OK Boomer! Is Your Church Taking Baby Boomers for Granted?

If you spend much time online, you may have noticed Millennials mocking their elders with the words “OK Boomer.” This derogatory phrase is meant to put out-of-touch Baby Boomers in their place.

But in the raging generational blame game, the “selfish Baby Boomer” narrative hides some surprising new realities (just as Millennial narratives do).

Are your decade-long efforts to hold onto Millennials and capture their generosity causing you to overlook giving sources with higher potential?

How the 80/20 Rule Pigeonholes Generations

If you believe the 80/20 rule, you might suspect that your 20% is made up largely of Baby Boomers and your 80% of Millennials. This generalization would mean your Baby Boomers are already giving faithfully, and your Millennials, who don’t have a lot of disposable income or feel duty-bound to tithe, may not be stepping up to the plate anytime soon.

Does that mean your church’s immediate financial future is stuck?

We recommend you disregard the 80/20 rule, in order to keep from disregarding potential sources of generosity.

There are a few things you may not realize about your Boomers:

• They hold 70% of the wealth in the US
• They are more internet savvy than you think
• They’re rethinking the role of the church in their lives
• They’re rethinking their role in the church

Today’s Boomers have come of “age” in surprising ways. They’re not your grandparents’ “senior citizens.” When it comes to growing giving, maybe it’s time to take another look at this group.  

Pigeonholing givers is just one of 4 False Assumptions Churches Can Make About Their Givers. Click the image to download the whitepaper and learn more about the problems of the 80/20 rule when applied to givers.