• We are great participants but not very good belongers. Church membership will need to be downplayed andreplaced with terms and experiences that emphasize participation.

• Boomers are non-institutional. We are low on denominational loyalty. Due to heavy demands on our time,we will most likely commit to a local nondenominational church rather than drive a longer distance to a church of our own (former) denomination.

• Boomers are experience oriented. They have experienced everything from Silly Putty to the LSD craze tostereo mania. And they’re STILL experiencing!

• We boomers are extremely pragmatic in our sermon tastes. Use sermons heavy on practical application.

• Boomers believe women need to be represented in leadership. Where women are not recognized inleadership positions, those congregations will be judged to be morally invalid or out of touch.

• Boomers expect that the contribution of singles will be celebrated and accepted. Over 50% of adults inAmerica are single.

• Boomers believe the high level of dysfunctionality of this group needs to be faced and dealt with. Churcheswill have to be comfortable with dysfunction and provide ministries to deal sensitively with hurting people.

• Boomers will applaud innovation. We see a need for diversity expressed with multiple options. Sometimesjust for the simple reason of being innovative.

• Boomers have a real sense of destiny. We believe in our ability to make the world a better place.

• Oh – and that applies to your church, too… Get ready for the boomer wave.

Understanding the Boomer Belief system

reaChing BaBy Boomers

1946-1964

• They are open to a spiritual experience

• They place an emphasis on worship

• They place a healthy emphasis on relationships

• They have fewer titles and less formality

• They understand the new family in America

• They recognize the abilities and gifts of women in the church

• They share their faith by what they say and do

• Their Bible teaching stresses practical living and discovery learning

• They have a high tolerance for diversity

• Boomers are the first generation raised with absentee fathers

• Boomers are the first generation whose grandparents had no significant input into their lives

• Boomers are the most educated generation in history

• Boomers were raised with extreme affluence, with great opportunities

• Boomers have less purchasing power than our parents at each stage of adulthood

• Boomers were raised under the threat of nuclear war

• Boomers are the first generation who can’t afford what they’ve always had

• Boomers were the first generation to be reared with television as a significant parenting tool

What makes BaBy Boomers so speCial?

Common CharaCteristiCs of ChUrChes that reaCh Boomers