Generation Y is that generation born in the West between 1980s and 1990s. They are quite different from previous generations (eg. the Baby Boomers, or Gen X).

This generation, for example, is the only one that cannot remember a time without the Internet influencing their information and relationships - and that has had a significant impact on them. This generation has also more wealth and options laid out before them than any previous generation before them.

What then are the features of Gen Ys? and how must our ministries adapt to reach this next generation for Jesus?

Here is a table I put together earlier this year for discussion with the pastoral team at our church.

Characteristics of Gen Y	Challenges for Gen Y	How churches must adapt
Options generation Easily go from one thing to another. Not committed to organisations or events, but to people.	Must learn that discipline is the means to joy in Christ.	Don't force Gen Ys to confirm to the church's preexisting culture. Affirm that organisations - even churches - are not perfect. Put the emphasis back on people and mission, not organisation.
Postmodernism Rejection of the modernism of their parents; adoption of postmodern tastes and thinking. Feeling as the new way of thinking.	Must know that God's ultimate revelation is found in the Bible. Must learn grammatico-historical exegesis.	Express the one truth in forms that appeal to postmoderns. Let go of the organisational structure and rigidity of modernism. Help them critique other views.
Internet generation Free access to information (eg. Wikipedia), democratisation of news (eg. blogs), unprecedented exposure and access to pornography.	Learn a robust Christian worldview. Learn a Christian view of sex.	Realise that churches can no longer control congregations by withholding information. Help them to critique other views. Teach about sex and pornography.
Tribalism Friends are their new family/tribe - yet at the same time a depersonalisation of relationships (eg. Facebook friends).	Learn godly relationships to parents, government and other authority figures. Godly relationships with friends (eg. forgiveness, welcoming others).	Model and explain godly relationships to authority figures. Help build Christian networks of friends.
Hedonism Looking for meaning in life through pleasure and fun.	Must know contentment is ultimately found in Christ.	Show them that their ultimate joy is found in Christ.
Materialism Think they have the right to luxury and expect to have the good things in life.	Servanthood, the cost of discipleship.	People around them must show their joy in giving.
Green Interest in environmental issues, climate change, etc.	Not only to be concerned about renewable energy etc., but the spiritual dimension of the earth's groaning.	Don't unnecessarily annoy Gen Y where it can be helped (eg. lights, photocopying).

The focus of this article is obviously Gen Y. In all of this I'm not assuming that Baby Boomers, or Gen Xers, have gotten it entirely right, or that Boomer or Gen X culture doesn't need to be critiqued by the gospel. Not at all!

The gospel critiques all cultures - and calls on people of all generations to turn to him. And as they do so, the people of each successive generation will find different things they struggle with.

[ PS: can you think of other things you'd add to that table? ]

Remember a couple of weeks ago I showed you a map of Chinese churches in Sydney?

Well some members of the SCCCA English committee (and particularly Ernest Chiang) have updated that list and transported it across from Google Documents, into Google Maps. And here it is what it looks like (click on the map to go to a larger version stored at Photobucket):


There are now over 100 churches on the map, up from the 80 on the previous map. Notice how Ernest has colour-coded churches for the different regions. Please note also that this is a very broad classification of churches - it includes charismatic churches, health-wealth-prosperity churches, Vietnamese churches, Indonesian churches and even a Unichurch!

[ PS: can you see your church missing? ]

How are younger people responding to Buddhism? What about middle-aged people and Christianity? And what is the birth rate of Islamic people in Sydney?

Today I have the age profile of religious groups in the Sydney area (Statistical Division) from the 2006 ABS census. And from this you can see where things stand at the moment in Sydney - and to some extent, what the future holds in the next generation.

That first graph shows you the religious affiliation of people in each age bracket in Sydney. As you can see, quite a significant group still identify themselves as 'Christians' - although this is a very broad group.

This next graph shows you the overall age profile of Sydney. And what we're going to do is compare the profile of each different religious group, to the age profile of the population.

So let's have a look at what the different religious groups look like. And first off is the age profile for Buddhists in Sydney. How are they going with respect to the population at large?

