Archive for the ‘Leadership’ Category

Seeing ‘Seniors’ as Elders

Jim M. Houston

 

The title “Age-ing is for Sage-ing” is not mine. It is taken from a popular Jewish book, “From Age-ing to Sage-ing” by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, 1997. As a secular Jew fearing his own ageing, he sought the wisdom of Sufi masters, Buddhist teachers and Native American shamans. He defined an Elder’s Creed: “An elder is a person who is still growing, still a learner, still with potential and whose life continues to have within it promise for and connection with the future. An elder is still in the pursuit of happiness, joy, and pleasure…whose work it is to synthesize wisdom from long life experience and formulate this into a legacy for future generations.” He teaches eleven exercises:

  1. Reflect on what eldership means for you? Think of what ageing means to you of the positive models you have seen, and imagine walking in the shoes of such models.
  2. Reflect on the cycles of your life noting significant events and people in each stage as well as what has been the integrating continuum that makes sense to your story.
  3. Reflect as from a panorama of your life, the significant turning points as well as the unfinished business you still want to complete.
  4. Turning inward to oneself as the Elder self – here our journey parts company from this New Age approach to the Secular or to the autonomous Self. Rather, the Christian moves outwardly in freedom from the self, to becoming in Christ, ever leaning by greater dependence upon Christ. We move towards him in further emancipation from the self, to follow in the narrow pathway of Christian Discipleship, i.e. in becoming more Christlike, in increasing selflessness. Yet the journey of self knowledge grows possible in the light of the knowledge of God. This double knowledge progresses upwards in heavenly mindedness, downwards in continual confession and humility, and onwards in patience and fortitude. “Let me know Thee, O God, let me know myself!” (Augustine) becomes our constant pulse-beat.

In a book I have written with Professor Michael Parker, a psychiatric gerontologist, Vision for the Aging Church: equipping seniors for the ministry of seniors (to be published next month), we have the temerity to challenge the North American churches. For we see too many seniors and too few elders populating our churches. But you may ask is there any difference between a senior and an elder? Actually, the term senior was first used in c.1500 to refer to a senior Fellow of a university college, i.e. simply older than his colleagues. In the mid-19th Century a senior partner in business was also an older business partner. But it has never had moral connotations as the term elder has had. Almost instinctively, primitive societies have recognized an elder as a wise older leader who passed on from one generation to another the relational skills needed to maintain the tribal/communal identity with its own unique customs and beliefs. The thrust then of our talk is simply that youth or seniors do not prepare us for our future longevity, only elders can do so.

For we see in the future demographics of urbanized societies a tsunami ahead of us of a rapidly ageing population. This is because of rapidly falling birthrates, the lack of reproductive rates, and the advancing ageing of life. Yet it is also the argument of our book that these revolutionary demographic changes enable Christian communities to become more counter cultural at many different levels. My co-author found that after the disaster of the storm Katrina had hit New Orleans; between 60-70% of the casualties were seniors over 65 with no difference between church or non-church populations. The handicapped were left helpless to drown. This suggests our cultural treatment of the elderly is like the proverbial canary-in-the-mine as victims of the toxicity of our culture.

 

Firstly, we practice in ageism, as in sexism, and in colour/racial prejudice, a form of apartheid. When Canada was condemning racial apartheid in South Africa in the 1980’s, the South African ambassador responded by visiting a native American community in northern Canada. He could have visited an old people’s home instead! The strong post war movement in the denial of death, lead to the funeral industry applying cosmetics to the face of the corpse and in designing the funeral parlour as if it was the home sitting room of the living! In the denial of death there developed the exaltation of youth. The market became youth-oriented, even inventing the concept of the teenager for a new market sector. The culture of youth entertainment and sports has exaggerated ageism further. The Church has bought into the cultural assumption that its future lies with the youth, so that youth ministry has overshadowed any role given to the ministry of seniors. In all these trends, forgotten is the Rabbinical proverb: “He who learns from the young is like one who eats unripe grapes and drinks wine from the winepress. But he who learns from the old is like one who eats ripe grapes and drinks old wine.” (Abot 4:20)

 

A second feature of ageism is the cultural prevalence of giving priority to the value of a professional/functional identity. What do you do is more important than who do you relate with? Indeed the Boomer generation has become the most professionalised generation in human history. To retire then from a profession becomes a dramatic loss of public recognition, and for many people it is like a spiritual death, long before they reach their own physical death. This is no different in the church as in the society, so we tend to have deacons who administer services to do everything, but few or no elders, who foster its communal and family life. Thus programs tend to dominate over personal relationships. Seniors when they do nothing, disappear from the radar screen into anonymity.

 

A third and profound reason for ageism is the loss of transcendence with the pervasive impact of secularism. Yet the Christian faith evaluates our temporal life to be just the beginning of our eternal journey. For death is not our terminus, just its beginning. As G.K. Chesterton put it humorously: “When I start out for the ends of the earth, I am stopped on the road by an entertaining lamp post, or a vividly signalling window blind; and have not sufficient sense of the scale of difference between the passing questions and the Quest.” To define a senior as stirring out one’s life with coffee spoons, and one’s only monument lost golf balls, as T. S. Eliot puts it, is indeed pathetic. To end up one’s earthly life complaining, “I am bored, I am lonely, I am depressed” is the lament of too many of our aged.

Yet the distinction between a senior and an elder is as slippery as that of an individual versus a person. For both are relationally recognized not officially appointed. In God’s initial covenant with Israel, the Patriarchs were elders not kings. But the people eventually demanded a king to rule over them, to exchange the covenant life that made them worthy of occupying the Promised Land for the power of nationhood in rivalry with the surrounding nations. Then as community became eclipsed by the growing power of the state, so eldership also melted away. Are we also finding that the more we depend upon our profession for our identity, the more impersonal we become? It is a question worth pondering.

