All generations have unique characteristics and qualities. What sets the Millennial generation apart?
Dr. Jolene Erlacher refers to the Millennial generation as the Daniel generation.
“We undergo these major cultural upheavals every couple hundred years and in a society or in a civilization. What we see is when these major cultural shifts occur, God is always working in that cultural shift. God always has a purpose and a plan, and we often see major shifts in the church at the same time.”
For example, while the Industrial Revolution was in full swing, the Age of Enlightenment was also flourishing. During the Renaissance era, the Protestant Reformation was sweeping Europe.
“The Bible became accessible to everyone and the dynamic of the church changed radically, and you can continue to trace that pattern back through history. What is exciting to me as we sit on this cultural shift is that God is doing things in the middle of the shift and as leaders we have to be watching for what is God doing underneath what sometimes feels a little chaotic.”
While the world around us shakes, we know that God’s Word will remain unshakable.
“This phrase, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.” Hebrews 12:27
According to Jolene the Millennial generation can learn to stand strong in a shaking world from Daniel.
“What happened with Daniel is that he went through a period of time of shaking. Nebuchadnezzar’s army came and Jerusalem was destroyed, Judah was destroyed, the temple of God was destroyed, articles from the temple of God were taken from Judah into Babylon and put into a temple of false gods. You have to imagine how disconcerting this was to the leaders and the people who had invested into that place in that time.”
“Yet God raised up this generation out of that period of shaking that went into this place Babylon, and they witnessed to the power of God in such a powerful and convincing and miraculous way that we saw multiple world leaders brought to their knees declaring that the God of Daniel was the only God.”
Dr. Jolene Erlacher founded Leading Tomorrow in 2013 with the aim of equipping churches, businesses, schools, missions agencies and other organizations for effective inter-generational leadership in an evolving culture. Her passion for equipping a new generation of leaders emerged from various leadership experiences in education and ministry.
Key Scripture: Hebrews 12:26-28
Featured Songs: No Turning Back – Chris Tomlin; Eye of the Storm – Ryan Stevenson; Through All of It – Colton Dixon
Millennials in Ministry