As you can see, it's popular particularly among the 30+ age group (a higher bump compared to the general age profile) - but then it dramatically drops off to the right hand side of the age range.

Next is the age profile for 'Christians' in Sydney. As before, be aware that this is a very broad classification, used by the ABS. It includes Roman Catholics, Jehovah's Witnesses, and many nominal Christians!

Notice that it's quite similar to the overall population graph - but with quite a noticeable 'bite' taken out of it in the 15-24 and 25-34 year age ranges. Instead of a mountain shape, we have a volcano. This is the section of the community that the broad 'Christian' group is struggling to reach.

Next is the Hinduism age profile graph.

Now you can see that this is a distinctly pointy graph, with the age distribution heavily weighted towards the 25-34 year old age bracket! The third highest country that people are migrating from is India - after the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Migration from India even outstrips migration from China! And it is particularly due tp people from this age bracket.

Next is the age profile for Islam.

The Islam graph shows a very strong young population. The mountain is very much shifted to the younger side of the age spectrum (under 34 years). We're going to see later on that the situation here is much more dramatic than it at first seems - because the first age bracket is only 5 year bracket, while the others are 10 year brackets.

Next is the age profile for Judaism. This is quite different from the others.

You can see from this that Judaism isn't growing very much - the graph is pretty level by comparison to the overall population 'mountain'. And in fact it is significantly weighted towards the older age group (45 years and up).

And last we have the age profile of those who reported themselves as being 'no religion' on the Census.

Interestingly, it's a similar age profile to Buddhism - popular with the younger group, but not so popular with the older age bracket.

As I mentioned before, the first age range is only a five year gap (0-4 years), while the other age ranges are ten year gaps (5-14 years, etc.). This means that to get a true picture of what is going on, we need to double the figures for the 0-4 year age bracket. When you do that, as a whole this is what you get.

And when you break them up into individual religious groups, you get the following picture. In these graphs, the yellow part of the area graphs show you the effect of doubling the figures for the 0-4 years age bracket.


The most significant thing you notice straight away is the graph for Islam. Doubling the 0-4 year age group highlights the biological growth among Muslims. Instead of a mountain shape, you have the side of a mountain that just keeps going up and up! This means that in coming years the population of Muslims in Sydney will increase much more compared to normal population growth - although at the moment this is from a relatively small base.

And the sharp spike on the left of the 'no religion' group is probably explained by parents ticking 'no religion' for their children, even though they themselves may hold a particular religious position. Perhaps a reflection on the trend to let the children decide for themselves. Or a reflection of the belief that their children are too young to understand religion at this stage.

And the graph for Christianity, while on the whole appearing similar to the age profile of the population as a whole, is actually not very strong in terms of the 0-4 age bracket. While on the whole the population of 0-4 year olds is growing, it is declining a little for Christians. Perhaps we need to make more babies!

[ PS: any other observations you can make from these graphs? ]

Ideally, pastors should teach the word boldly and fearlessly! Proclaiming the word of God and applying it to his people clearly! Never holding back on what the people of God need to hear.

In reality however, not all pastors are bold and fearless in their preaching...

Because many preach the word and are bold in speaking out about accepted areas - but in certain other areas, they suddenly become much more hesitant to speak out. And in the rare occasions that they do, they leave lots of wiggle room, and are careful to not offend anyone.

That's because pastors are supported by churches. And in certain church structures, if the congregation or the church leaders are unhappy with the preaching of the pastor... hmmm.

What might happen if people are unhappy with the preaching of a pastor?

At the very basic level, no one likes to be hated. It is just normal to want to be liked, to be included and accepted by the church family. To not be shunned or avoided...

But this can also affect the pastor's family - such as the quality of schooling they can afford for their children. Or the kind of food his family can afford to buy. And ultimately, whether they as a family have to leave this church and go elsewhere, with the children leaving all their friends behind. Maybe having to sell their house and move - because they can no longer afford their mortgage...

So you see, there's a lot at stake for pastors. There are strong reasons to stay in the accepted areas - and not speak out with boldness about the real issues. And often these things are unspoken, yet understood.

