A History of Christian Association Serving Adult Ministries Network

In 1983, three Southern California churches (Emmanuel Faith Community Church, Escondido, CA; First Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton, CA; and Calvary Church of Santa Anna, CA) established the CASA Network ministry to serve their 50+ members through cooperative efforts.

The first jointly sponsored one day event was called Jamboree (now Life Celebration). The response to this first event led to a three day retreat held at a Christian Conference center. A committee representing various churches met the next year to discover how to meet the growing needs of the Christian adult senior community and to discuss incorporating. They determined that the name of the new organization would be called CASA, the Christian Association of Senior Adults. In those early days the ministry centered in Southern California.

In 1993 the CASA Board of Directors caught the vision to broaden its ministry to a national and international outreach, find a home office, appoint an executive director and share their vision and what had been learned in serving their constituencies with the Church at large.

In the fall of 1994, CASA launched two quarterly publications – the Energizer for senior adults and Energizing Leaders for leaders of Adults 50+ in the local church.

From 1993 through 1998 regional leadership training conferences were offered to pastors and lay leaders of adult 50+ ministries in a number of states and Canada. In 1998, the first National Leadership Training Conference was held in Irvine, CA and brought together over 300 pastors and lay leaders from 26 states and Canada.

With the explosion of the Boomer generation, a third quarterly publication was launched in 2001 for this population, called Legacy Living.

A further development in the growth of CASA Network’s ministry was the establishment of a website (www.goCASA.org) that included a ‘members only’ area for pastors and lay leaders, providing helpful and informative archived resources developed over a period of years.

The monthly audio resource, Conversations with Leaders, became an additional resource in which interviews with professional leaders and experienced pastors in adult 50+ ministry informs members about xthex issues, challenges and trends in this ministry.

Serving leaders across the country, CASA Network has offered 50+ leadership workshops in Huntsville, AL; Brandon, Fl.; Seattle, WA; Phoenix, AZ and in British Columbia. Today CASA Network serves leaders in all 50 states and internationally.

Dr. Howard Hendricks, Dallas, TX stated: “CASA Network provides practical resources and training for pastors and lay leaders in ministry to adults 50+ which seminaries at present are not able to provide. One of the great contributions, to me, of CASA Network is their educational input into churches. I see a direct proportion between churches that are related to CASA Network and the churches that are developing a strong senior adult program. Just get connected with CASA Network and you will have some equipment, methods, and suggestions to help.”

In 2005, discussion of a merger began between CASA Network and Significant Living (SL). In time, the leadership and board of directors of three important ministry organizations made a decision to merge together. Significant Living and CASA Network began the process in early autumn 2005. Later that year, Total Living Network, (TLN) a large Christian Media ministry based in the Chicago area, was approached with the idea of merging with SL and CASA Network.

On January 1, 2006, Significant Living, CASA Network, and Total Living Network became a three-in-one ministry under the umbrella of Total Living International. The names of each of the ministries were retained and are seen as sister ministries focused on reaching the midlife and beyond population.

The combined ministry of SL, CASA Network is a timely triune of resource and experience, poised to uniquely minister to the mid and post-career age adult. The very fact that three longstanding nonprofit Christian ministries were able to merge in this manner is powerful evidence of God’s fingerprints and favor upon this combined emerging ministry.

Significant Living (SL) Founded in 1994 as a faith based alternative to AARP with emphasis on challenging and equipping 50+ age individuals to find true God-focused significance, SL has grown into a multifaceted ministry. Mission trips, travel opportunities, group discounts, internet resources, books, spiritually sensitive products featured in the online store, health and fitness products, regional seminars and conference events, video resources on issues relevant to the second half of life, Significant Living magazine, monthly newsletters and much more are available to members. Significant Living regional chapters give members opportunity for fellowship, fun and ministry. Information about Significant Living can be found at www.SL50.org.

Christian Association Serving Adult Ministries Long before others understood the implications of the age wave that was breaking on America, CASA Network began leading the way in ministry to mid and post career age men and women. Originally called Christian Association of Senior Adult Ministries, the name was changed in 2007 to reflect the importance of ministry to and through people in midlife as well as those entering their retirement years and foster ministry between the generations. Only God knows how many lives have been touched, how many churches have been changed, how many leaders have been trained because of the vision of the leadership of CASA Network.

Today, CASA Network (www.goCASA.org) is a premier training and equipping source for the Church’s ministry to midlife and beyond age men and women, conducting leadership conferences, training events, retreats, and Life Celebration events (at which nearly 100 Christian leaders have been honored with the Heritage of Faithfulness Award). CASA Network is engaged in a vital website partnership with Christianity Today at www.buildingadultministries.com where resources, ideas and dialog are posted.

Augmented by video, audio and print media, CASA Network brings together an array of leaders within the field of 50+ ministry to inspire and equip the Church for ministry to and through adults in life’s second half.