Gould Meredith - Transcending Generations

How can the Church survive if we cannot work across generations? Meredith Gould cuts through the noise, erases artificial lines we have drawn, knocks down walls of separation, and speaks directly to the heart of this issue in Transcending Generations. If the Church is to continue then its members must recognize that difference between generations is something to embrace. Goulds examination of barriers preventing communication across generations will allow readers to consider different ways of approaching God, the Church, and ministry. Her book will serve as a starting point for fostering important and faith-filled conversations about how to serve God, work together, and grow in our faith. The Church needs to have these conversations now more than ever.

Rev. Evan M. Dolive

Author of Seeking Imperfection: Body Image, Marketing and God (Pilgrim Press)

Not only does Meredith Gould explore traditional thinking and research about generations but she explores the myths that keep many people and churches stuck in faith formation and impede deepening meaningful relationships. Her work challenges assumptions and creates paths for new approaches to intergenerational learning, faith formation, and ministry. A must read.

Edward H. Hammett

Author of Reaching People Under 30 While Keeping People Over 60 (TCP Books) www.TransformingSolutions.org

Transcending Generations is an indispensable guidebook for anyone navigating the dynamics of living in community and collaborating with others. Meredith Goulds practical wisdom and insight are helpful for teams of any size learning to work together. Her book is my new go-to resource for helping congregational leaders work together more effectively and efficiently.

Rev. David Hansen, Pastor of Spirit of Joy! Lutheran Church and Director of Communication and Innovation of LEAD

The work of faith communities cannot be a solitary endeavor restricted to one particular population or age group. Meredith Gould helps readers understand the value of creating sacred space for one another to explore our purposes, identities, and legacies as a people of faith while drawing upon generational experiences. She explains how sociology and psychology intersect with Incarnational identities as people of faith. Anyone seeking deeper relationships and understanding within their communities needs to readand usethis book. Transcending Generations helped me facilitate intergenerational groups who are looking to have honest conversations about growing faith and strengthening bonds.

Rev. Tuhina Verma Rasche

Transcending Generations helps us understand the ages and generations of adulthood in a new and refreshing way. At the heart of this book is the central insight that all adultsacross all generationsshare common core issues: identity, purpose, belonging, and legacy. Presenting these core issues from developmental and generational perspectives provides the understanding necessary for learning how to develop cross-generational conversations, relationships, and ministry. Practical ideas and strategies provide tools for fostering conversation and relationship building. Meredith Gould has written an essential and timely resource.

John Roberto

LifelongFaith Associates

Co-author of Seasons of Adult Faith Formation and Generations Together

Transcending Generations is a resource that is long overdue. This book is filled with helpful insights for organizations and faith communities seeking to understand and benefit from differences in generations. Meredith Gould offers a way for individuals and groups to maneuver successfully through the challenges and changes of life.

Rev. Dr. Richard W Rouse, ELCA pastor and author of Beyond Church Walls: Cultivating a Culture of Care (Fortress Press)

As a young pastor, I experienced the shifting and changing environment of generational church differences every day. Meredith Gould provides an indispensable guide for congregations to explore the nature of human development, shifting culture, dealing with differences, and change. Transcending Generations lays everything on the table for pastors, church leadership, staff, and laity to navigate ministry in the 21st century. I wish I had this book 10 years ago.

Rev. Alan R. Rudnick, pastor and author of The Work of The Associate Pastor (Judson Press)

In a culture (and sometimes a church) that separates and stresses differences, Meredith Gould has given us a treasure that is so neededthoughts and practices that accentuate our unity, our alikeness. Her book is filled with new insights, reflective questions, and perceptive exercises. Youll find yourself highlighting every other line! In addition to being a workbook for collaboration, Transcending Generations would be a superb resource for an individual and/or group retreat. Gould provides all this in an easy-to-read, enjoyable style while challenging us to grow more deeply, relate more humanely, and serve more generously.

Janet Schaeffler, OP

Author of Deepening Faith: Adult Faith Formation in the Parish (Liturgical Press)

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

2017 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, microfilm, microfiche, mechanical recording, photocopying, translation, or by any other means, known or yet unknown, for any purpose except brief quotations in reviews, without the previous written permission of Liturgical Press, Saint Johns Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7500. Printed in the United States of America.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Gould, Meredith, 1951 author.

Title: Transcending generations : a field guide to collaboration in church / Meredith Gould, PhD.

Description: Collegeville, Minnesota : Liturgical Press, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017029240 (print) | LCCN 2017005967 (ebook) | ISBN 9780814645871 (ebook) | ISBN 9780814645628

Subjects: LCSH: Intergenerational relationsReligious aspectsChristianity.

Classification: LCC BV640 (print) | LCC BV640 .G68 2017 (ebook) | DDC 253dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017029240

For those seeking what our generations share and rejoicing in what is discovered.