Serving Millennials and Gen Z Sportspeople

For many character coaches and sports chaplains of my generation (Baby Boomers – I’m about to turn 63) we find it difficult to connect with those we seek to serve that are among the Millennials and Generation Z. Brief descriptions of various generations are below. Much of our disconnect  is due to failing assumptions, misaligned values, and differences in communication styles. Some characteristics of these differences and some thoughts about how to better connect are below. Some of the characteristics that can present opportunities for those serving Millennials and Gen Z sportspeople are bolded.

Baby Boomers - born 1945-1964 (76 million in USA)

·        Anti-war

·        Anti-government

·        Anything is possible

·        Equal rights

·        Equal opportunities

·        Extremely loyal to their children

·        Involvement Optimism

·        Personal Gratification

·        Personal Growth

·        Question Everything

·        Spend now, worry later

·        Team Oriented

·        Transformational

·        Trust no one over 30

·        Youth

·        Work

·        Want to “make a difference.”

Generation X - born 1965-1979 (83 million in USA)

·        Balance

·        Diversity

·        Entrepreneurial

·        Fun

·        Highly Educated

·        High job expectations

·        Independent

·        Informality

·        Lack of organizational loyalty

·        Pragmatism

·        Seek life balance

·        Self-reliance

·        Skepticism/Cynical

·        Suspicious of Boomer values

·        Think Globally

·        Techno literacy

Millennials - born 1980-1994 (73 million in USA)

·        Achievement

·        Avid consumers

·        Civic Duty

·        Confidence

·        Diversity

·        Extreme fun Fun!

·        High morals

·        Highly tolerant

·        Hotly competitive

·        Like personal attention

·        Self-confident

·        Sociability

·        Members of global community

·        Most educated generation

·        Extremely techno savvy

·        Extremely spiritual

·        Now!

·        Optimism

·        Realism

·        Street smarts

Generation Z - born 1995-2015 (4-24 years of age)

• Just under 74 million in the USA
• Digital natives (They grew up with smartphones.)
• Diverse
• Career driven from early on
• Post-Christian social context
• Looking for mentors (As are Millennials.)

During the recent FCA Collegiate Ministries Conference we heard a talk by Jonathan, JP, Pokluda about ministry with Millenials and Generation Z. Below are his three primary points of emphasis.

1. Engage them with a BIG ASK and authenticity. (This will be the hardest thing you've ever done, but it will be worth it.)

2. Equip them for real life with the Bible. I Timothy 3:16-17

3. Empower them to engage and equip others. (How will you make a difference in the lives of your teammates and friends?)