Archive for September, 2010

While on a road trip, an elderly couple stopped at a roadside restaurant for lunch. After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant and resumed their trip. When leaving, the elderly woman had left her glasses on the table and didn’t miss them until they had been driving for about forty minutes.

By then, to add to the aggravation, they had to travel quite a distance before they could find a place to turn around in order to go back to the restaurant and retrieve her glasses.

All the way back the husband became the classic grouchy old man. He fussed and complained and scolded his wife relentlessly during the entire return drive.

The more he chided her, the more agitated she became. He just wouldn’t let up for a single minute.

To her relief they finally arrived at the restaurant. As the woman got out of the car and hurried inside to retrieve her glasses, the old geezer yelled to her, “While you’re in there, you might as well get my hat and the credit card.”

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Chris Holck

Provided by CN Building Adult Ministries Resource Center

Just a question for you Boomers?

There is an American proverb that says, A man’s home is his castle.” How do you view the home/castle that you have worked so hard for? Do you get inside, shut the garage door (pull up the drawbridge) and hunker down with everything just the way you like it?  Nothing wrong with that unless you like it so much that you become reluctant to ever leave or unwilling to lower your standards when asked to give up some of those comforts for a brief time.

Is your home your Refuge?

Retirement or even the empty nest stage can tempt people who once said yes to many church, school, family and civic activities to now move into their cocoon.  They can easily decide that they have “taken their turn” or “paid their dues” and now it is “their time.”  So they purchase the extended cable package, learn to program their DVR, and purchase “app’s” for managing their stocks, playing Scrabble online, etc.  They exercise at home, work from home, and even go to church from home.

Or is your home your Retreat Center?

If you’ve been on a retreat or to a cabin you know that very often you give up some luxuries, conveniences and technology but your spirit is replenished by simple and natural beauty, a relaxed schedule and an agenda of restoration.  You had been moving at breakneck speed and needed a little time to recoup.  So what if we viewed our homes in such a manner?  Instead if simply living in them the majority of the year as a privileged place that you deserve and defend, we now view them as a comfortable place to rest and restore in between service opportunities.

Life is about service not selfish pleasure.

The Boomer generation has so much to give, so much skill, talent, and wisdom. It would be a huge loss to the Kingdom of Christ to just retreat to one’s castle and not share with the needy world around us. So how about an approach to the second half of life that gives at least 10% of one’s time to serving (a kind of ‘tithe of time’). Or how about reversing the formula

of one’s working years in which they worked 47-50 weeks of the year and vacationed 2 to 5?  Instead, give 2 to 5 weeks per year in the form of wholehearted service while still maintaining the 47-50 weeks for the pursuit of personal agenda?  There would still be plenty of time to enjoy home and the pleasures we look forward to.

Think of what you could do with this new plan. You now venture out of your retreat home to mentor at a public school or volunteer at a mission in the inner city. Or you could invest 10 days, or possibly 2 to 5 weeks on the other side of the world giving of yourself to others, sharing the gifts and talents and resources with which you’ve been blest.  And after this time of service that removed you from your comfort zone, placing you in your gifted sweet spot, you retreat to your home that is inviting and restful. And when you are rested up, you go and serve some more.

That rhythm of life lines up with an inner desire to give back, make a difference, leave a legacy and simply put, to serve.  And it makes sense when the world around you is filled with so many who need what you have to offer.

I considered making my byline “Refuge or Rest Home,” but decided that the most common image of a rest home made for a bad choice of words.  I didn’t want to conjure the image of a rest home or even an independent living community.  That is a long way off. We hope!  Boomers will live longer and healthier than any generation ever has, having been endowed with a life and lifestyle that no generation has ever experienced. What will you do with what you’ve been given?  Hopefully, you will lower the drawbridge toyour castle (or open the garage door), step away from the remote and the mouse, and let your

home be a welcoming place for those who need refreshment. Then when you leave your comfortable cottage and serve long enough and hard enough, you will appreciate all the more the blessing of a restful haven when you come back home again.

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Provided by CN Building Adult Ministries Resource Center

A man on a busy boulevard was being tailgated a woman. Suddenly the light turned yellow in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman was furious. Dropping her cell phone and makeup, she honked her horn, screaming in frustration at having missed her chance to get through the intersection. Still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up at the face of a very serious police officer. He ordered her to exit her car with her hands where he could see them and proceeded to take her to the police station. She was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a holding cell.