Why does this happen? I can think of several reasons.

1. There are some areas that are really touchy for the majority culture of the congregation. This will differ from culture to culture but for Australians, it might be the idolatry of sport. For Chinese, it might be the idolatry of the family, or the career. Trouble is, often it's in these very areas where the light of the gospel needs to shine the strongest! These are the areas that people are determined to not submit to the lordship of Christ.
   
   
2. Established churchgoers, who have been coming for quite a long time may have the false expectation that preaching is not going to unduly challenge them, because they perceive themselves to have already attained maturity as Christians. Preaching might challenge others who are less mature. And for them, preaching might sometimes raise new interesting ideas. But I'm a mature Christian! I shouldn't feel uncomfortably challenged about lying (say)!
   
   
3. Having had their consciences pricked, people respond, not with faith and repentance (which would be good), but with rationalisation. They defend themselves and the rightness of idolising their career (say). They might even cling to a few out-of-context proof texts to support their position. And out the window goes proper exegesis - because what's at stake isn't really truth, but the pretense of being godly.
   
   
4. The fact is, some people wield a lot of power in a church. You know who they are - perhaps its one of the founders, or an elder, or the organist, or a certain outspoken wife. And if you speak out strongly about something that they happen to have been doing, then out of spite they can use their power to get back at you in a whole manner of ways. Often while still smiling sweetly at you.
   

All that's at the individual level. But at the systemic level there are other reasons too.

1. The denominational structure may give a say to a lot of people on whether to continue a pastor's contract - but this could be misused by individuals who dislike what the pastor has been saying about Christian marriages (say), and who use this as an opportunity to get back at the pastor.
   
   
2. The pastor's stipend is in some way tied to people's happiness with the pastor. Whereas the job of the pastor is not really to make people happy with them - and may in fact infuriate people when he talks about study (say).
   
   
3. In recent years there has also been a shift away from more formal membership, to a more voluntary kind of association. This undermines the ability of a church to enforce church discipline. Together with this is also the greater mobility of people, who can easily go to another church if that will quieten their conscience, or hide their favourite sins with anonymity.
   
   
4. The lack of persecution in other areas of life makes Christians generally, and pastors particularly, unused to facing persecution and hardship for the sake of the gospel. We like Luther - but we're not like Luther!
   

In 2 Timothy Paul sees that all this is coming on the church. He says,


And sadly, that's what we can sometimes find in our churches today. People who don't like to hear unpalatable things - and who will even silence those who preach sound doctrine.

What can be done? More on this next time!

[ PS: what are the areas that you would be afraid speaking out about at your church? ]

So far we've looked at how Confucianism and then the migrant experience has shaped the worldview of the Diaspora Chinese - and also of Chinese Christians. However, there is a third thing that has significantly shaped Chinese culture today - and that is modernism.

Dennis Ahern, in a journal article on modernity and Chinese cultures, says that "modernism is the imperative felt by a traditional society to restructure its worldview around scientific presuppositions" (Missiology, 17/3 (1989)).

As the East gradually opened up to the West, the influence of modernism has only grown and grown in strength. Ahern highlights its pervasive influence, writing that "the tentacles of modernity reach into urban Asia in every Chinese living room through television. Modernity alters traditional culture, grafting and blending the East with the West."

I would also add that modernity has also shaped Chinese culture through the workplace. Western businesses have transform how Asian companies operate. Adopting 'world's best practice' means taking on management practices and relationship models that are often forged in the West - and under the hammer of modernism.

While a few have resisted modernism, on the whole Asia has embraced modernist ways of getting things done in the workplace. Carvey Vern, who for many years observed the impact of modernism as a missionary in Asia, said that "Asian countries like Hong Kong are experiencing modernisation, indeed modification which includes importation. This importation of western influence is now germane. It is in fact now theirs".

