What’s Emerging in Emerging Culture?

www.earlcreps.com

www.agts.edu

Metaphor: Collapse of Communism

• Generational Monopoly: dominance of older gives way to 4 generations of adults

• Christendom Monopoly: central church becomes a marginalized church

1. It’s a McJungle out there[Manhattan Inst. for Policy Research, 2004]

"'The comforting outward signs of order and decency--shiny new schools, armed with expensive textbooks and staffed by teachers who have mastered the latest educational fads--don't seem to be associated with substantial differences in student behavior…/in/ suburban public high school lifestyles. There seems to be an equivalent amount of fighting, stealing, drug and alcohol use, as well as sexual activity in both suburban and city high schools. City high schools do experience higher student pregnancy rates. But researchers say that suburban kids are more likely to smoke, drive while drunk or high, and just as likely to lie to their parents.”

2. Pre-adulthood

Age expected to:• support family 24.5• get married 25.7

“Fewer Americans today have achieved these milestone than their parents’ generation. On average they are about a half-decade behind. They are showing less adult behavior, they are dating, they are not raising kids and they are out of the singles scene. It’s a new kind of maturity.”

Tom Smith, NORC, 2003

Extended AdolescenceAna Beatriz Cholo, Chicago Tribune, 9 May

2003 [online]

“What tends to define this group, researchers say, is a lot of dating, hanging out, having multiple partners and using drugs and alcohol. It’s a time of instability and excitement—and, yes, of being less mature.”

3. Post-Rural Settings

• diversity• connectivity• affluence• lifestyle

4. Consumer to Creator

"Basically the biggest thing kids want to see on TV is themselves.” --Zach from Swept Away TV in Florida, Ypulse, 5/26/06

5. Population Hourglass

“Starting in the next decade, however, our flabby pyramid is quickly going to slim down. It will assume the form of an hourglass, with the largest number of older people in our society's history, the quasi-retired baby boomers, up top, and the largest generation of young people since the boomers--the Millennials, or echo boomers--at the bottom. The beleaguered generation-Xers will form the "pinched waist" in the middle.”

--Fast Company

Church Responses

• From “missions” to missional

• Church planting

• Church revitalization

• Multi-Site movement (1500)

• Return to simplicity

6. questions for turning trends into strategyRam Charan, “Sharpening Your Business Acumen”

http://www.strategy-business.com/press/enewsarticle/enews033006?tid=230&pg=all

1. What is happening in the world today? 

2. What does it mean for others?

3. What does it mean for us?

4. What would have to happen first (for the results we want to occur)?

5. What do we have to do to play a role?

6. What do we do next?

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