After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. The woman was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.

He said, “I’m very sorry for this mistake. You see I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you and cussing a blue streak. And I noticed your ‘What Would Jesus Do’ bumper sticker, the ‘Choose Life’ license plate holder, the ‘Follow Me to Sunday-School’ bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car.”

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Provided by CN Building Adult Ministries Resource Center

(In Pinnacle Forum, groups are referred to as ‘Forums.’ These 10 Keys will be helpful to any small group leader.)

Key 1: Three Kinds of Questions:

  • Factual Questions make sure people understand the material. Plus, it’s always helpful to ask a question that people answer correctly right away.
  • Opinion Questions. “What do you think of . . .” Participants need to know that you are asking for their opinion. There is no “right” answer, just an opinion.
  • Insight questions. “How does this speak to you personally?” “How can this be applied?” Now you are asking for the Participant to risk authenticity and say something personal. Insight questions are open ended. You are not directing to any particular answer.

Key 2: Encourage Direct Communication

Participants need to talk to each other, not to you. Your goal is not to be the hub of a communication wheel. Your goal is to facilitate Participants to talk to each other. Throughout the course of your forum, try to speak less and less. The best forums are

when you ask only three or four questions during the entire discussion part of your forum.  One useful technique is to shift your eye contact away from the responder and

look at the other participants. This, in turn, usually shifts their eye contact and in so doing promotes interaction between the participants and lessens the likelihood of participants responding only to the facilitator.

Key 3:  Equal Participation

Make sure participants are given an equal amount of time to share.  Keep track if necessary. Invite a shy or non-speaking participant into the discussion with a question or eye contact in order to include them in the forum.

Key 4:  Stay On Topic

Stay away from third-party issues or outside matters. Forum discussion can easily drift into those directions because they are safe topics. When the forum moves in that direction, one or more participants may be avoiding personal issues. Let everyone know that you will work to hold them accountable to staying on topic and personal. Encourage Participants to talk about themselves. When they start to tell a story about themselves, sit up in your chair. Let your body language say, “I’m all ears.” This will encourage others to engage in personal story telling.

Key 5:  Focus on the Person not the Problem

Not only can a forum drift off into third-party topics, it can also get stuck trying to “fix” problems. Men especially tend to be fixers. When this happens, gently shift the discussion to the person and away from the solution. Chances are, the Participant already knows the solution and doesn’t need to hear it from the group. The participant needs to talk about his/her feelings, emotions, and fears.

Key 6: Do Not Argue Theology.

The Church of Jesus Christ has been doing that for two thousand years. Leave the arguments to the theologians and focus on forum participants.

Key 7: Go With The Flow

Don’t be so concerned with the material or lesson that you cut off a good discussion. The agenda of the forum is neither to work through all of the material nor complete the lesson. The goal is relationships. Our primary agenda is to pay attention to what God is doing in each other’s lives.

Key 8: Stay With an Expressed Emotion

Whether positive or negative, don’t move away from what the participant is experiencing.  It may be anger, sadness, broken heartedness, fear, joy, laughter, etc. The most important moments of your forum are when these kinds of emotions are on the table and supported by others in the room.

Key 9:  Be Alert for Key Life Issues

Pay very close attention to what people bring to the table. At each forum, expect that at least one of your Participants will have a particularly challenging life issue or

matter of concern. It may be business related. More than likely, however, it will be personal. Listen for it. Talk about it when it comes up. Let the participants set the agenda.

Key 10: Invite the Holy Spirit to Lead

This is not your forum. It’s not the participant’s forum.  It is the Lord’s forum!   He wants to move forum Participants to a deeper level of faith and greater passion for service. Make it a habit to invite the Holy Spirit to lead you, as you lead. Make it a habit to invite the Holy Spirit to facilitate you, as you facilitate. Listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and act upon them.

(For more information, visit www.pinnacleforum.com)

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Helping launching a sister ministry in Australia

I’m writing this just two days after Dixie and I arrived home, having answered a two-year-old ‘Macedonian’ style invitation to “come over to Australia and help us.”

