Thursday, August 21, 2014

eformation- Don't Count the Boomers Out




 #10 in the eformation Series

"The boomers, who have tread new ground
 and changed the landscape of culture and society
 throughout their lifespan
 are rapidly tipping into retirement.
 Being adventuresome, many are on the cutting edge
 of technology. At the same time, they are discovering
 the physical, emotional, and psychological changes
 that occur as they grow older and live longer.
 What does the church offer this group? 
And more specifically, 
what is the role of digital ministry
 in fostering communications, building relationships, 
and exploring spirituality among adults 65-100?"
 Dorothy Lithicum - Program Coordinator and Instructor
 for the Center for the Ministry of Teaching
 at  Virginia Theological Seminary



Every age and stage of life
 is God-ordained and therefore has a purpose.

Some workshop gleanings:

The Unites States has more people 65+
than the entire population of CANADA.

As many people 75+ leave our churches
 as the youth after Confirmation.

This is the reason for the growth of boomers
 becoming internet savvy and learning
 about social media tools-
GRANDCHILDREN.

The fastest growing group of internet users
 is the group 75+
 because of this new generation
 of grands and great-grands.

 Health reasons often become the reason
older adults no longer can attend Bible Studies
 and worship services. 
They are seeking internet resources
 for faith encouragement and spiritual growth tools.
It is no longer a once a month Communion
 visit from clergy 
that keeps them connected to "church".

Having resources for them to "SHARE"
 among friends 
lets them know they are not
 a forgotten slice of the population.


The Passing of Faith from One Generation 
to the Next is the Greatest Gift
 we Give to both the Boomers and the Builders.

Five Practices for Ministries for Boomers
Make it:
Adventurous
Fun
Significant
Educational
Spiritual
                                 John Roberto

Social Media connections can be built in
 as a basic part of Boomer Ministry.



Visual social media- Facebook and Pinterest
are two of the fastest growing sites for Boomers.

Often the Boomers want to be SHOWN HOW
 to use social media tools.
They are not digital natives,
 so find it less intuitive. 

As they have learned that to keep
 in the communication loop, 
they must set out to "KEEP UP",
 they form a highly motivated group.

And they "get it" -
when the church talks about deploying
digital missionaries.





2 comments:

  1. Great post! I did not know how many 75+ year olds left the church! Staggering and concerning. We need them!

    ReplyDelete
  2. they leave for many reasons- sort of like the "after confirmation" group---- they simply slip away---- but their reasons are often health issues, transportation, need large print bulletins or hearing devices and those needs are not met for worship, or the building itself is hard to navigate----- we will become more aware of these issues with the aging population

    ReplyDelete

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