In the United States, there are six living generations. All are unique. Each has distinctive values, attributes, preferences and priorities.

The six living generations are:

1. GI Generation (born 1901-26)
2. Mature / Silents (born 1927-45)
3. Baby Boomers (born 1946-64)
4. Generation X (born 1965-80)
5. Generation Y/Millennials (born 1981-2000)
6. Generation Z/Boomlets (born 2001 to present)

Each of these generations tends to take the good from the previous generation for granted, but reacts against the bad. But, like members of a family or parts of a body, each generation contributes something valuable and even essential.

All of these generations are represented in Assemblies of God churches; each generation will be present at the 2017 General Council; and each generation needs its own fresh, ongoing Pentecostal experience.

I recently reread the book People of the Spirit: The Assemblies of God, by Gary B. McGee. It tells about the lives of people, who out of their own Pentecostal experience, shaped who we are today.

It’s fascinating to see that the Assemblies of God is a story of ordinary people, of all ages, who did extraordinary things through the power of the Holy Spirit. Throughout history, when skeptics dismissed the Pentecostal message and experience, Pentecostals pointed to Scripture and testified about what God had done in their lives.

When many Protestants declared that miracles had ceased with the first-century church, Pentecostals fasted and prayed for the sick and demon possessed, and then watched as God proved His willingness to step into human lives to bring healing and deliverance.

This belief in God’s power and intervention fueled evangelism both here in the States and around the world. In each generation, God has used people of the Spirit to expand His kingdom. At Pentecost, the apostle Peter declared, “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39). Simply put, Pentecost is for everyone in every generation!

I pray that each generation in our Fellowship will discover a true Pentecostal experience to help them counter the ideologies (both cultural and ecclesiastical) which are constantly bombarding the church. Some ideologies attack our core beliefs and would cause a missional drift from our core values:

• that recognize the Holy Spirit as a person, not an it. He is to be honored, respected and worshiped as the third person of the Trinity.
• that affirm the Bible as absolute truth and the foundation for the entire Christian experience.
• that protect us from becoming merely institutional in our function, and empower us to move forward to keep fulfilling the vision statement resolved in the second General Council of the Assemblies of God in Chicago, Illinois: “We commit ourselves and the Movement to Him for the greatest evangelism the world has ever seen.”

Each generation needs its own fresh, ongoing Pentecostal experience.

Just as we reject the cessationist view that miracles ceased with the New Testament church, we intentionally seek and embrace lives and ministries that depend on and expect the Spirit’s empowerment in each generation.

What should motivate each generation to be both doctrinally and functionally Pentecostal is that we accomplish the divinely determined purposes of Spirit baptism and the enduring enablement of the Spirit in all of our service for the Lord. For example, while speaking in tongues is the initial physical evidence of Spirit baptism, Pentecostal believers should continue to enjoy the blessings of praying in the Spirit in worship, edification, and intercession.

Importantly, we need to understand why we need the Spirit’s help. The purpose and blessings of the Spirit-filled life should be so clear to each generation that they will, like our founders, “ardently expect and earnestly seek” Spirit baptism and the empowerment it brings to every aspect of life in Christ and ministry to Him.

Pentecost is an experience for all ages, languages, and generations. Pentecostal spirituality and theology are the answer for generations who are hungry for experience and meaning that is rooted in truth. There is no generational divide in desiring God encounters. Pastors can be a catalyst for unity by facilitating our common hunger for God.

Evangelist Tim Enloe suggests two ways to create a generation divide-free God-encounter environment.

Engaging in Participatory Prayer

Enloe suggests that some churches have shifted away from interactive, participatory prayer, to a more platform-focused model. Whether it is an altar response or praying in the seats, people will have God encounters when interactive prayer is practiced.

“When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God” (Acts 4:24).

Participating in Spiritual Events

Church calendars get full, but how many of the planned events have an intentional focus of going deeper? Whether it’s a spiritual life conference or an Azusa Street weekend, or a well-planned revival meeting … it is healthy for churches to plan spiritual life events that take people deeper spiritually.

One of the common reasons people attend our churches is that they want to experience God, in a personal way. The Pentecostal Movement worldwide was founded on this premise, and has grown exponentially. So, it’s my prayer that every generation of leadership represented in our Fellowship will experience Pentecost daily and catch a vision for perpetuating it in their sphere of influence.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2017 issue of Called to Serve, the Assemblies of God ministers letter.