Author Description

The ForeWord CLARION Review assigned this book 5 star (out of 5). The reviewer said:"Where Have All the Young People Gone" is not a dissertation or post-mortem on a major problem area in today's churches. Rather, it is a much-needed rallying cry for churches to implement solutions to the youth problem...""Johnson's analysis provides a solid foundation for his suggestions for meeting the challenges churches face in attracting and retaining young people." "He coaches older readers on how to relay their personal stories of spiritual discovery.""The final two chapters offer Johnson's suggestions for uniting all four of the generations and to develop a strong and growing church. These chapters should be required reading for church leaders of all denominations."----------------------------------------------You cannot solve a problem until you understand the problem. This book outlines how generational differences began from changes in family structure and community after World War 2 and have continued to snowball with changes like Post-Modernism and social media. The resulting generational differences in values and worldview now separate older from younger generations. Two chapters show how effective one-on-one communications between generations can be established in families and congregations. People are taught to identify the incidents in their lives that have shaped who they are today and to learn how to "share their story of faith" with others. Sharing rather than telling tends to cross communication barriers. Experienced-based affirmations of faith do also.Adaptive change within a grey-haired congregation is tougher. This book will guide your congregation to identify their barriers to growth, particularly the barriers presented to younger generations. Adaptive responses can be painful because they affect our accustomed habits in "how we do church." Two chapters of this book will introduce you to the "how-to" and pitfalls of adaptive cross-generational change. Live t