"By 2010, everything that marketers know today about
elementary-aged kids will be completely outdated. There will be a
new generation of elementary-school students -- and a whole new
generation of elementary schools." -- American Demographics
magazine
Say hello to the next generation -- Generation Z -- born from
2003 on. Their needs are different, they learn differently, and
what they want from your children's ministry is different. If
you've ever played Hide-and-Seek, you know the goal is to find
people who don't want to be found. It's a favorite game for
children. But Hide-and-Seek is no child's game when it comes to
understanding the hidden characteristics of a generation that's
still in diapers and just learning to walk. Seeking hidden
generational trends is a notoriously frustrating proposition with a
shifting and ever-changing culture. Often in children's ministry we
discover that the ministry we've created for one generation is
outdated and ineffective for the next generation. And as we seek
the hidden trends, we lose precious time in making a difference in
kids' lives. How then do we as children's ministers keep up with
the trends that impact children from generation to generation?
Children's Ministry Magazine sought and found the hidden trends
that'll impact your children's ministry in the next 10 years. If
you prepare now for these emerging trends, your ministry will be
ready "to seek and to save" children with Jesus' help. Take a look
at the top six trends that'll impact the future of your children's
ministry -- and discover what you can do now to prepare for
Generation Z.
Trend 1: Extreme Racial Diversity
Diversity is on the verge of an explosion in America's schools.
According to American Demographics magazine, between 2001 and 2010
the number of Hispanic children ages 5 to 9 will increase 21
percent, and 10- to 14-year-olds 29 percent. The number of Asian
students ages 5 to 9 will increase 22 percent, and 10- to
14-year-olds 31 percent. The number of non-Hispanic white
elementary school children will decrease by 8 percent for children
ages 5 to 9 and 9 percent for children ages 10 to 14. The number of
non-Hispanic black elementary school kids will decrease 3 percent
for children ages 5 to 9 and 10 percent for children ages 10 to 14.
The face of your children's ministry will continue to be
multicultural. Gene Roehlkepartain, senior advisor at the nonprofit
Search Institute, says, "All children's ministry leaders need to
re-examine their ministries to determine how welcoming and engaging
they are to children and families from many different cultures."
Address the issue of diversity in these areas:
- Music -- Use music from different
cultures.
- Imagery -- Use images all cultures find
appealing. Take a look at your curriculum and resources. Are they
an accurate mirror of your community?
- Language -- Use the languages represented in
your community for special music, teaching, and print
communication. Also understand that not all words or concepts
translate clearly to children who speak a different language. An
ongoing dialogue is the best solution to this challenge.
- Values -- Every culture has underlying values
that affect the way people perceive all of life. For example, at
one multicultural church, one culture's value of timeliness was
flexible -- being late was no big deal. Another culture's value
believed it was a sin to be late. Needless to say, until these two
cultures understood each other better, there was conflict. Learn
about the values of the cultures you minister alongside.
Trend 2: Changing Educational Methodology
With the previous generation, children's ministries have tried
to emulate the model of television with entertainment, constant
change for short attention spans, and variety. This new generation
of kids, however, prefers the interactivity of computer games,
Internet, and video games to television. Generation Z won't be
content as passive observers; they want to be involved. Provide
plenty of interactivity in educational settings. "We need to create
active learning contexts in which kids are interacting with lesson
materials, each other, and ourselves as teachers," says Kevin
Lawson, director of programs in educational studies at Talbot
School of Theology in La Mirada, California. To do this, we must
take advantage of these tools:
Internet -- "Churches should be using the Internet to create
Sunday school blogs and church Web sites with a section for kids to
use," says trendspotter Sharyn Spradlin, who's also the co-founder
of the ministry consulting firm New Re-sors-es in Seattle,
Washington.
Involvement -- Use curriculum and learning experiences that are
multisensory and help kids discover truth instead of just being
talked to. For resources that do this well, go to Web Extras at
www.cmmag.com. Choices -- Provide options for kids, whether the
choices are in stations, pre-class activity centers, or even the
curriculum they'll study.
Trend 3: Technologically Advanced Kids
Children are learning to use the computer at earlier ages. For
most children, a computer in their home is as standard as a
television. In fact, 54 percent of preschoolers and 72 percent of
elementary-age children use a computer at home. Because of this,
"personal, individualized, and 'custom' learning will spell the end
of one-size-fits-all Sunday school lessons," according to Rick
Chromey, professor of youth and family ministry at Kentucky
Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky. But what does
individualized learning look like in the church with a limited
amount of time and volunteer staff? Does it mean kids at computer
stations, learning on their own? Not at all. The prime imperative
for children's ministries is a relationship with Jesus Christ and
with others. That won't happen in personalized cubbies. Instead,
follow these tips:
Catch up. Learn everything you can about using computers in
ministry. Ask a kid to teach you. Tracy Carpenter, a children's
ministries director in Corona, California, recommends, "Become
fluent in computer-ese."
