Office of Leadership Development
and Program

Jean Bush
Director
217 Division St., Elgin, IL 60120
Phone: (847) 931-0710, ext. 14  |  Fax: (847) 931-0732

A Note about Middle Adult Ministry A Quick Look at Baby Boomers Partners in Ministry Conference building database: Laity and clergy are being encouraged to volunteer their talents and skills to help other churches in the conference.

Partners in Ministry

Trains laity and clergy to be partners in ministry with local churches in the Northern Illinois Conference. More than 70 persons have been trained to be a Field Staff Team to resource needs in the local church and districts in young adult, rural, small church, family, and health and welfare ministries, Disciple Bible Study, and ecumenical concerns. No matter how large or small your church family may be, we are ready tocome help you with your ministry needs. We are also available for any other ministries in which your church wishes to be trained.

Adult Education Administration Aging Issues Children & Poverty Christian Education Child Abuse/ Neglect Church Growth Computers Congregational Development Evangelism Family Issues Finance Generation X Goal Setting Group Building Large Church Issues Leadership Training New Members Office Training Retreat Leaders Rural Issues Safe Sanctuaries Small Church Issues Spiritual Formation Stewardship Strategic Plan Teacher Training Trustees Visioning Worship Youth Young Adults Contact: Jean Bush, Director of Leadership Development and Program, (847) 931-0710 ext. 14, or fax to (847) 931-0732. A Note about Middle Adult Ministries By Deb Smith, Director, Middle Adult, Evangelism and Metro Churches, General Board of Discipleship As the Director of Middle Adult Ministries at the General Board of Discipleship, I am frequently asked, �who is a middle adult?� I usually reply that if you are an adult who is not a young adult nor an older adult, then you are a middle adult. In United Methodist circles we usually refer to young adults as between 18 and 30 and older adults as those 65 and above. This leaves the age span of approximately 30 to 65 as middle adulthood. Recently a headline proclaiming that half of all baby boomers are now at least 50 years of age caught my eye. The youngest boomers are in their 40s and the oldest are pushing 60. Baby boomers make up the largest demographic segment of middle adults. They account for 27% of the United States population. As a person born right in the middle of the baby boom, I have a professional and personal investment in how the church supports and challenges middle adults in their journey of discipleship. � We boomers are a diverse group of people. Because the baby boomers are such a large demographic group they have had a huge impact at each stage of life as they have passed through it. As children and youth we taxed the facilities of the nation�s schools and prompted the construction of thousands of new buildings. And now as we move through adulthood, questions are being raised about whether we will similarly stress health care and other social systems as we age. Currently many baby boomers are at their peak income earning years. Many who grew up questioning the authority of the church and government now find themselves in positions of responsibility in those same institutions. The current president of the United States as well as the majority of the active bishops in the United Methodist Church are baby boomers. Many boomers want to make a significant difference in their communities. I hope this [information] will prompt you to think about the middle adults in your congregation and how your church is equipping them to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ engaged in the transformation of the world. A Quick Look at Baby Boomers While not everyone who is in middle-adulthod is a baby boomer, all baby boomers (those born between approximately 1946-1964) are currently in middle adulthood. Although every individual is unique, this snapshot of the baby boom generation will provide some food for thought as you plan for ministry by and with mid-life adults. Health Cancer is the leading cause of death. About two-thirds are overweight. About one-four currently smoke, and half of those have tried to quit in the past year. Lower back pain is the most common health condition followed by high blood pressure and arthritis. Life Events 88% have been married at least once. 40% have gotten a divorce. 29% have remarried. 36% have lost a job. 49% have experienced their father�s death. 30% have experienced their mother�s death. 35% have become a grandparent. Employment Comprise 43% of the U.S. workforce. 87% of men are in the workforce. 75% of women are in the workforce. In approximately 70% of boomer couples, both spouses are employed. Comprise the majority of chief executives, computer systems managers, physicians, engineers, clergy and teachers. Approximately 8% are self-employed, slightly more than the total adult population. 1% make minimum wage or less. Households Approximately 60% are headed by married couples. The average size of household is about 2.5 people. Over 60% of younger boomers have children under the age of 18 in the household. One third of older boomers have children under the age of 18 in the household. Among older boomer women (age 55-59), nearly 18% live alone. Spending Are the nation�s biggest spenders. Spending on health care has increased rapidly. Are the nation�s biggest debtors. Attitudes Are more similar to younger adults than older adults in their assessment of their personal lives. Consider family and friends the most important and satisfying aspects of their lives with their religious and spiritual lives being the next most important. Report less satisfaction with their personal finances and their work lives than other aspects of their lives. Female baby boomers are more likely to report a high degree of satisfaction with their spiritual ives than are male baby boomers. Race and ethnicity play a larger role in shaping baby boomer attitudes toward life than do age, gender, income or education. Frequent Issues Aging parents. Work and preretirement. Death of a parent. Parenting school-aged children. Adult children returning home. Sources The Baby Boom: Americans Born 1946 to 1964 (4th Edition), by Cheryl Russell, New Strategist Publishing, 2004. Boomers at Midlife: The AARP Life Stage Study, Carol Keegan, Project Manager. AARP, 2004. Forty-Sixty: A Study for Midlife Adults Who Want to Make a Difference, by Richard Gentzler and Craig Miller. Discipleship Resources, 2001. �2006 by the General Board of Discipleship. Used by permission. From InFormation: Adult Ministry, Winter 2006. http://www.gbod.org/ministries/adult/infoad-w06.pdf