Editor’s note: Jen Carlson is FRCS’s Jr/Sr High Principal
Last week, the Front Range Christian leadership group gathered at a nearby church for professional learning. Part of our time together was spent grounding ourselves in the FRCS mission and vision. As I am finishing my first year at Front Range, I am grateful for FRCS leaders who are steadfast in their beliefs about Christian education and our mission at Front Range: To partner with the Christian home and the Church in training children for life and equipping them to impact the world for Christ.
At one point during our discussion, we were talking about the ever changing world, and what that means to partner with the Christian home. I casually brought up how we might need to lean into generational cohorts, parenting approaches, societal changes. Mr. Cooper gently reminded me and the group that we need to be cautious about the naming of generational cohorts the way the world does: Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z . . . because our job as Christians is to remain grounded in timeless Biblical truths rather than lean into how the world labels.
The weight of Coop’s insight brought a desire to redirect my own thinking. Life should be lived in Biblical obedience at all stages, leaving behind the worldly categories that classify humans into rigid generational boxes.
While generational differences certainly exist, the Bible speaks timeless truths and provides a warmhearted framework for relating across generational paradigms. Believers must use humility, patience, and grace to understand one another, learn from others’ strengths, and illuminate unity in Christ. We are created in the image of God, and we are all inherently sinful. Ultimately, our shared spiritual struggles and common need for salvation bind us together far more than the world would name as our generational differences.
The wisdom books of the Bible provide grounding unity for every generation. I especially like Proverbs for discernment, wisdom, and insight for daily life. Rather than the trap of worldly examples and labels—Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z—we are called to wise living from fearing the Lord and applying His teachings, not our own limited experience or cultural trends.
Cross-generational relationships must be grounded in Biblical truth that is marked with mutual compassion and humility. May we be Christian people who are called by patience and grace beyond personal preferences or cultural norms. Wired for relationship, may we look to the Bible as our ultimate source for direction, fulfillment, and joy.
