Data, 60 minutes, is the only thing you can use to assert a fact. Old men shaking their heads and sharing their opinions about kids these days is a complete waste of time.

Heaven knows I couldn’t reach them (Gen X)…

Here is one company and one ministry that I think are good examples of what we may see a lot of from my generation:

Tom’s Shoes – http://www.tomsshoes.com

GOYA Ministries – http://www.goyaministries.org

One thing I’ll say I am a bit squared about is that I have no idea what kind of parents we’re going to be.  Or what kind I’m going to be, for that matter…

My coworkers and friends in that age group are sharp thinkers and capable, emerging leaders, independent and colorblind, who care about environmental, community and world issues–not just about themselves. I’m on the ‘older’ end of Gen X, and love learning from and getting creatively and intellectually energized by my coworkers who are 12 to 16 years younger than I am and by friends outside the office and online who are as much as 20 or more years younger.

I look for people in this generation to put a more personal spin on the church–more individuality, less one size fits all, and a greater focus on individuals in need and less on fighting battles in the political arena over abortion and homosexuality. Back to basics too–they’re going to rebel against all those snazzy sound systems, flat screen monitors and repetitive worship choruses that the older generations now favor and will turn worship back in the direction of simplicity.

It can be threatening to older generations as younger ones come onto the scene. It’s tempting to envy how “easy” others seem to have had it. But that just alienates people. It opened up a whole new slice of the world for me when I stopped being threatened and started being enthralled by the insights of friends in Gen Y.