Our culture caters to the young and the actively young-at-heart. Even our ministries slant that way. When we think of the future, we tend to think of it as belonging to our children and young people.
We stand on the brink of a "longevity revolution" — an era where one out of five Americans is 65 or over. These are our bishops, our pastors, our lay volunteers, our most generous givers. They are often the first to sign up, the first to attend, the first to invite, the first to welcome and the last to leave.
Are you supporting the spiritual and emotional needs of this invaluable group?
While the popular perception is that the aged are needy and infirm, Gentzler contends that older adults have plenty to give. The church needs to tap into their wisdom, energy, experience and talents. It's time to rethink older adult ministry.
He stresses that older adult ministries need to be by and with elders as well as for them since participants represent all stages of retirement and activity levels.
In addition to the practical issues of programming, Gentzler takes on more difficult topics of aging including chronic conditions, depression and death. He also advises on relating ministries to the aging Baby Boomer generation since this group will determine the church’s path for years to come.
“As Boomers have cycled through their various life stages they passed through ‘hippie’ and ‘yuppie’ to become abbies’: aging baby boomers," Gentzler writes. "But don’t tell Boomers they’re aging. …They really do expect to stay young and see getting old as an option, rather than a reality.”
Discipleship doesn't end at age 65. Create a ministry action plan that brings about meaningful change and support for mature members.
