multigenerational church environment,” says Lizzio. “At Hope Church, we have designated several Family Sundays throughout the year. We invite families to sit together in the worship services, including all kids 3 years old and up. We have some prepared worksheets and crayons that we pass out to kids as they enter the sanctuary. Early in the service, we acknowledge that today is a Family Sunday, and we encourage parents to not worry about their kids getting loud or wiggly. We also have kids and teens help with worship, Scripture readings or prayer. Speakers are encouraged to be sensitive to the audience of the day through watching content and how it is shared, mentioning illustrations that kids can identify with. Finally, we offer another large room with a video feed and tables for families who would like the kids to have more freedom to move around.”

For The Well, getting the congregation together and focusing on authenticity encourages members to respect each other’s differences. “Our Lead Team reflects a multigenerational flavor, as we have people ranging in age from their early 20s to their mid-40s,” Thompson says. “Our worship is contemporary, yet incredibly open and authentic, which really cuts across generational boundaries. The tone and atmosphere of our services are casual, relevant, friendly and inviting, while at once being deeply spiritual. We know that Gen-X is tired of a lot of the hype that has characterized much of the church culture for many years, and so we create a really authentic atmosphere that is extremely welcoming.”

The push of getting people to look beyond themselves and to embrace others in love is what Christ encouraged his followers to do. This is the main point of getting generations together in peace under one roof. “It doesn’t mean that you must become like them, but it does mean that you must make allowances for the fact that they are different from you, and so you must be willing to accept and understand those differences,” Thompson says.

Growing the church in compassion, acceptance and service is what Lizzio says it’s all about: “Get people excited about being part of something that is greater than themselves,” he says. “We must fight the Generation- Me pulls.”