The request came from Richard Pearce, pastor of the Caloundra Church of Christ in Queensland, Australia. He and Shirley, together with Trevor and Judy Holt, were participating in their first CASA International Leadership Conference, held that year in Costa Mesa CA. Richard had been surfing the net in search of an organization that was helping prepare pastors and laity for older adult ministry when he came upon the www.gocasa.org website. He liked what he saw, felt the Lord encouraging him to investigate further, and so they came.

Richard and Shirley returned to further scope out what we were doing during the 2009 conference in Chicago. They could see big changes were taking place in CASA Network and that we were facing huge challenges as an organization. But they were inspired and went home ready to join in the challenge. Back home in Australia, a Board was taking shape, dates were set, and the word spread. The Caloundra Church of Christ had previously conducted several seniors’ conferences, but this would be the first Fresh Horizons Leadership Conference.

The hope was for 50 pastors and lay leaders to attend. By the time the day arrived, 94 were registered for the Leadership Conference from several states and 1 visiting pastor all the way from New Zealand! Over 130 participated in the 3-day Seniors Conference that followed. Richard and his ministry team were terrific. They worked hard and prayed much. The interest during and after the conference was very strong and plans are being laid to expand their work across the continent and New Zealand.

Australia is very much like the USA and Canada in that over one-third (38 percent) of Australians are 45+ in age. (Interestingly, one in every five at age 55 is registered on Facebook.) In 1901, the overwhelming majority (96 percent) of Australians described themselves as Christian. One hundred years later, that number has declined to 64 percent (down from 71 percent in 1996). There is much for the Bridge (45-69) and Sage generations (70+) to do to reach the generations that follow. Ministry to and through older adults in Australia, as in America and around the world, is vital to the whole body of Christ.

This was my second ‘out of country’ experience this year. The first was with Pete Menconi in a conference in Calgary Alberta Canada under the guiding hand of Wally Fus, one of the pastors at Brentwood Baptist Church. This, together with considerable activity throughout the USA, is important to note. It speaks to a new spiritual awakening in midlife and beyond age adults throughout the world that is ever so slowly beginning to happen.

There is a growing hunger among midlife and beyond age Christ followers everywhere to be a meaningful part of what God is doing. Still, we are not yet at the ‘tipping point,’ that level at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable. It is still stoppable, still very much an uphill challenge. But we are closer now than two years ago when Richard and Shirley and Trevor and Judy came to see and to dream with us of what God might do in the land ‘down under.’

Don Hegan, a Presbyterian pastor from New Zealand writes in an email, “I am still on a high after the conference and have spoken to Ian C and hope to catch up with him and his Pastor to share about this. Also I am in email contact with folk in the Church about our own conference (in New Zealand) some time in the future. This Sunday I will be sharing about my time in ‘Aussie’ and then straight after we have our AGM, quite a strategic time.”

Peter van Donge wrote saying, “Thank you both for coming to Australia and sharing the vision you have regarding ministry to those in the second half of life. I’m delighted at the fruit I’m already aware of and am sure that it will bear fruit in a whole range of ways. No doubt others have communicated additional potential developments with you. You’ll be on our prayer list as you exercise this ministry to others. Tell Dixie I have already been able to promote the mentoring concept she shared with some folk in the small church I am pastoring at the moment and they responded positively.”

There you have it. A bit of the news of what we found ‘down under.’ Don’t forget to pray for these great people. Our new best friends. Partners in ministry. Men and women who love Jesus deeply and who are busy stirring the glowing embers of their peers, determined to leave a light on for the next generations!

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SMALL BITES … adventures in downsizing

with Jan Kinzel

Provided by CN Building Adult Ministries Resource Center

Under the Tuscan sun – or at least a reasonable facsimile – there are several ways to go about downsizing. One is to find a place a bit smaller and less expensive that fits most of your stuff.

But wait a minute. Is that truly downsizing? And how do you want to live? My choice was to sacrifice daily living space for resort style amenities with beautiful and creative venues available for the larger parties. The condominium complex is built in a Tuscan Italian style with statuary, beautiful landscaping of olive trees, miniature orange trees in urns and pointed cypress – all uplit at night.

My furniture suited a big house and wasn’t going to fit the scale of this much smaller space. Furniture landed everywhere! So we recently visited our grand piano and formal dining room set in Kansas City – oh, yes, and our kids, too. Granddaughter Katrina turned twelve and decided she wanted a “grown-up” room so she received our French antique beds. It was a great feeling to keep these pieces in our family. Some went to our other children. Some pieces were sold or given away and the living room furniture was placed in a consignment shop, where, by the way, large quantities of cavernously huge furniture reside! Lots of downsizing is going on.

