Lifelong Significance. In this edition: the story of the Koska family, grandparents raising their grandchildren and discovering how great is the heavenly Father’s love for all.
Easy to download and reproduce in color or b/w in your church office. Give away to your small groups or Sunday School classes. Personalize your own Events page insert. Quick. Easy. Target audience: age 45+ and beyond.
New to the Board: Pastor Ross Paterson (Seniors/Men’s Ministries), of Crosspoint Community Church of Modesto, CA. A native New Zealander, Ross is the pastor to senior adults. One of his great joys is in coming alongside other men, helping them with the basics of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We’re happy to have Ross join our organization!
Beginning in 2012, The CASA Network is making an historic move: transitioning from its long held member-support approach to funding its outreach, to one that is “faith-based,” supported by individuals, churches and parachurch groups that possess a vision and passion for older adult and intergenerational ministries. The board reached a decision for this major shift unanimously on December 2, in the belief that this is the best way to increase our effectiveness and for The CASA Network to thrive.
Since its inception, CASA has served hundreds of churches and thousands of ministry leaders, but has continued to struggle financially. This prompted a merger some years ago with Chicago-based Total Living International. Subsequent experience proved that CASA could best serve the broader spectrum of the body of Christ by regaining its independent status. In the summer of 2009, with blessings from all parties involved, CASA separated from TLI and relocated to modest rental facilities in Bellevue, Washington (near Seattle). This is where a small but talented and committed professional staff, together with scores of generous and gifted volunteer professionals and alliance groups, provide invaluable training and resources for 50+ and intergenerational ministry among families, churches and cities throughout the USA and Canada. In the transition, CASA became The CASA (Christian Association Serving Adult Ministries) Network, “network” being added to acknowledge hoped for relationships with other ministry groups, churches, denominations and educational institutions in the belief that we are “better together” for preparing the church and followers of Jesus for the age wave phenomena sweeping across our land.
Is it possible that the significant and growing increase in North America’s aging population is more than the result of advances in modern medicine? Could this be first and foremost a part of God’s eternal plan? Is there a fortuitous Kingdom paradigm shift in the making, pushing its way to the surface by the aging of America and by the worst recession since WW2? And could it be that we are distancing ourselves from God’s providential plan for the church with the significant changes in ministry emphasis occurring as local churches and denominational entities increasingly distance themselves from serving their aging adult constituency?
A 2011 Pew research survey in the USA reported that 45% of adult members in the average evangelical church and 51% in mainline churches are 50+ in age. Yet in their new book, A Vision for the Aging Church, James M. Houston and Michael Parker state, “our research confirms that ‘senior ministry’ when present at all, is almost universally considered to be a ministry to rather than from elders.”
Society’s ‘age wave’ component is more often than not viewed by the church as a burden it must serve, rather than a resource for serving. When combined with the economic downturn, the result has been the closure of denominational departments of older adult ministry and staff pastors let go or reassigned. Of those reassigned, many may not be trained in or passionate about ministry among the 50+ ages in their churches and communities, especially since seminaries and Christian universities offer few educational classes in this field of service. Within many pastoral staffs, being assigned to ministry to older adults is silently (sometimes not so silently) viewed as a “step down,” and a drain on resources needed in “more important areas.”
The 50+ ministry leadership conferences, seminars and workshops, the online Center for Building Adult Ministries (BAM), the Leaders Library, and ready access to many of North America’s top experts in the fields of older adult and intergenerational ministry make The CASA Network more important than ever. This is our passion: to effectively serve all generations within churches, families and denominational groups.
What’s on the docket for 2012:
Beginning in January, all content on gocasa.org will be open! No more searching for lost passwords. No more annual membership dues. In their place, entirely open websites and three tastefully conducted support drives during the year, and I want to begin by thanking each of you who have been a vital part of The CASA Network. Thanks for what you mean to 50+ Ministry. I’m asking you to please continue at least the equivalent of your present level of support and more, if you can. Our goal for 2012 is $100,000 for operations and the development of conferences, training and educational programs, as well as other resources targeting older adult and intergenerational ministry.
In the face of a diminished 50+ Ministry target in today’s church, The CASA Network is increasing efforts to fill the gap with quality training and resources for professionals and volunteers.
With your support and God’s blessing, we can do this thing. We are The CASA Network. And we are all in this together!
Ward
Visit our Stakeholder page for information about giving.
David Fraze
Recently I had the honor of speaking at a 50+ conference. A student ministry guy at a conference designed for 50+ year old participants? Yep–it was awesome! I was asked to present some material related to Intergenerational Student Ministry published with the Fuller Youth Institute, www.stickyfaith.org (check it out). I had such a great time with these wonderful and visionary church leaders who are part of the CASA Network, www.gocasa.org (Christian Association Serving Adult Ministries Network). Did I say it was awesome?
I knew only one person at the event (hey Bob) and had not even made connection with the director of the conference when I sat down to listen to the first session. I was drinking my coffee (as usual), getting comfortable with my surroundings, and then it happened. The message being spoken was the same message being delivered at today’s top student ministry conferences–students and young families need meaningful interaction with and mentoring from adult followers of Jesus–Intergenerational programming speak! I was thrilled at the synergistic (fancy way to say synergy) message I was privileged to be a part. We (student ministers) are not alone!
Here are a few of the things I kept hearing, in no particular order, from various speakers, teachers and panel participants (again, you can hear any of these things at the student ministry conference of your choice):
I could continue to list the synergistic (I had to use the word again) messages but I mention these as a backdrop for the following comments. Caution, these comments are going to be a bit preachy.
First, student ministry “experts” and “conferences” are not the only ones speaking prophetic words and predicting future programmatic trends for the Church. To be clear, I am not one of these, but I run across a few student ministers that give little value or attention to the voice of older leaders and members of our church communities–this is an arrogant and grave error in my opinion.
Second, I was thrilled to hear those who have me beat by more than a few decades of ministry say to their peers that they need to be “sages” for the Church and stop being “rigid” keepers of the statuesque–because statuesque is not working (all age groups and ministries grieve the fact that large numbers of our students walk away from Christianity after graduation from High School). To the 50+ saints reading this, we “young-in’s” need your help in casting an informed (historically, theologically, socially responsible, etc.) future for our church communities and not have dark shadows of “the way it use to be” cast over our attempts to effectively minister to our generation–we really want to listen and dialogue with you!
And third, this experience strengthened my belief that Intergenerational ministry programming talk is much more than a fad used to start up the next national conference option, book deal and/or speaking circuit on ramp opportunity. I believe it is a movement of the Spirit that is working to correct a programming methodology that has divided the church into age segregated silos (No, I am not going to unpack this here, but feel free to weigh in with your opinions here–the conversation will be fun).
I have spent a large portion of the last four years researching, rethinking, regrouping and re envisioning student ministry so that the flow of students exiting the Faith after graduation could be slowed and/or stopped. Some of the corresponding programmatic changes have been easy, others not so much. Still, through it all, the Intergenerational piece remains a part of all my programmatic discussions. Personally, I am so fortunate to work with a church family, leadership, peers, families and students that want to break down the generational silos. Even so, it was good to know we are not alone!
Question: Understanding that every age group needs “their time” together, what are some of the obstacles faced when attempting to program over generational lines? How have you worked through these obstacles?
David Fraze is the Director of Student Ministries at The Hills Church of Christ in North Richland Hills, TX. He has served as a curriculum director for Summer Camp at Lubbock Christian University and as an adjunct graduate professor of youth and family ministry. Learn more about David Fraze at Fuller Youth Institute, or read his blog: dfraze.blogspot.com.