A Message from Passing the Torch

Happy New Year from Tom Couser and Passing the Torch

PASSING THE TORCH

2017: A LOOK AT THE YEAR AHEAD

I am often asked about my busy schedule. I guess I do not fit the mold of many retired Baby Boomers. I have no desire to move a senior community and hang out with other older adults playing golf and drinking coffee. I still work two days a week doing hospital visitations

for a chaplaincy service. I volunteer one day a week as an ambassador at DFW Airport and also coach a 5 ^th and 6 ^th grade girls' basketball team.

However, my real desire is to help adults understand teens and young adults for the purpose of sharing faith and values. That passion is probably driven by the fact that I spent my career working with teens, young adults and their families. For twenty-five years I served as a director of Christian education, followed by two years working with the Texas District LCMS. My last eleven years were spent at Lutheran High School of Dallas serving as school counselor.

My career path changed drastically in the spring of 2007. Enrollment at the school had dropped and there were budget issues. Cuts had to be made and student services were viewed as expendable. My position was eliminated. Reality set in when I discovered no one wanted to hire a sixty-one year old who had spent his whole life working with kids. So I retired, but quickly developed a plan. I had been a free-lance writer for years I had always wanted to write a book on parenting teens, but never had the time. Suddenly time was not an issue. My first book, Parenting Without Guilt: Avoiding the Seven Things Parents do to Screw-up Their Kids, was released in 2009. That opened the door for doing parenting workshops. I was working on a sequel to be titled Grand-parenting Without Guild, when I discovered God had different ideas.

When I would speak to groups I always opened it up for questions at the end of my presentation. In 2011 the questions started to change. Instead of people wondering how to motivate their teens or what to do about discipline issues, parents were commenting on teens and young adults who were leaving the church. That led me to do some research. In the process I discovered the "Millennial Effect." The reality was four out of five young people who had grown up in the church were no longer actively engaged in a faith community by age twenty-five. That led me to write the books Passing the Torch: Sharing Faith and Values with the Millennial Generation, and Relevant: The Church as it Relates to Millennials.

Now I excited to take my writing ministry to the next chapter. The reality is that while the church still struggles to engage millennials, the last of that generation is ready to graduate from high school. Behind them comes a whole new generation with a vastly different set of challenges for those charged with passing on our heritage of faith and values. Some refer to this cohort as Generation Z or the Post-Millennials Generation. Others call them the Founders or the Homeland Generation. For most part they the generation that has grown up post 9/11. They have only known a world where terrorism and mass shootings are a reality. They also have matured with access to i-pads and smartphones. The shift in values in nothing new to them since it is all they have experienced.

The Next Chapter

I want to be a resource to parents, grandparents, church leaders and others who seek to minister to this generation. My goal is to continue to do the research and pass on to my readers the latest data and insights.

My projects for 2017 will include:

Newsletter: The title will become Passing the Torch: Sharing Faith and Values with the Next Generation. I will continue to provide insights on millennials but will now also focus on how to reach the new generation of children and teens. The newsletter will still go out via email every other Monday.

Blog: I will continue to blog. My blog provides me the opportunity to offer my own opinion and insight on current issues relating to teens and young adults. I will update my blog at least once a week. Watch for notifications on Facebook and Twitter.

Paths of Faith: My current project involves interviewing millennials who are engaged in faith communities in order to identify common experiences and tendencies. Why is it that some young people have remained active in the church while others have walked away? Look for that report in the spring.

Consulting and Speaking: I will continue to be available to individual churches or group as a resource.

Books: You can still find my books on Amazon.com.

Both Relevant and Passing the The Torch

are available in both traditional and Kindle formats.

STAY CONNECTED:

Facebook and Twitter: Tom Couser

Blog: www.tomcouser.blogspot.com

Passing the Torch| thomascouser@yahoo.com |