Healing the Tension between the Younger and Older Generations: Craig Groeschel

At Catalyst Dallas on Friday, Craig Groeschel, founding and senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv, gave a moving and soul-convicting talk on healing the tension between the younger and older generations in the church.  At the end of his talk, I felt as if my soul was crying, from the hurt I have experienced and have been a part in inflicting.

His message was addressed to both generations.  Not only did he indict each generation, but he also suggested ways to build up and work with the other generation.  The most moving aspect of his talk was that he did not just give practical advice, but he did the very thing he was calling each generation to do through his own words.

His words to the older generation:

• don’t resent, fear, or judge the emerging generation, but BELIEVE in them
• “if you’re not dead, you’re not done.”
• your wisdom and experience are a tremendous asset that the next generation NEEDS
• you can impart love and wisdom
• don’t delegate tasks to the younger (which creates followers), but delegate responsibilities to them (which creates leaders)
• allow them to take charge and give them the opportunity to fail
• be yourself; don’t try to be cool; authenticity trumps cool—embrace the season you’re in

His words to the younger generation:

• you need those who’ve gone before you
• you’ve been described as ENTITLED (of course, you’ve been told you can never fail, you’ve been given everything, and been protected like crazy by the older generation)
• you can’t speed up maturity though
• you tend to overestimate what God wants to do in the short-run, but to grossly underestimate what God can and wants to do in the long-run
• in order to “lead-up” (leading those older than you), you must show HONOR
• publicly honor the older generation; without honor, there is a wedge driven between the generations; honor builds up and believes the best
• a lack of honor limits what God can and will do (Jesus was without honor in his hometown, and he could not work miracles—Mark 6:1-4)
• learn to be under the older generation with integrity
• your strengths: you are so cause-driven and mission-minded, more than those who came before you
• stay teachable, humble, under authority, ask questions, and take notes

How he did these things:

• to the older generation, he publicly honored those who had gone before him—his mentors, his father (who was in the audience), and those he learned from
• to the younger generation, he told them how much he believed in them, how much he wanted them to grow, then invited them to stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before them, including him

How his talk impacted me:

As a person of the younger generation (though I’m older than a lot in that group), I felt convicted.  I have not always shown honor to those who have gone before me.  I can often mistake a set way of doing things as entrenched and not good.  Because I think it’s not good, I have trouble following and then trouble showing honor.  I was moved to tears, to pray, and to repent.

I know that the wedge has been driven between generations even in my own ministry, and I can see now how I am a part of that.  I think that on both ends, we have been quick to point out the other generation’s flaws without also working to point out and respect each other’s strengths.

This talk helped me to see both sides of the coin for both generations and pointed to a way forward for both.

What other positive ways forward can you suggest for encouraging either generation?

Check out my other post on this topic: Catalyst Dallas Brings a Breath of Fresh Air