It wasn’t too difficult to let go of the furniture. But on the inside entry of our former home are six beautiful columns – my favorite architectural feature of the whole house. Saying goodbye to these columns, softly lit each evening broke my heart. When we found our new living space, (Wouldn’t you just know it?) columns. Yes, eight of them! They’re located on the patios just outside our windows and are quite visible from the inside – thank you, very much. I really mean it, thank YOU, very much.

MENU

Lemon Tuscan Butterflied Chicken

Panzanella Salad

RECIPES

Lemon Tuscan Butterflied Chicken

Preheat oven to 5000

1 whole chicken, as fresh as possible

Branches of rosemary

Lemons, sliced about ½ inch thick

Garlic cloves, peeled and gently crushed

Olive oil

Coarse sea salt

Coarse freshly ground black pepper

Prepare a baking sheet by lining with Reynolds Release Aluminum foil. Cover the foil with a layer of rosemary branches, then the lemon slices topped with the garlic cloves.

Butterfly the chicken by setting it upright on the tail end. With a sharp boning knife or kitchen shears, cut along one side of the backbone, freeing it from the ribs. Do the same on the other side of the backbone. (Freeze the backbone and giblets to make chicken stock another time.) Spread the chicken flat on the meat side and press on the top of it until the breastbone snaps.  Snap each leg at the thigh joint and clip the webbed skin. This will allow the chicken to lay flat.

Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Rub front and back with olive oil and season with the salt and pepper.

Lay the chicken, skin side up, on the baking tray with the aromatics.

(Remember to wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw chicken.)

Bake in a 5000 oven for fifteen minutes or until the skin begins to brown.

Lower oven heat to 3500 and continue baking until the juices run clear – about 40 more minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 1750 when inserted in the thickest part of the thigh. Remove from the oven. Loosely draw the foil up around the chicken and let stand for 10 or 15 minutes. Carve and place on a platter.  Garnish with some lemon slices and rosemary twigs.

Panzanella Salad

Artisanal bread, such as ciabatta, pughlisi, or sourdough

Olive oil

Lemons

Salt and pepper

English Cucumber

Tomatoes

Kalamata  olives

Red onion

Feta cheese (if desired)

2 or 3  minced cloves of garlic

Thyme

SALAD Cut the bread into one-inch cubes. Toss with a tablespoon of olive oil, the zest of a lemon and a few thyme leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Bake on a baking sheet lined with foil in a 3500 oven until golden and toasted.  Remove from oven and cool.

With a peeler, make vertical stripes on the cucumber. Cut the cucumber in half, lengthwise. Run a spoon down the inside to remove the seeds. Discard the seeds and cut cucumber into one-inch pieces. Cut the tomatoes into one-inch pieces. Coarsely chop the Kalamata olives. Dice the red onion into half-inch pieces.

Combine these ingredients in a large salad bowl. Up to an hour before serving, toss with the dressing and add the feta cheese and lightly toss again. The salad needs to stand at room temperature to allow the bread to absorb the dressing.

DRESSING In a small canning jar, put equal parts of freshly squeezed lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil.  Add ½ teaspoon salt, three grinds of black pepper, minced garlic cloves and a few of the thyme leaves.  Put the tin lid and ring securely on the jar and shake to emulsify the dressing.

Serve on the patio on a summer evening with some Italian orange sparkling soda over ice in tall glasses. Offer some creamy cheesecake and decaffeinated coffee for desert.

Tip: Start anew. Be stylish in the new space, whatever that becomes. Make it fresh and lovely for yourself and your family.

… whatever things are … lovely … meditate on these. Philippians 4:8

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Pastor of Care Ministries, Journey of Faith Church, Manhattan Beach CA

Jason Cusick is Pastor of Care Ministries at Journey of Faith Church in Manhattan Beach, CA, where he oversees grief ministry, one-to-one lay caregiving, convalescent ministry, recovery ministry, and pastoral care for the 2,000 person congregation. Formerly a hospital chaplain, Jason is a Board Certified Chaplain with experience in bedside care, crisis ministry, bioethics, and end of life issues. Author of 5 Things Any Congregation Can Do to Care for Others

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MEET CHRIS HOLCK AT ILC—ATLANTA!

