Generational Sensibility for Leadership Development

Santuaries Boston leading Saturday night worship GA 2014
Badge showing 3 generations of stick figures

Generational Sensibility—one of the recommended leadership development competencies—includes:

  • Understanding that along with life-stage differences, there may be differences in generations based on the societal shifts they experience during their different life stages.
  • Understanding that different generations have different attitudes and values in congregational life.
  • Paying attention to how other communities are engaging with different generations.
  • (Please note that most of the resources point to white middle-class experience.)

Core Values

We are committed to the practice of radical hospitality, where we encounter each person as a gift. We are committed to the ideal of true diversity, because we understand that as we encounter, experience and integrate diverse ideas and values to work our way closer to our understanding of the “truth.”

Practices

  • Create opportunities for the generations to interact in playful as well as meaningful ways.
  • Understand your stereotypes and preconceptions so that you can set them aside as you encounter real people.

Resources

Videos

Web Articles

Podcasts

On-Demand Webinars

Websites

Books (Generations and Faith)

  • Generations of Faith: A Congregational Atlas by Carl G. Eeman
  • Reverend X: How Generation X Ministers are Shaping Unitarian Universalism Tamara LeBak & Bret Lortie, eds.
  • Virtual Faith: The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of Generation X by Tom Beaudoin
  • You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church...and Rethinking Faith by David Kinnaman
  • The Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation by Carol Howard Merritt

Books (General Generational Theory)

  • Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069 by Neil Howe and William Strauss
  • Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation by Neil Howe and William Strauss

About the Authors

Renee Ruchotzke

Rev. Renee Ruchotzke (ruh-HUT-skee) is a Congregational Life Consultant and program manager for Leadership Development.

For more information contact .