Build community. Trendspotters emphasize that the more
technological our society becomes, the more "touch" we'll need. Ivy
Beckwith, author of Postmodern Children's Ministry, says, "Churches
need to become authoritative faith communities offering children
real and valuable relationships with adults who model Christian
faith for them and communities, which offer children opportunities
to be full, functioning members, not just receivers of the
community's generosity."
Be creative. Use kids' technological skills to call them into
service and to enhance your ministry. Have children design an
interactive computer game for the lesson, and then let them use it
with the rest of your class. Lead kids in creating a video
re-enactment of Bible stories or producing their own music videos.
Enlist older kids to make innovative commercials for your
announcements.
Trend 4: Conformity Before Conviction
This new generation's core values will include pluralism --
they'll think anything is okay. And according to Roehlkepartain, it
might not be so bad for children to value pluralism -- at least for
a little while. He says, "Pluralism can be an invaluable
opportunity for children to ask deeper questions about their own
faith and beliefs as they see and hear different perspectives,
histories, beliefs, and practices." Kids' questions will allow them
to become stronger in their faith. Help kids develop convictions
with these tools:
Make distinctions. In a moralistic society, kids can't always
distinguish between what's socially good and what's biblically
true. "Children may not intuitively feel a difference between
social differences and moral ones; we as teachers must provide the
context and foundation for just such distinctions," says Keith
Johnson, an Aha Architect for Group Publishing.
Help children belong. Belonging comes before believing. Lawson
says, "Most of us have experienced this in our own growing up. We
were glad to be a part of the church or some other group we were in
long before we really understood why the group believed what it
did. It's important that we allow kids to do this in our churches,
but in the process begin to teach them the whys behind what we
believe and do."
Trend 5: Malaise vs. Making a Difference
While the current Millennial youth generation is known for
wanting to make a difference, Generation Z will need help
understanding that they can make a difference. William Strauss and
Neil Howe, authors of The History of America's Future,
label Generation Z as an Adaptive Generation. They say, "Adaptive
generations often feel as if they were 'born too late' to emulate
the 'great deeds' of their next-elders, and feel relegated to an
'also-ran' role in which they can, at best, be maintainers of a
social system they did not build." We need to counter this
attitude. Roehlkepartain says, "Leaders' task is to help children
discover what God is calling them to be and do, and take seriously
the responsibility to nurture those sparks." Sometimes all
Generation Z will need is the right opportunity to present itself.
Here's how to do that:
Involve kids. "Instead of just talking about homelessness, take
a group of students to a homeless shelter, and let them serve a
meal," says Kaylea Hutson, Hands-On Bible Curriculum
editor at Group Publishing.
Give them a cause. Help kids see that the cause of Christ is
worth giving their lives to. Kids' commitment is contagious. "The
actions of a small group of sixth-graders in southwest Missouri
ignited the passions of students in five elementary schools to
raise approximately $5,000 for the American Red Cross and the 2004
tsunami victims," says Hutson.
Inform kids. Hutson says, "Use what's happening in the news and
in your community." As kids learn about needs, help them see how
they can make a difference.
Be a role model. "When children see an ethos of mission modeled
for them by parents, church leaders, and other significant adults,
they can be transformed," says Beckwith.
Trend 6: Changing Families
The "traditional" family structure is still in decline.
According to American Demographics magazine, in 1980, 77 percent of
American children lived with two parents. By 1999, that number fell
to 68 percent. Also in 1999, nearly 23 percent of all children
lived with just their mothers, 4 percent with just their fathers,
and 4 percent lived with neither parent. Family structures will
continue to change, and so must our understanding of what family
ministry is. "We're going to have to get more intentional about
bringing parents into planning sessions for children's ministry,"
says Lawson, "and help them see their role at home and how it fits
with what the church is able to provide." Children's ministers must
provide more of a role in ministry for parents in the future. What
children learn inside the classroom needs to be used outside the
classroom as well. Parents are the #1 faith-developers, so involve
them in what their children are learning.
Involve parents. "We need to give workable models for spiritual
nurture at home and follow up with parents to encourage them as
they try them out at home," says Lawson. Spradlin suggests, "Some
of the tools we use in Sunday school can be sent home so the
parents can see what their child is learning and use the tools to
help their child continue learning at home."
Train parents. "We used to hold Nurturing Faith at Home seminars
at a previous church I served, and we found lots of parents hungry
for this and willing to learn from each other," says Lawson.
Hold parents accountable. In all your communication with parents
-- from your mission statement to recruiting volunteers --
consistently convey that children's ministry exists to partner
with, to support, and to come alongside children's true
faith-developers -- the parents! We've gotten you started by
sifting through all the hidden trends and choosing the top six we
believe will impact your children's ministry the most. As with
generational shifts, the changes you need to make are subtle. Some
things you're already doing -- just keep doing them. And with God's
help, you'll be more effective at "seeking and saving" the children
of Generation Z!