After seven years in business, Chris served three EFCA churches. His interest in older adult ministry was sparked while serving in his most recent church. He realized that his church (and he would later learn the EFCA as well) needed a better way of ministering to the new wave of “older adults.” Chris now serves as the director of EFCA ENCORE. The fulfillment of his passion and vision comes when older adults in churches are fully alive in their faith and serving the Lord with their gifts. And be sure to read Is Your Home Your Castle or Your Cottage?

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Sep
15
2010

In August, Ward and Dixie Tanneberg made the long trek down under to Australia to be the guest speakers at the first “Fresh Horizons” Conference in the state of Queensland, Australia. The conference was attended by 94 ministry leaders and followed up by a 3- day Senior’s Conference attended by over 130 men and women.

Fresh Horizons has been established by Richard and Shirley Pearce along with a board of management, to influence, resource and educate those engaged in ministry to people 50+. The Pearce’s have attended the last two CASA leadership conferences in the USA and are looking to forge strong and ongoing links between CASA Network and Fresh Horizons.

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It is easier to start a program than to foster a lifestyle.

Pastor Chris Holck


Provided by CN Building Adult Ministries Resource Center

The word “program” in a church can mean a lot of different things and evoke a lot of different responses.  Generally speaking, the Builder generation preferred programs, the Boomer generation offers mixed reviews and Busters and Millennials have an aversion to them.

Let me illustrate with a typical program, Women’s Ministries.  My mother who was born in 1919, which made her a pre-Builder, loved the Ladies Aid which was her church’s label for women’s ministry.  Her loyalty had her attending monthly meetings, holding offices, bringing treats, sharing devotions and feeling guilty when she missed a meeting or couldn’t do her part to keep the program plates spinning.  My wife, born in 1956, is all for women ministering, but monthly meetings with parliamentary procedure, officers, offerings, and structured gatherings that took votes were not to her liking.  She is not alone. Just take a poll of the average age at a traditional women’s program.  My wife like many Boomers and younger women are all for ministry designed specifically for women, but it is better defined as a missional priority, not a church program.

Many churches have older adult programs that meet monthly.  They typically go by names like: Young at Heart, Bereans, Forever Young, Prime Time, Ambassadors, JOY Club (Just Older Youth), Keenagers, and even the Pace Makers.  They may or may not have officers but they usually have a structure to their meetings.  Programs typically involve food, a speaker, and some devotions.

Many of these groups also plan “outings” ranging from trips to local destinations, dining out, or sightseeing. They may also plan some big trips to observe the Fall colors or attend special Christian concerts.  Do not cancel these groups! They are valuable to those who attend, but hear this prediction; they will die a natural death when their sustainability depends on the Boomers.

Boomers are not interested in potlucks or bus trips to Branson.  Boomers are not drawn to be part of an organized monthly meeting that is primarily a social gathering.  They may attend if they are asked to serve the “Seniors” but they won’t attend just because they are expected to be there.  Loyalty to institutions or programs is not the strong suit of the Baby Boomers.

Any church that plans to continue their Senior’s ministry with the same format and the same name will fail to reach the next generation of older adults.

Just as my wife was in favor of women’s ministry, Boomers are in favor of ministry in their second half of life, but let’s not call it a program.  Then, what is it?

I am reminded of a transition I went through in the early 80’s with respect to my views on evangelism methods.  I am grateful to Campus Crusade for Christ for some great ministry training and immersion during my college years but my involvement with their group pretty much obligated me to their program of evangelism.  I received training in sharing The Four Spiritual Laws and was discipled by someone who “showed me the ropes.”  Then I was sent to the Student Union to share with strangers about God’s plan for their life.  I was dropped at Daytona Beach for “Operation Sunshine” and there was the time we were hauled in busses to the Mall to share with Christmas shoppers.  There were more sharers than shoppers.  I pray there were eternal differences made by my forays but you can tell that my memories did not beckon me to go share with more strangers.

