January 1, 2025, began not only a new year but also a new generation: Generation Beta. This brings the total to eight generations currently living, each with its own unique experiences and identities.
Depending on the age of your oldest church member, you may have all eight generational categories represented in your church.
With such a wide range of ages, the challenge becomes communicating effectively with everyone from babies to centenarians.
You may think, “We just send the same messages to everyone. Should I be doing something different for each generation?”
The answer depends on your congregation.
While different generations have specific attributes that define them, major world events that bond them, and preferences based on upbringing, there isn’t a clear divide between where one generation ends and the next begins.
This lack of a clear-cut line between generations has led to entirely new groups, dubbed “cuspers” in 2002, for those born just before or after a generational divide. With each generation claiming its defining features, the cuspers tend to exhibit characteristics of both generations they fall between.
Yet even with the blurred lines and sub-groups that fall in the middle, we have a general idea of what each generation prefers in terms of communication:
- The Greatest Generation (born 1901-1927) and the Silent Generation or Traditionalists (born 1928-1945) often prefer personal communications, such as hand-written notes.
- Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) and Generation X (born 1965-1980) prioritize efficiency, seeking the most effective communication methods, including in-person and phone conversations.
- Millennials (born 1981-1996) typically respond best to convenient communication options, such as texts, direct messaging, and emails.
- Generation Z (born 1997-2010) has only ever known a digitally connected world and put social media, direct messaging, and texts at the top of their preferred communication methods.
- Generation Alpha (born 2011-2024) and Generation Beta (who will be born between 2025-2039) are minors who will rely on the communication preferences of their parents until they’re older.
Before you get overwhelmed looking at all the different ways the generations prefer to receive communications, remember that just because something is preferred doesn’t mean other options aren’t effective.
And don’t forget that these are generalizations based on the majority. There are Baby Boomers who would rather get a text, and Generation Zs who delight in receiving hand-written notes.
With so many options for communicating with the different generations, the preferences of each of those groups varying significantly, and the outliers who don’t follow their generational norms, how do you know what to do?
This is where a solid communication strategy comes into play.
If you already have an effective strategy in place, great! You’re well on your way to successfully communicating with each generation.
If you don’t have a strategy or if the one you have doesn’t seem to be working, it’s never too late!
First, you need to know how you’re already communicating with your congregation and how effectively each method reaches your members.
Work with your church leaders to make a comprehensive list of how you’re currently connecting with your ministry. Then, look closely at the success rate of each method.
Knowing the effectiveness of each method will help you determine if your congregation aligns with the generational preferences and help you tailor your communications going forward.
Once you’ve reviewed your current practices, look for ineffective methods and identify communication gaps.
Let’s say you have a low attendance rate for children’s events, but your primary way of communicating the children’s calendar is a printed newsletter. Your attendance may be low because the parents are Millennials and older Generation Z, who prefer emails or texts to stay in the loop.
If you’re using a method that doesn’t resonate with the audience, they’re less likely to know what’s happening in the life of your church and are missing out on connecting with the Body of Christ.
The same is true if you’ve never intentionally communicated with a specific generation. If your students seem disconnected from the rest of the church, you may be using a communication method that isn’t connecting with them (or their parents) or that you haven’t made deliberate efforts to draw them in.
These gaps or areas of ineffective communication aren’t problems unless you ignore them going forward. Instead, look at them as opportunities to more effectively connect with each generation represented in your congregation.
If you know how you’re currently communicating with your church and where there is room for improvement, you can determine how you should be connecting in the future.
You don’t need to try to break down your communication methods along generational divides. However, you should utilize multiple ways to fit each congregant’s personal preferences, regardless of which generation they belong to.
Taking advantage of the myriad ways to connect with your congregation will help you reach various people, but be wary of the temptation to over-communicate.
Over-communication is one of the easiest traps to fall into and is often a problem people don’t even realize they have. Even if you have a wide range of generations to connect with, you don’t have to use every possible avenue of communication or send every message to every person.
Ensure all of your communications have a purpose and that you’re trying to segment your messaging so each person gets the information they need.
Segmentation is where things can get tricky.
While the generations have preferences that apply to most of those who fall in each group, there will always be those who don’t conform.
Find out the top preferred communication methods for your church, then put the majority of your efforts toward that. You may see a divide in preferences along generational lines, or you may have most of your congregants agree on their top modes of communication.
Giving your congregants the ability to opt into communications ensures your segmentations are the most effective.
The preferred way to communicate with Millennials won’t always be the right way to connect with every individual Millennial. Asking your members to choose what communication methods they personally prefer will help you maximize your efforts, save time and resources, and truly connect with each person.
So what’s the best option for effectively communicating with the different generations in your congregation?
Honestly, the most impactful way to bridge the generational gaps and connect your church is to be intentional.
Intentionally prioritizing the communication methods that resonate most with your congregants, regardless of their generation, will go a long way toward increasing engagement and connectivity.
You know your people the best, and you have the prime opportunity to show your members that they are more than just numbers by asking for their preferences rather than focusing only on generational stereotypes.
Communicating with the different generations in your congregation sounds daunting, but with an effective strategy, you can easily navigate the challenge.
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