The Horseshoe effect

Recently, I had one of those days that every homeowner has from time to time. My lovely wife had been sharing with me that our bathroom sink was draining a bit slow. I being the great husband waited and waited to act on this fact until, yep, complete clog. So I went through all the usual steps for cleaning a clog. I tried heavy duty Drano but that did not work. So I tried plunging, but that did not work. Then I tried an auger, but the pipe could not be reached from under my sink. I even tried going outside working from the external plumbing, and yet nothing. At this point I was at my wits end and so I decided to bite the bullet and call the rooter company. I will be honest with you, the though of paying them to come fix it really frustrated me, so on their way out for a “free estimate” I called a few more places. On one particular call I reached an elderly man who would transform my plumbing experience. He talked me through the problem and offered the suggestion of trying to auger down from the roof. In a rush to beat the rooter people, I headed to the roof and as they say the rest is history.

            What does this have to do with collegiates’ and young adults, well as I though through the entire episode I was reminded of something called the Horseshoe effect? It is the idea that young adults today love to connect with their grandparents generation. They seem to have many things in common with their grandparents. They love conversations. They enjoy sitting around and talking about life. In some ways they prefer a slower pace even though it does not seem like it. Oh sure, things are different today than 50 years ago but there are some very common threads and ideas. My plumber friend was more helpful, knowledgeable, and more clear than any of the other people to which I spoke.

So What?

I believe that this concept can really benefit your ministry. You must connect young adults with mature adults. These older adults have so many life experiences as well as wisdom that young adults need to hear and honestly want to hear. I remember hearing story after story of young adults whose life was transformed when a mature adult took them under their wing and just started loving on them. One particular story involves a friend named Jason. Jason did not have a great father figure in his life and so an elderly man in the church just reached out to him and said, “Come over on Saturday for a few hours”. What do you think they did? Yard work! They worked on the Car! Guess what developed, a mentoring relationship where the older man began to speak wisdom into Jason’s life. Today Jason is involved in a national ministry and much if his makeup is connected to those Saturdays raking leaves.

Our suggestions:

• • • Foster conversations like this in your ministry
    • Recruit older adults into your ministry (do not necessarily make them teachers and leaders just let them connect and love on students)
    • Hold up the value of multigenerational connections in your ministry
    • Provide opportunities for young adults to benefit the older adults and watch what happens