Dites-moi encore -- Génération Quoi?
Two comments, both from local teenagers, in the past couple of weeks:
The second question, honestly, took me completely by surprise. My immediate respone, at the time, was "No, not at all. Why do you ask?" His response indicated that this was the general feeling he gets from leaders in his evangelical world.
As someone who has always been passionate about youth and young adults (the emerging generations), the mental grid that I was using as I read Permission Granted (by Cooke & Goodale; see previous post) was "how does this impact the emerging generations"? To be honest, this grid is probably the first thing that pops to my mind in just about any ministry setting you can imagine.
Which is more sadistic? Outright dismissal, or dangling a carrot that you are never intended to reach?
If Cooke & Goodale are right, then what is needed is permission-giving relational leaders. Not leaders who berate or denigrate the emerging generations before they even get a chance to do anything. Nor leaders who hype them up with grandiose pronouncements, yet continue in a ministry paradigm which does nothing to equip or mentor the emerging generations.
Embittered old people are just embittered younger people with more practice. The "detox" process (more poetically called "liminality" by some) takes time, yes, but don't set down roots in Camp Bitterness. Be careful that "no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many" (Hebrews 12:14).
Mordac the Preventer was probably a young idealist once upon a time, before the Great Church Split of '99. It's much easier to become Mordac-ified that we think. We don't want to wake up some morning and realize that we let some good years slip away due to bitterness and cynicism. And we certainly don't need more Mordacs.
1. (from a teenager in a charismatic church) "I was at a youth conference recently, and guess what? (insert sarcastic voice and posture here) We're THE Generation!"
2. (from a teenager in an evangelical church) "Can I ask you a question, Mr. Mac?
"Is your generation really disappointed with mine?"
 | This image shows my gut reaction to hearing #1. I wrote Clique Maintenance Part 1 three years ago, and yet this idea is still around, and causes me to wonder what kind of bug repellent would be best for those who keep throwing gasoline on that particular fire. |
The second question, honestly, took me completely by surprise. My immediate respone, at the time, was "No, not at all. Why do you ask?" His response indicated that this was the general feeling he gets from leaders in his evangelical world.
As someone who has always been passionate about youth and young adults (the emerging generations), the mental grid that I was using as I read Permission Granted (by Cooke & Goodale; see previous post) was "how does this impact the emerging generations"? To be honest, this grid is probably the first thing that pops to my mind in just about any ministry setting you can imagine.
 | Cooke & Goodale differentiate between relational leaders -- who are "permission-giving" and seek to see people around them discover God's vision for their own lives -- as opposed to what they call "functional paradigm" leaders. The patron saint of functional-paradigm leaders is probably Mordac the Preventer. |
Ultimately, I suspect both teenagers have leaders who are more akin to Mordac the Preventer.One dismisses the emerging generations right off the bat, while the other promises (prophesies) great responsibility but ultimately will only "load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and... not lift one finger to help." (Luke 11:46)
Which is more sadistic? Outright dismissal, or dangling a carrot that you are never intended to reach?
If Cooke & Goodale are right, then what is needed is permission-giving relational leaders. Not leaders who berate or denigrate the emerging generations before they even get a chance to do anything. Nor leaders who hype them up with grandiose pronouncements, yet continue in a ministry paradigm which does nothing to equip or mentor the emerging generations.
An Aside to those in the Emerging Generations who have been Burnt and are currently Detoxing From Church
 | Nobody gets to a certain age (50? 60? 70?) and suddenly wakes up one morning and decides, "As of this moment, I am going to be a crotchety, cantakerous, bitter old man/woman. You thought Mordac was bad? Well, my patron saint is going to be the Wicked Witch of the West!" |
Mordac the Preventer was probably a young idealist once upon a time, before the Great Church Split of '99. It's much easier to become Mordac-ified that we think. We don't want to wake up some morning and realize that we let some good years slip away due to bitterness and cynicism. And we certainly don't need more Mordacs.
posted by Robbymac at
11:09 PM
12 Comments:
Interesting. Having spent some time with youth groups in charismatic churches and the events they attend, #1 doesn't surprise me. There is constant talk of visions of the current generation of youth rising up and...something (I can't remember what). Of course, this all signals the 'End Times'.
Robby, you asked, "Which is more sadistic? Outright dismissal, or dangling a carrot that you are never intended to reach?
While I am in a 'detox' period (but still in my home church currently, so I'm sure the detox will continue when we move), I can say that I would by far rather be outright rejected by my leaders than be promised a future that never materializes. I played that game for many years (a decade) before I realized what a burden it put on people. "Just keep doing what your doing" or to sound holy "don't grow waery ...in due season you will reap..." are common phrases that you hear. How long can you "just keep doing" before you see a promise fulfilled? How long to you defer hope? Where is the continual progression toward the dream? After all, everything happens in progressions or stages, so there should be evidence (fruit). In my view, leaders need to be relational leaders who are both "permission-giving" and 'development assisting'.
