Ask someone what they know about “Gen X” and you might get puzzled looks and questions about whether they are the same as Baby Boomers or Millennials. A quick google search will probably reveal that while there is plenty of research and articles about Baby Boomers and Millennials, you would be hard-pressed to find much about Gen Xers in general, let alone Gen X Christians in Singapore.

Here you will find insights culled from our qualitative ethnography and quantitative survey results with Gen X Christians in Singapore. The archetypes are in no way fully representative of all Gen X Christians in Singapore and are not mutually exclusive of one another. It is likely that any Gen Xer that you meet may exhibit characteristics of multiple or even all of the archetypes. The archetypes developed are an attempt to communicate the experiences that Gen X Christians had in their faith journey which were instrumental in shaping their mindsets towards church and spirituality.

Christian Gen X Archetypes

Broad Trends Identified Through Ethnography

• Loyalty to church and participation in ministry is greatly influenced by work and/or family considerations.
• The “missing generation” in most churches.
• Reduced engagement with Church due to disappointments and jadedness.
• Appreciates the achievements of Baby Boomers but recognizes the need for new approaches.
• The sandwiched and overlooked generation.
• Recognizes both the flaws and potentials of the institutional church.
• Greater inclination to the institutional church but recognizes the value of organic churches.
• Laments the church’s limited interaction with culture.
• Ideal parenting style is vastly different compared to previous generations.
• Feels strongly about the importance of relationships in the body of Christ.
• Feels that most churches only cater to one “normal narrative” of life.

Looking for more?

Ask someone what they know about “Gen X” and you might get puzzled looks and questions about whether they are the same as Baby Boomers or Millennials. A quick google search will probably reveal that while there is plenty of research and articles about Baby Boomers and Millennials, you would be hard-pressed to find much about Gen Xers in general, let alone Gen X Christians in Singapore.

Here you will find insights culled from our qualitative ethnography and quantitative survey results with Gen X Christians in Singapore. The archetypes are in no way fully representative of all Gen X Christians in Singapore and are not mutually exclusive of one another. It is likely that any Gen Xer that you meet may exhibit characteristics of multiple or even all of the archetypes. The archetypes developed are an attempt to communicate the experiences that Gen X Christians had in their faith journey which were instrumental in shaping their mindsets towards church and spirituality.

Christian Gen X Archetypes

Broad Trends Identified Through Ethnography

• Loyalty to church and participation in ministry is greatly influenced by work and/or family considerations.
• The “missing generation” in most churches.
• Reduced engagement with Church due to disappointments and jadedness.
• Appreciates the achievements of Baby Boomers but recognizes the need for new approaches.
• The sandwiched and overlooked generation.
• Recognizes both the flaws and potentials of the institutional church.
• Greater inclination to the institutional church but recognizes the value of organic churches.
• Laments the church’s limited interaction with culture.
• Ideal parenting style is vastly different compared to previous generations.
• Feels strongly about the importance of relationships in the body of Christ.
• Feels that most churches only cater to one “normal narrative” of life.

Looking for more?