Book Review: Millennial People, Boomer Priest
Noll, Stephen. Millennial People, Boomer Priest: My Year Eldering a Young Congregation. Anglican House Publishers, 2024.
The Rev’d Dr. Stephen Noll may be a Boomer, but his exposition of the Christian faith will benefit readers of all generations.
Sponsored
An Introduction to the Faith
Drawn from Dr. Noll’s year as an interim pastor to a young congregation, Millennial People, Boomer Priest offers a biblically rich and culturally engaged introduction to mere Christianity.
The bulk of the volume is the transcript of sermons, organized according to catechetical instruction on God’s Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, the life of Christ, the meaning of the Gospel, and the hope of the Resurrection. Dr. Noll’s preaching will benefit any new Christian or new Anglican.
For example, in a sermon on Galatians 2, Dr. Noll explains the gospel message of the cross:
The Cross is a sign of contradiction: No to every form of self-justification, Yes to a new life in Christ alone. Hence [Paul’s] famous line: ‘I have been crucified with Christ. It is not longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.’ This is the true Good News, which caused Bunyan’s Pilgrim to flee the City of Destruction, crying “Life, life, eternal life!” (p. 188)
The book is full of such passages, which combine a deep study of scripture with cultural references drawn from literature, music, science, and history.
The Anglican Sermon Series
This volume will also be helpful to pastors of all generations, who will glean ideas for teaching, preaching, and pastoral practice that creatively applies the Anglican tradition in a contemporary context.
Most provocatively (for Anglicans), Dr. Noll presents a group of “sermon series,” many of which are organized by topic or book of the Bible rather than the typical Sunday lectionary in the Book of Common Prayer.
There is much to be said for lectionary preaching, but there is also benefit, I believe, in using the open half of the Church Year from Trinity Sunday until Advent for topical sermons or for whole-book expositions of scripture. (p. 17).
For example, Dr. Noll includes in this volume a ten-week sermon series on the Apostles’ Creed. Many congregations would benefit from such a systematic overview of the faith, especially where other teaching opportunities are limited or undersubscribed.
My favorite series in this volume is Dr. Noll’s Lenten study through the book of Galatians, which conveniently fits the six chapters of Paul’s letter to the six Sundays in Lent. A note for creative preachers: Ephesians and 1 Timothy also have six chapters, so they, too, would fit the Lenten timeline.
OK, Boomer?
In popular culture, the phrase “OK, Boomer” has become a satirical way that younger generations disregard what a Boomer has to say. Dr. Noll seems to be aware of this danger. He certainly owns his Boomer status; on the opening page, he adapts a phrase from Saint Paul to “boast if I must of my boomer credentials” (1). It’s a light-hearted reference to generational differences in a characteristically Boomer style!
Much of the book, however, shows Dr. Noll adapting himself to reach his millennial congregation. He discovers, for example, that the old-fashioned house call is definitively out of fashion and instead learns to love texting:
I found, however, that the old method of making cold calls on suburban household was out of the question. Most of the women worked, and in any case, for pastor to show up unannounced was no longer acceptable. I even found that trying to set up visits via email often fell flat. I overcame my resistance to texting and gradually began to make ‘visits.’ Often these were scheduled at on or more local coffee houses. (p. 10)
Moreover, Dr. Noll’s preaching engages his young congregation in its outlook and particular concerns. The appendix of this volume even includes a group of “pastor podcasts,” short messages that combine congregational news and practical instruction.
In other words, Dr. Noll is doing the necessary work of cultural contextualization, not by modifying the gospel but by proclaiming the eternal gospel of Christ in new modes of communication. In simple ways, he translates the gospel ministry so that a new generation can hear the hope of Jesus Christ.
The publisher provided a copy of this book to Anglican Compass for review.
Image by cottonbro studio, from the cover of Millennial People, Boomer Priest. Digital editing by Peter Johnston.
Review Roundup: Deep Anglicanism
While not without criticism, our reviewers found McDermott’s volume to be both accessible and deep. It brings the richness of Anglicanism’s deep history, including its ancient pre-Reformation roots, to bear on our beliefs and practices.
The Anglican Ordination Process: A Rookie Anglican Guide
So you’re thinking about ordained ministry in this or that Anglican community. (If you need guidance on the question, check out this article.) Maybe you’re already ordained in some other denomination. Maybe you’ve been serving in ministry for years but as a layperson (that was my experience). What are some of the general guidelines and…
