A few days ago I received an email from a young man in our church. He wanted to share with me an article that pertained to him. The article had to do with millennials who are preparing to be pastors. He fits both of those descriptions.

Since I have been somewhat of a mentor to him in this area over the last couple of years, he wanted me to see the article as well. The article dealt with those churches who will have their first millennial as a pastor. It also dealt with those baby boomer pastors who will be retiring over the next fifteen years or so.

I love the study of the generations. I have written extensively about the generations and their characteristics. You can see a couple of these articles here and here. 

Sometimes I fear we have gone overboard with our designations of ourselves. Therefore, this is my letter to millennials (born between 1980-2000) and baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964). Here are a few simple suggestions I would make.

First, don’t be defined by when you were born; be defined by what you were born to do. We can over identify with certain groups. Everyone belongs to God, from the Greatest Generation to Generation Z (that generation that has been born since 2000 or 2001). God cares deeply for all and desires that no one would perish.

Second, don’t be defined by the people around you; be defined by the God who created you. The whole idea of generational study has to do with the fact that the people of particular generations have shared experiences. For example, all of my grandchildren are a part of Generation Z. They have all been born since 9/11. Though they did not experience the attacks, they have all experienced how it changed America.

Third, don’t be defined by what others around you are doing; be defined by the Spirit who dwells in you. Thankfully, we don’t have to be like anyone else of do as they do. Personally, I did not want to be like most baby boomers. My millennial Christian friend wants to be like Christ and to help bring his generation and all the others to Christ.

Fourth, don’t be conformed to the image your generation wants you to have; be conformed to the image of Christ. This is God’s plan and our desire–to be like Christ.

Finally, make Christ known that all may know Him and come to the truth.

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