By Rev. Joseph D. Burchill

They like car phones, support groups, designer clothes, and hot tubs. They are time fanatics, do not like to join things, and are looking for relevancy in everything they do or participate in. There are 30 million of them in America today and we cannot avoid them. Who are they? They are babyboomers!

Many times the Sunday schools we attend have fallen into a rut. They are using a standard curriculum that the church has used for 40 years. The teachers are sincere but no one is doing anything for fellowship. The younger adults usually do not come much. They do send their children to Sunday school. The church complains because the younger adults are not interested in Sunday school any more.

The time has come for the church to understand that we must begin to meet the needs of this younger adult generation if we are going to see them in our Sunday schools. What must happen to reach them?

Adult classes must be relevant. The truth of the message of God’s Word has not changed however, we must make it relevant and exciting for the age that we live in. The babyboomer is looking for a class he can experience with hands-on learning. When the class is over, they want to have something that can help them live through Monday and give them guidance through their busy schedules.

Adult classes must begin to address fellowship. One consistent cry that is heard in our nation is that people are lonely. In a recent workshop, a lady shared that they had lived in a particular community for 22 years and were so lonely because they could not find anyone to befriend that they finally tried a church. Fortunately, people had befriended them in the church. This does not always happen. Look around you and ask yourself how many new friends you have made in the last three years. We get very comfortable with the old ones, why do we need new ones? Fellowship times within the class time and outside the class time are necessary. They need not be the "Friday night social event." It could be a breakfast before Sunday school or lunch together after the services. It could be a prayer group on Wednesday mornings at 5:00 a.m. Remember, babyboomers are time fanatics. We must adjust to their schedule to meet their needs. They are out there, are you willing to reach them?

What does this mean for the Sunday school today? It means lots of exciting and rewarding work. It means not permitting anyone to say, "We’ve never done it that way before," or "That will never work." It means getting to know the adults associated with your church and beginning to find out their needs. It means meeting the needs of adults with the truth of God’s Word.