A Message For Graduates

Today we are honoring all the high school and college graduates. I would like them all to stand up.

Now that you are graduating from high school and college, how do you expect your life to change?

A little bit later today at the WMU gymnasium there will be a commencement exercise for the high school graduates. The word commencement in Webster’s Dictionary is defined as a beginning or a start.

As graduates you are beginning a new phase, a new chapter in the book of your life.

PRAY

Father we ask for Your anointing on us today. Place Your anointing on me as Your messenger today.

Open our eyes so that we may see Your Word. Open our ears so that we may hear Your Word. Open our minds so that we may understand Your Word. Open our hearts so that we may receive Your Word today.

AMEN

The last two times I have spoken to you I have used the following statistics. I am compelled to use it again today not because the third time is the charm but rather because it is so important for us to understand that we could be looking at the last Christian generation.

48% of my grandparent’s generation was Bible believing Christians

35% my parent’s generation (Baby Boomers) are Bible believing Christians

17% my generation (23-40) is Bible believing Christians

4% my 3 daughter’s generation (those born after 1984) will be Bible believing Christians.

There are differences between these generations that we have not yet discussed.

Scholars and Educators have identified seven generations that currently live in the world today.

First there is the Cyber Generation. These are the young people who were born or will be born from 2002 to 2025.

Then there are the Millennials also known as Net-Gen or as Gen Y they are the one born from 1982-2001.

This generation is a civic generation that is inner driven within the information revolution. Most of this generation’s main goal or desire is to get ahead in life and be more successful than those who lived before them. Their population is estimated at 78 million.

Then we have Generation X or the Baby Busters. This is going to make my wife happy because I used to tease her that I was a Gen. X and she was a Baby Boomer, but I have since changed my opinion. Gen Xers were born from 1960-1981. We are a reactive generation; we react to what is happening in society and in the world. Our population is 44 million.

Then there is the Baby Boomers generation, those born from 1943-1960. You are an idealist generation but many in your generation is often stressed out. Your population is 100 million. Typical boomers include Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Cher.

Next there is the Silent Generation, those born between 1925-1942. 95% of this generation is retired. They are an adaptive generation because they have had to be. This generation includes beats and beatniks.

After that there is the G.I. Generation, those born between 1901-1924.

And lastly there is the Lost Generation, those born between 1883-1900. Many of this generation fought and died in World War 1 and today there are only a handful of these people alive.

The teenagers who are graduating today are a part of the Millennial generation.

I want you to notice that there are some marked differences between this generation and those previous generations.

Millennials have been growing up with technology. In our world today we have greeting cards that play happy birthday that contain more computing power than existed in the world before 1950. Most video game consoles have more computing power than the Cray supercomputer, the most powerful computer in the world in 1976, limited in use to the most brilliant minds and most important problems.

Role Models are different today. The icons of this generation are markedly different than those of previous generations because their popularity is based on their style rather than their accomplishments.

Family Stability is different. A huge percentage of this generation is being raised in homes affected by divorce, single parents, and multiple “blended” stepfamilies.

Most of the parents of the Millennials are Gen X-ers. The Millennial generation has a desire to return to a stabile family life.

The Community is different. The Baby boomers were very family and community oriented and still are today.

The Gen X generation was about individuality.

Spirituality. 35% of the baby boomers considered themselves to be evangelical.

And if current trends continue, only 4% of the Cyber generation will be actively evangelical.

Even the Church is different today. Obviously, traditional church structures are not working and are not reaching this Millennial generation

There is a documented move by this generation toward a revival of the spirit, a re-building of the church around spiritual revival. This is actually a three-generation movement that is Boomer led, Gen Y fueled, but the church of the new millennium will be implemented by the Millennial generation.