Relationship. Relationship. Relationship.

Serving in a generationally-focused ministry, we enjoy learning about key character traits of Millennials, Gen Xers, Boomers, Builders, etc.

But something is missing when we study generations in these contexts. These generational names connect to significant historical events and seasons, but nothing in the names themselves infer relationship to other generations.

By contrast, think of the built-in relational AND mutual responsibility contexts ascribed to roles within families: parent/child, brother/sister, aunt & uncle/niece & nephew, grandparents/grandchildren, etc.

We can quietly drift away from the Church as the family of God when we focus too much on generations in isolation from one another. When Scripture calls us to love one another, it’s not just referring to our peers.

It's easy to dismiss our own responsibility when we settle for dismissive stereotypes like “those Millennials … they just don’t get it!”

If we’re talking instead about our niece or nephew, it becomes more natural to simultaneously wonder how well we are doing in our role as aunt and uncle.

Relationship. Relationship. Relationship.

We love encouraging churches to become stronger families of God by valuing the vertical. By that, we mean valuing peer-to-peer relationships AND those age-vertical relationships like we see embedded in so many of those family titles.

May God grant us all favor and intentionality in our peer groups AND with those both older and younger!