7 gen xers making a difference in oklahoma

via: JKönig

A couple weeks ago, I came across a blog post that pointed to a 1999 book, Generations at Work: Managing the Clash of Veterans, Boomers, Xers and Nexters in the Workplace. In this book, authors Bob Filipczak, Claire Raines and Ron Zemke claim that Generation X is and/or will be unfit to lead. Assessments like this are ridiculous, so I decided to start a monthly feature highlighting great Gen X leaders in my hometown. This first list features Gen Xers in the religious community. Please see the note at the end of the list.

#1 Reverend Herbert Cooper, 34 (b. 1975)
In 2001, God led Herbert and Tiffany Cooper to plant a multi-cultural church in Oklahoma City. By January 2002, the couple was meeting in their living with six other people. In May, the Coopers along with 63 other people celebrated the grand opening of People’s Church. Today, 2,000 people attend weekly services, and this Sunday, July 19, they will celebrate the grand opening of a new facility.

People’s Church is innovative and modern in its approach to church and ministry. For Father’s Day, they held “DadFest” and gave away big screen TVs. But, don’t think People’s Church is not serious about God’s business. In a June post on his blog, Herbert, wrote, “Having cool lights, props and stage set designs is really cool. We even use them, but it doesn't change lives. Preach the Word!”


#2 Craig Groeschel, 41 (b. 1967)
No list of Generation X religious leaders in Oklahoma can exclude Craig Groeschel. He is, after all, the only person on this list to have a Wikipedia listing. Groeschel is the founder and senior pastor of LifeChurch, which has 50 weekend services at 13 locations in six states. Groeschel’s sermons are delivered to churches via satellite each Sunday. Each congregation has a local shepherd.

Groeschel’s rise to leadership started with a handful of people in a two-car garage in Oklahoma. His non-traditional style was successful and attendance at LifeChurch grew rapidly. His approach to church has included such innovative online projects such as a Web site where people can confess their secrets. The project landed Groeschel on national TV in 2006. He is considered one of the most influential pastors of our time, and has been featured in Business Week and numerous other publications the world over.


#3 Reverend Marlin Lavanhar, 34 (b. 1975)
Reverend Marlin Lavanhar, became the youngest senior minister of a major congregation, when in 2000, at the age 32, he was named senior pastor of All Souls Unitarian in Tulsa. Educated at Tulane and Harvard Divinity School, he is known for his energy, creativity and personal charisma.

Since arriving at All Souls, he has shown a connection to the future growth of all people, both one-on-one and from the pulpit. From the church’s Web site, “It is often said that destiny is the result of uncontrolled events conspiring to create great opportunity. Marlin Lavanhar is the right man in the right place. He is “a man who has lost no time.’”

In a sermon about the Olympics, What Would Jesus Play, which he preached at in 2004, Lavanhar said (as if Jesus were speaking) “If you’re looking forward to the kingdom of heaven, don’t wait for me to come back. Go out and discover what you’re good at and what you love, and give back to your community and your family. Help the stranger, feed the hungry, cloth the naked and stop building all those prisons. The only way for me (or all I represent) to come back into the world is if people like you live lives of love and conviction.”

#4 Father Shane Tharp, 34 (b. 1975)
In a news feature on KWTV-9, reporter Doug Warner called Father Shane Tharp, the rector of the National Shrine of the Infant Jesus in Prague, Oklahoma, a “renaissance priest.” There may be no more fitting description. On top of boasting an amazing weight loss story – he’s gone from 370 to 250 pounds with the help of Weight Watchers and martial arts - he’s active on Facebook and runs a popular blog in Catholic blogging circles, Ragemonkey Fr. Tharp says of his blog:

“The ragemonkey is an apt symbol for this blog. Is anyone really satisfied with the way our government acts toward the unborn, the worker, the elderly, the poor, etc.? No? Unleash your ragemonkey and begin to work. Is anyone really satisfied with their spiritual life? No? Unleash the ragemonkey and unflinchingly examine one's self. In short, the ragemonkey should be that voice that encourages and strengthens you to hold fast in the fight. It is the voice of perseverance and courage in one's soul. Is your ragemonkey asleep? If you read here long enough, I don't think it will be.”


#5 Rabbi Ovadia Goldman, 39 (b. 1970)
Last September, Rabbi Ovadia Goldman helped cut the ribbon on the first Judaic structure to be built in Oklahoma City is 50 years. Goldman is the Chabad representative to Oklahoma City. Married with five children, Goldman and his wife have worked energetically for the last 10 years to nurture the desire for spiritual depth and knowledge among the people of Oklahoma City. Speaking about the 8,000 square foot facility, he said, "People will come here to find solace and comfort, joy and gratitude. This will be a place to seek counsel, to study, and to pray."


Goldman has been called a "tremendous resource for humanity." The Chabad sponsors community Shabbat and holiday celebrations, educational classes for adults and Jewish enrichment programming for children. Everyone is invited to participate. For many Jews in Oklahoma (there are only 2,000 in all of Oklahoma City), the Chabad is a dream come true, and Goldman's work has been paramount.

#6 Reverend Scott Scrivner, 30-something (b. 1970-something)
Take a stroll down any street in any city’s urban core and you’re going to discover the same thing: church after church abandoned or closed. This makes the work of Scott Scrivner, senior pastor of Fusion (merging God + life) all the more meaningful.

Scrivner helped plant Fusion in Oklahoma City’s Plaza District. The church is located between historic Gatewood and one of the City’s toughest neighborhoods, Classen-Ten-Penn. It meets at 5 p.m. on Sundays, and house churches meet on Tuesday and Wednesdays in surrounding neighborhoods. Moreover, Fusion created Convergence Collective, a nonprofit intended to support and encourage the building of the arts and community in an effort to create community; pursue creativity; and embody hope. The church is also launching Threads, a seasonal free kids clothing store. Follow Scrivner on Twitter at @sscriv.

#7 Reverend Todd Littleton, 47 (b. 1961)
Todd Littleton has served as senior pastor of Snow Hill Baptist Church for 15 years. Snow Hill is a member of the largest denomination in Oklahoma, the Southern Baptist Convention, and is located in one of Oklahoma’s fastest growing communities, Tuttle, which is located south of Oklahoma City. Consider one of the “brightest” and “most interesting" SBC pastors around, Littleton carries on the heritage of the visionaries who founded Snow Hill nearly 100 years ago. From the church’s Web site, “Rather than add "programs" to address needs, our people follow the lead of the Spirit and live into the dreams given through community relationships.”

In 2007, the church started providing provide after-school tutoring, a children's reading room, food pantry, clothes closet, community meal and a monthly free medical clinic.


Who are the great Gen X leaders where you live?



NOTE: The above list in no way is intended to slight or exclude anyone. I solicited ideas via Facebook and Twitter, and drawing from my own knowledge source, I compiled the list. There are literally dozens of Generation X religious leaders in Oklahoma that are making a difference. In my church alone, I counted about seven, all of which I declined to name because I didn't want to show bias or make this post personal. This feature is not designed to give a party favor to everyone. It is simply a modest effort to point out the obvious: Gen Xers are not slackers. In fact, there are too many fantastic Generation X leaders to count.