Welcome back. You belong here.Emergent...hmmm, I don't have emergent needs, I have real, tangible needs.
On the Buster generation, the generation I and many of my fellow pastors, church planters, youth pastors, mission's pastors, GenX pastors, and the like come from, we have real needs too.
I am not a Buster, I am a Bridge. We are the bridge generation. While the Boomer generation is set, we continue to struggle to make ends meet.
We are the: Stop abusing us generation, and give us what we deserve generation.
We are the: I work hard, I humble myself to work within the larger system providing for the Boomer pastors that much coveted GenX generation.
We are the: Stop living in the past generation and take a look at what we do, the path God has given us to shape. We are the take a look at our work and character generation.
We are the: Faithful generation. Yes, some have left, some have done it wrong and haven't left graciously or stayed graciously, but most of us have.
We are the: Bridge generation.
We are the: Poor generation. Can't afford to live in California, can't afford to own our home, can't afford to live the life our Boomer pastor counter parts live, yet we have as much training, experience and passion. We are the poor generation.
We are the: Passionate generation. But passion doesn't always pay does it? Creativity, forget it. Some have done it, one in a million, the Bells, McManus, few and far between. But the rest of us struggle in the middle between the success of our Boomer pastors generation and the opportunities of the Millenials.
Millenials. Wait your turn, God will use you greatly. We are the bridge generation to you. We've got your back. Your time will come.
We are the: Missional generation, but missional doesn't pay does it? Missional books written by big time pastors from large churches sell, and a few Busters have done it, but the rest of the missional GenXers, we blog, but no one pays to blog do they?
We are the: Thank you, nice to have you around, but I don't get you, generation.
We are the: Do your job, respect your elders, submit to authority, bring in the kids, build great services, reach the world, oh...you've done all that, for the last 10 years you say? Oh, well, good job, by the way, how's your part time job going?
We are the: Bridge generation. Making sense of culture, of large church and emergent church, of missional and contemporary, we are the ones in the executive meetings while supporting those 20 year olds on the way to become senior pastors of Boomer churches. We are the bridge generation.
Aren't bridges important? Or do they just get walked on and another one is built...
We are the real needs generation: With a real wife/husband, children, and family. Our needs are just as real as your needs Boomer pastor. We have the same dreams and aspirations, but with our 'wealth' we'd rather not buy more stuff, but instead give it away, help the poor, the hungry, the world, our families in third wold countries.
Some leave the big church, they plant new churches, they design webs, they sell coffee, fed up, done, poor. Others make it big, see Yahoo, Google...we are entrepreneurs.
But those of us who remain in the Boomer church and circles, working hard to help our churches not lose the next generation so that you can continue to preach to big numbers....pay us, take care of us, give us our due, come to our dinners, support our missionaries, pay us what the executives get, we do the same amount of work, we just do it liquid, through 100's of people all around us, you do it all yourself, that's okay, we can accept each other in the Lord.
But the church is not yours Boomer pastor, the offering plate is not yours, it is the Lord's. Take care of your future, take care of your Bridges, take care of those who've helped you come this far and can carry you into the next 25 years until Barna's Revolution comes and then the Millenials will be ready.
Take care of those who've fed you, loved you, given you their lives, we are not Busters, we are Bridges, but Bridges have needs too. And for those Boomer pastors who have taken care of their Bridges pastors, I applaud you and commend you. I want to take you out to coffee, I'll even buy.
Have a great day.
Into the future,
davidT
