Watch Pocket Syndrome

Watch Pocket Syndrome

Publication: The Lookout

Date: August 17, 2008

Column: First Look

Category: Generations

There's a watch pocket in my favorite pair of jeans. It's not a big deal. Almost every pair of jeans contains a watch pocket. That's the way jeans have been made since 1873 when Levi Strauss first made a pair of pants out of denim.

The strange thing is, no one actually uses a watch pocket anymore.

My father used his. Dad carried a silver-plated pocket-watch with him every day, even when he was out laboring in the fields on our farm. When he pulled the watch out of his pocket it meant we were getting close to lunch-time, dinner-time, or some other time that involved food and rest.

Most young people today wear jeans, but how many of them know why their jeans have that little pocket sewed on the front? Do they even realize it's called a watch pocket? For that matter, how many of them ever have cranked down a car window by hand, listened to an audio cassette tape, or waited for a slow-speed modem to link them to the Internet?

The majority of this fall's college freshmen were born in the 1990s. They are part of an American baby bulge born between 1977 and 1997 that contains roughly 60 million people—more than three times the size of Generation X that preceded it. The so-called Generation Next or Millennial Generation has grabbed the attention of educators and marketers nationwide, not only because of its size but also because its members have some unique characteristics:

They're struggling to achieve financial independence. In an article in College Planning & Management, Amy Milshtein points out that a much larger proportion of these young adults live at home with their parents than was the case with previous generations. College students are trading traditional dorm life for commuting to school, and an increasing number of young adults are postponing or abandoning the dream of home ownership.

They want to make a difference. The current cadre of young adults tends to be service-oriented and engaged in volunteer work, with more than 40 percent saying they believe it's important to influence social values.

They are very pragmatic. As one observer notes, the Millennials possess a strong internal "utility calculus" that causes them to decide, "If the cost or the workload is too high and the benefit is not immediate or obvious, they're not going to do the task."

Contrary to common stereotypes, they are remarkably pro-family. A recent survey conducted by the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency found that 94 percent of Millennials respect parenthood and 84 percent hold marriage in high esteem.

They have grown up in a confusing moral environment that values relevance over righteousness, materialism over simplicity, and tolerance more than truth. Unlike the black and white world of the Builder generation or the living color of the Boomers, the Millennials have been surrounded by many shades of gray for as long as they can remember.

The church's challenge? Capture this generation's zeal for making a difference. Point these young adults toward Christ, whose passion took him to the cross. Overcome their cynicism by being trustworthy. Provide them positive examples of strong marriages and families.

And help them find their place in the church, lest they conclude the name "Christian" is an out-dated remnant of the past—like a watch pocket that everyone wears, but no one remembers what it's for.