These summaries are based on the work of William Strauss and Neil Howe, in Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069 (New York: Harper Perennial, 1992) and Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation (New York: vintage Books, 2000).
Below is a brief summary of the forces that shapes the generations of people in our congregations, as well as a list of broad generational characteristics. As is the case with any generalization, the lists may not accurately describe particular individuals.
The GI Generation (born between 1901 and 1924)
Shaped by the Great Depression, World War II
The Silent Generation (born between 1925 and 1945)
Shaped by Roosevelt Presidency, Korean War, Cold War, Anticommunism, technological and scientific advances, Civil Rights movement
The Baby Boomers (born between 1943 and 1963)
Shaped by Civil Rights, Vietnam, sexual revolution, liberation movements, political unrest and assassination, Watergate scandal
Generation X (born between 1964 and 1980)
Shaped by the Regan and George H.W. Bush presidencies, the end of the Cold War, AIDS, the home computer, the internet as a tool for social and business purposes, high parental divorce rate, high incarceration rate
Millennials (born between 1981 and 2001)
Shaped by highly involved and protective parents and institutions, electronic social networking and new media, targeted marketing, Columbine, September 11, unemployment, War on Drugs, environmentalism
As-yet-unnamed Generation (born after 2001)
Shaped by communications and technology, War on Terror, and forces as yet unknown
To be revealed.
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Last updated on Wednesday, October 26, 2011.
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