In the West, Eddie Gibbs has been observing the shift from modernism to postmodernism, and has been writing about its implications for the church - first in Church Next (2001), and then in Leadership Next (2005). Now, I disagree with some of the things he has to say - because his answer is to adopt a postmodern approach to leadership, and I think that's not the right answer (maybe I'll write about it one day). However, he is absolutely right in pointing out that it was not good for the church in the West to embrace modernism.

He cites Cloke and Goldsmith, in The Art of Waking People Up (2001), who list a series of telling symptoms of a business influenced by modernism.

• People are punished for being aware and being authentic. In other words, telling it as it is.
• Leaders stop telling the truth and lie or keep silent about things that matter.
• Feedback is no longer oriented to how people can succeed but to how they have failed - not just in their work but as human beings.
• Performance assessment becomes judgemental and hierarchical rather than supportive and participatory.
• Honesty is separated from kindness, integrity from advancement, and respect from communication.

You can see that, under modernism, people are reduced to working machines. The only thing that matters is the prestige and bottom line of the company - not people, and certainly not integrity! And perhaps you have felt that at your workplace.

But Gibbs goes on to say that, "if these indicators are accurate in relation to the business world, they are even more applicable and widespread with respect to the church." It is only natural for this to happen. These methods seem to work well for business leaders in the corporate world - and in fact are rewarded. So why not also use them in the church?

While the West is abandoning modernism and embracing postmdernism (a mistake), the East is embracing modernism (also a mistake). And along the way, Asian churches are affected as people bring modernist ways of relating and getting things done from the business world, into the church.

[ PS: does that list of five points from Cloke and Goldsmith resonate? ]

Many Chinese churches have realised that they can't just have a church for their own generation - they also have to think about the next generation. Otherwise churches will die out, and that next generation may be lost to the gospel. And as a result, many Chinese churches are starting up second generation ministries - otherwise known as English congregations.

But how many of these second generation people are there? The following pie chart shows you what proportion of people of Chinese ancestry are first, second and third+ generation Australians (source: page 20 of this PDF file).

This next pie chart breaks it down a bit further, and shows you the country of birth of Chinese people. Notice those born in Australia - the Australian Born Chinese (ABCs).

Notice that not all of them are from China and Hong Kong - although that group does make up the largest proportion of OBCs (Overseas Born Chinese).

There also looks to be quite a huge group of OBCs. However, there are different groups of OBCs. There are those who came to Australia when they were older, and who have quite a traditional Chinese outlook on life. But there are others who came to Australia when they were in children and who grew up here in Australia. That group has a culture that is quite similar to ABCs - technically, they are ARCs (Australian Raised Chinese). ARCs fit in quite nicely with ABCs so we tend to group them together.

This next graph shows you a section of the age distribution of ABCs and OBCs. The green bars are the ABCs, and the red are the OBCs.
In case you're interested, the following table summarises the figures from the graph.

	People of Chinese ancestry
Age group	Born overseas	Born in Australia
15-29 years	16610	34787
30-44 years	33934	13971
40-59 years	41527	7328

Some of that younger group of OBCs (aged 15-29 years), while born overseas, would actually fit in well in second generation Chinese ministries - but not all of them.

That's because a lot of it depends on where you were in primary school. I've found that if people did their primary schooling here in Australia, they tend to be much more ABC. But if they do their primary schooling back in Hong Kong (say), they tend to be much more OBC in their culture - even after being in Australia for many years.

[ PS: how is your church going in developing the next generation of church leaders? ]

Google documents have updated their mapping tool to handle more map locations - and so I can now show you a map of all the Chinese churches in Sydney (it wouldn't show them all before).

Click on the map to go to a slightly larger version (850x722) that I've stored at Photobucket.

If you ask different people, they will give you a different number for the number of Chinese churches in Sydney - some will say there are 100 Chinese churches. This is because there are different ways of counting - what about the ones who don't want to be considered a Chinese church, but obviously are? what about Chinese congregations within an Aussie church? what about those churches with slightly 'different' theology? what about Unichurches?

So, to save all that hassle, this map of churches is based on a list maintained by a parachurch organisation. There are 82 churches on this map (and two others that you can't see, down in Wollongong).

[ PS: is your church missing? ]