Great post Robby! I've been thinking about the same thing.
My experience has mostly been with the first example of false promises.
While I find myself cynical about the hype, which makes me feel a bit like a fuddy-duddy. However, I am not at all cynical about the emerging generation and God's vision for their lives. I think it is important that we teach them to dream God's dreams rather than to fill them with unrealistic expectations of greatness.
Rob,
I am new to this so forgive me if I am way off base here.
I have recently become interested in the emerging church or (charismissional church) not because of its model of missional living but because of its belief in the function of the body of christ and role and relationship or believers within this.
Thus said I still attend an apostolic mega church - not having felt released to leave.
My query here (and this is where I may be way of base so feel free to say so) is about the attitude that seens to come through from the emerging church towards the apostolic church. It seems from my naive standpoint to reflect the attitude of the "Joshua" generation to the older generations.
We are flawed human beings and as such we often do not do things the "right" way or we make a seeming mess of things in the process. However this is to God's glory because at the end of the day, despite our stuff ups, God still prevails and his kingdom still grows.
One might plant the seed and another waters but it is God who causes things to grow.
This is what we need to teach our churches in regards to denominational divisions and what we need to teach the generations in regards to calling. We all have different purposes but God is still God over all of these and the danger is when we start saying "Because you are not this then you have failed."
Again forgive me if I have misunderstood the sentiment directed towards the apostolic church.
Bless you heaps
Tali
Tali,
No, you are most certainly not off-base!
Actually, if I'm reading your comment correctly, we're pretty much in agreement. I don't know if you've had time to read the article on Clique Maintenance that I linked to, but it goes into much more detail. If you have the time, give it a read and let me know if that helps answer your question. If it doesn't, please feel free to comment again and let's talk.
Marc,
I agree -- it seems to be rampant everywhere youth and prophetic wanna-be's collide.
KSG,
I REALLY like your phrase "permission-giving and development-assisting"! That really sums up a great antidote to the problem.
And I agree that honest, outright dismissal would be preferable; then we'd know to pack our bags and leave, instead of spinning around the hamster wheel and getting nowhere but tired.
Grace,
I, too, have great faith in God's workings with the emerging generations, and I would LOVE to see them experience an amazing move of the Spirit!
I just want them to see their calling in terms of taking up their cross daily, denying themselves, serving others, and actively choosing to be 'nameless and faceless' instead of getting sucked into grandiose promises of impending ministry "stardom".
I guess that means someone has to model this, eh?
After reading Grace's entry on her blog and the furthur comments here, I want to add another aspect that the 'you are THE generation' rhetoric creates for young people. I've seen (and experienced) people forego a productive future in exchange for a fantastic one. What I mean is that I've seen friends (& myself) not plan for their 'here and now' by getting secondary education (university or trade) or passing on promotions that could have led to brighter careers because the promised "great things for God" future causes people, usually naively and quite honorably and always well intentioned, to reject those opportunities. In my own experience in a Xian church school, the church leaders stressed the evils of university, so for a generation (now aged 25-43) nobody went on to continue their education after graduating high school (it has changed but only for special cases). The result of this is a generation of Xian retail sales people (hyperbole intended) instead of a generation of Xian plumbers, tradespersons, engineers, nurses, teachers, artists, etc.
I should have read part two of the clique maintenance!
Thanks Rob you just put into words what I was feeling - you just said it better :)
Tali
It's funny how things come full circle. When I first started running in more charismatic circles, my conservative evangelical pastor warned me that these prophetic-types and their talk about "the generation" was way off base. I blew him off then, but now I'm in complete agreement. Funny what time does to me...
Matt,
I was firmly a part of the charismatic movement (via the Vineyard) when I first heard these kind of "prophecies", and they drove me up the wall from the moment I first heard them.
The thing that I find encouraging is that people aren't all labelling me as "despising the prophetic" for speaking up (which happened a lot 10 or 12 years ago). It's encouraging mainly because as more people speak up about it, then we are free to reject the grandiose hype, and get around to discerning what genuine prophetic ministry looks like. I believe in prophetic ministry; but a (to use an old Vineyard phrase) "dialed-down", non-hyped, more grassroots-in-community kind of understanding and practice.
I'm still firmly a part of the Vineyard, and I still believe in the kind of prophetic ministry that you're advocating here and in your post-charismatic project. I'm happy to know that not everyone was swept away in the hype. :)
Ah, Robby, posts like these make me laugh and groan and remind me why I just love coming back here.... :)
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