When I was a student minister, I asked Mr. Bob to address our teenagers because of his past military experience. Because he was in his 70s I assumed he might be a bit apprehensive about speaking to them, so, before he went on stage, I whispered in his ear: “Let me know if you need me to stand up there with you.”

He politely said, “When I was a major in the Korean War, I used to address 1,000 young men about to go into war and put their lives on the line. Son, I think I’ll be fine.”

And with that statement, he walked into the room, commanded the attention of over 100 teenagers, and addressed them as he would his own soldiers.

I had a lot to learn about the importance of connecting diverse generations. To my surprise, the teenagers fell in love with him and began to gravitate to him every chance they got. He ended up being one of my strongest small-group leaders for teenage boys and was requested by my senior boys a year later. He challenged them to go with him on mission trips. When they came off of the roof after working, he would sit with them next to his pot of boiling peanuts and listen to them and love them.

There is a great richness to sitting under older men and women of the faith. The digital generation growing up today has a lot to learn from their wisdom. They would do well to slow down and have a conversation on the front porch rather than the quick snap of a chat.

Our country is at a pivotal time in its history. Those of the next generation will either blaze a trail at lightning speed toward a brighter future filled with hope or chart the course to bring an end to freedom. They are witnessing a country divided and a world that calls evil good. They are a generation in search of who they are, where they belong and why they are here.

If we are going to move forward as a country, the church must lead the charge to unite. Rather than isolate yourself inside buildings that smell of years gone by and pianos that once were in tune, you must move out to your front porch and engage the next generation. Initiate the conversation.

Listen to them. Love them. Challenge them. Release them.

If you are a senior adult, your grandchildren need you. Your grandchildren’s friends need you. They are in desperate need of someone who cares about them enough to listen. Be fearless, and engage. Freedom is at stake.

Excerpted from “Unite: Connecting Diverse Generations for Kingdom Impact,” to which Lee Clamp was a contributor, among other South Carolina Baptist authors. Copies may be purchased through Amazon.com at http://goo.gl/v0km3I.