Then, I was required to read a book for a seminary evangelism class, Lifestyle Evangelism by Joe Aldrich.  What an incredible paradigm shift in my thinking.  The key was not proper training, tools and captive audiences.  The key was kindling a heart for the lost and then looking for opportunities in my daily life to share the hope that was within me inside the circle of friends and acquaintances God had given me.  It seemed more authentic to me that evangelism should be a natural part of my lifestyle rather than a program that I turn on and off.  I’m sure this was not everyone’s experience but it was mine and it taught me a principle which I believe applies to the issue at hand. Namely, how can we foster a healthy ministry lifestyle for the next generation of older adults, one they will be drawn to and unleashed from.

It is easier to start a program than to foster a lifestyle. When you start a program, you can order the curriculum, hold an organizational meeting, set a date and plan an agenda.  You can send invitations, establish a commitment covenant and apply guilt if necessary.  You can measure success by members’ attendance, dollars given and guests invited.  It is easier to describe and sell a program to a leadership decision-making team. Having a program makes it easier to justify paid or volunteer staff and to establish a budget.  Please consider before you resort to a program that you can put enough definition to creating a lifestyle of ministry for the next generation of older adults.  You can sell the Board and more importantly, you can excite Boomers about having a fantastic encore in their service to God through their church.

The following ideas can assist you in launching this kind of  Encore ministry.

  1. Boomers are more interested in service than fellowship when it comes to time they spend in ministry.  Therefore, your future ministry is more of a ministry engagement opportunity where they assess their gifts and passions, learn of service opportunities near and far, and then choose from a menu of opportunities.
  2. Ministry Engagement doesn’t usually happen on it’s own.  Some level of organization and staffing is necessary to guide this engagement process and help unleash older adults who have more discretionary time into significant Kingdom ministry.
  3. This kind of ministry dovetails nicely with existing outreach, missions or externally focused ministries already existing in the church.  There is also an obvious connection between the gift assessment that is offered (S.H. A. P. E., Networking etc.) and subsequent “placement guides” that help people find their place in ministry.
  4. It is necessary to do a census in the church so that you know who your Encore Generation is.  You can use 50+ as your criteria, or Boomers and beyond (everyone born before 1965) or you can use a common age break which sort between 50-65, 65-80 and 80+.
  5. Avoid defining any activities or opportunities for older adults by an age category or label. Don’t say the mountain hike is for Boomers or the 65 and younger group.  If a 73 year old wants to hike, let them hike.  The same goes for quilting days, tennis ladders, short-term mission trips and square dances.  Let them decide!
  6. 6. Your church must decide if you prefer a segment pastor to shepherd the Encore segment or if the staff as a whole (or as a solo in small churches) looks after them.  Regardless of your decision, the Encore Generation has many similarities to how we envision youth ministry.  The Encore Generation should be encouraged to get involved in Bible studies, small groups, discipling relationships, and mission and outreach activities.  Peer evangelism is a key component.  How can they be guided in effectively reaching their fellow Boomers and Builders who don’t know Christ?  There is a need for social activities and special mixers for those new to the area.  It feels about like moving into a new high school where everyone seems to have their friendships made and you are the outsider.  The church needs to foster opportunities for this age group to get better acquainted.  It is important to find a balance between offering age specific activities and shuffling the age deck.  The church is one of the few, if not the only place where four or five generations come together in our society.  This intergenerational dynamic is extremely healthy for our churches.  We must work toward creating small groups, mission trips, social events, evangelistic opportunities, worship teams and Bible studies where the generations mingle and learn and create respect for one another.  Creating a priority of intergenerational ministry is worthy of your attention.

Is staffing for this ministry necessary? Someone needs to give attention to this group.  Depending on the size of your church and Encore community, the size of your existing staff, and the capabilities of your lay leaders you should find someone or a team or both that will own this ministry initiative. Fostering a lifestyle of service is a big challenge.  It requires a shepherd’s heart, a discipler’s patience, an equipper’s toolbag and a recruiter’s tenacity.  Mobilizing this encore army into active service, not just the usual 20%, but the majority and then some will take leadership.  It won’t happen on it’s own, it won’t happen with your father’s senior adult program and it won’t happen by creating a new “program.”

Fostering a lifestyle of service to Christ and for His sake is the key to success for the next generation of older adults. Jay Kesler, former President of Youth for Christ and Taylor University prophetically states that just as we saw youth pastors move from a rarity to almost a necessity in American churches through the 60’s and 70’s, so it will be with pastors called to shepherd the next wave of older adults.  The really ironic thing is that the teenagers that got a youth pastor in 1968 now need an Encore pastor in 2008.




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