Noah and the Birds

During the flood, Noah and the other living creatures hid on the ark, in a safe place.  Once the rain stopped and the flood began to subside, he went through a process of testing.  He sent out a bird several times to see if the bird would return or if it would find a new home. This bird helped signal to him whether it was safe to open the door on the ark and let everyone out again.

The other day I made a post on a private Facebook group- and received so many comments in response.  There were a lot of words put out there.  I don't take any of it personally, because the people responding don't know me personally (for the most part).  But I do take it as a response to my generation.

Sometimes I feel like I’m sending out birds.  When I make a comment, or ask a question, or do something a little off the beaten path- I’m testing to see if it is safe to come out of the ark yet.  And it is not only for myself that I do this. I feel like I’m testing on behalf of my generation and the next generation.  How am I going to invite someone to become an officer, when it is not safe for that person to be an officer?  How am I going to ask for them to minister in this organization, when the experience I’ve had with the organization has been painful and depressing? I am being an assistant candidates officer by being me- by being disruptive, by asking questions, by challenging the way things are, by seeking change to our ‘traditions.’

Of course there have been good experiences too. Of course it is rewarding. Of course I feel called by God to be an officer.

But that isn't enough for my generation- and perhaps not for the next one either.

We need to feel heard. We need to feel seen. We need to know that our voices aren't just being swallowed in a vacuum, or seen as disinterested dissent.  We're just as committed to the mission as the previous generation- but if the previous generation keeps pushing us out, we'll know we're not wanted.  If the previous generation keeps ignoring our hearts and our minds, we'll find a different path forward. If the previous generation keeps treating us as students, novices, and children, we'll go where our experiences and wisdom are valued.

It isn't merely for the sake of the millennials that I write this- it is for the organization as a whole.  The fact is, population trends show by 2025, young adults will be less numerous. ("Thriving Amid Turbulence" McKinsey & Company Article) What does this mean?  It means that competition for the available young adults will be fierce- and if our organization has not made room for them, they will not be here. Joe Frem, Vineet Rajadhyaksha, and Jonathan Woetzel identify the need for cities to create “vibrant, livable environments that draw high-caliber talent.”  I propose that not only cities note this, but organizations themselves.  

I've often thought of our organization as a small town- we usually have the feeling we know everybody, and there is also a sense among young adults of wanting to leave to develop as people.  A vibrant, livable environment that draws high-caliber talent would be self-aware and ready to make changes to accommodate the culture of the next generation.  A vibrant, livable environment would not need to be abandoned in order to grow as a person.

2011's "You Lost Me" book by David Kinnaman with Aly Hawkins, Kinnaman describes a meeting with Bob Buford, "cable television entrepreneur".  Buford describes the following list of traits for each generation:

"I think this next generation is not just slightly different from the past. I believe they are discontinuously different than anything we have seen before."- Buford.

This is something that our organization's structure has not even appeared to realize yet.  The Millenials' culture is not the Millenials' fault, and yet they are asked to shed it like it isn't the very definition of their identities.  I'm not saying the Millenial culture is right, or is good, or is anything- but we need to address the 'elephant in the room' which is that the Millenials are opting out.

Going back to that 'small town' metaphor- Millenials are the young people who leave the town for college- and never come back.  There is nothing for them in the small town. There is not enough love in the world to get a person to come back to a small town which lacks opportunity, engagement, vibrancy!  Millenials want to be a part of something beautiful, and want to make a meaningful contribution. They want to be accepted and embraced, they want to be heard.

There needs to be room for them- and not only Millenials, but for the next generation as well.  Because like it or not, the Millenials have already opted out.  I may be over stating this, but in many ways I believe Millenials are in a sense a 'lost cause' for our organization.  We missed the boat. We were too busy protecting the status quo. They left, and they aren't coming back.

Years ago, when I first felt called to officership, I had a dream one night where I stood up in my church congregation and went off on my generation needing to stand up and take our place in leadership.  I never have made that call to my fellow Millenials- I keep sending out birds, and the birds keep coming back.