I am not questioning the positive benefits of a profession in raising the standards of competence and moral behaviour nor of the facilities to pursue after truth and discoveries for the benefit of humanity, but of making an absolute out of professionalism. Becoming more of a person within a profession is the ideal for then in place of our selfish ambitions we are using the instrumentation of a profession to become a more effective contributor to communal needs and values both in society and within the Church.

Yet as Christians, we should claim a special status for becoming persons as a theological category of being. The Greeks defined the prosopon as a dramatic category of the hero defying the fates in what always ended as a Greek tragedy. For the Romans, persona was the legal status of citizenship for the male head of a Roman household. Women, children and slaves were nonpersons. But expressive of the triune God of grace, the Christian person is acknowledged as being created in the image and likeness of God, to have his or her being in communion with God. The pursuit of godliness is the pursuit of the personal. Even at the end stage of dementia, a loved one is still to be treated as a person God intends for being with her/him eternally. Since probably at least a third of this audience will end their days with dementia, we should start now to review our prejudices about dementia!

 

A further cause then for the apartheid of the aged is the legacy of the Enlightenment philosophers, Locke, Kant and Hume, who followed upon Descartes’ dictum, “I think therefore I am.” In the ancient world of the Near East, leprosy was more than a dread disease. For it also meant being cast out of the society where one’s identity was social not individual. All the various forms of dementia are now like leprosy a dread social disease for if you cannot remember and think effectively then you are indeed a social outcast. At the first international conferences on Dementia in Britain in the early 1990’s, medical ethicists responded by correcting this Cartesian identity to downplay human identity as expressive only of the thinker.

Now in the first decade of the 21st Century, the most recent findings of neuroscientists is that the brain is intrinsically relational so that our emotions are expressive themselves of social causes and effects whose actions can be mapped throughout the brain. Indeed most of the adult brain is shaped flexibly by postnatal development of the person to become socialized and conditioned to make the human responses that separate us from the animals. Animals give birth to much more formed animal brains for their immediate need of survival. Infant helplessness is the prerogative of caring human parents. So too, senile helplessness should be the prerogative of the human identity within a caring family.

This new field of neuroscience is now called interpersonal biology of the brain. It should challenge the Christian, not only to believe right doctrine, but more holistically to also have right emotions, such as is marked by “the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…”(Gal. 5: 22). Looking after the elderly in our fellowship or at home requires more of these Christian virtues than perhaps with any other age group. Increasingly then, with the rising percentage of seniors in our society, the test of developing a mature Christian character will be tested far more by our aged than by our young! Already we see how the spiritual qualities of saintly leaders of our day, such as Henri Nouwen, were not learned at Harvard or Yale where he was a professor, but by the example and mentoring of Jean Vanier, in L’Arche communities of the mentally handicapped.

 

This then is the central message of this address: with eyes to see and with ears to hear what God is saying to the churches today, the relational reformation we all need so badly may well come not by skilled teaching of theology, but by simply being challenged to demolish the middle wall of partition. Now it is not only between Jew and Gentile, as the early Church was challenged to do, but today also between young and old, professional and personal, in our present churches.

 

As a relatively new discipline, geriatric medicine is waking up the entire medical profession by offering a more holistic style of care. In recent decades the medical field has promoted a focus on specialization so that the most specialized doctors earn the most money in treating more patients in much less time. Although geriatricians need two further years of training they are paid much less. Treating the old has many professional handicaps. Often they have more complex histories of sicknesses during their long lifetime; they are less communicable, requiring more patience, more time, more care. They might have more complex interactions with diverse drug treatments, yet be fixated with a symptom which is not necessarily the true cause of present concern. Pastorally, there is the same analogy over soul sickness. Thus both in geriatrics and in the pastoral life of the church, the complexities of the old are challenging us to relate and deal personally patiently in more intimate ways.

But all this challenges our social norms, so it is an ageing population that may force us to become countercultural, and to challenge our demented society about the true issues of dementia! Our churches need to become intentionally more personal. James the apostle says it well: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry,” because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God demands of us. Right relatedness is both with God and with our neighbour in loving both.

We close then with the issue of how do we become sages as we age? It is an irony that as ageing is being extended, middle aged people are anticipating becoming old much younger than before. Is it the current retirement age which is not realistic with the extension of ageing? Why retire at 65 if you are going to live to 100 years or more? Yet do we have the spiritual resources to live physically longer, if we have lived the trivial lives of seniors? Why should we fear maturity? Is it because we are not being trained and educated for the needs of becoming wise with the extension of our mortal life?

Perhaps there are other misconceptions, even among Christians. To choose to be practical or pragmatic is not an option for becoming spiritual. All Christians are spiritual in seeking to walk in step with the Holy Spirit. Being spiritual is simply living in the presence of God on a daily basis. Our maturity is then primarily not psychological, according to the canons of social psychology – though these may be insightful. Our maturity lies in maturing in the Lord, which is demonstrated in the paschal meal, where we eat and drink in the benefit of Christ’s sacrificial gift of himself. So we live both as dependent on Christ and as gifted by Christ. But the more autonomous we remain in our self management, the more immature we will remain spiritually stagnant. For our future potential depends wholly upon the presence of God’s Spirit within us.  The daily pulse beat of my life for many years has, and is, the incessant prayer of the heart: “create in me a clean heart O Lord…and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.” Spiritual exercises may help us provided they do not subtly become a substitute for a deepening friendship with Christ himself.

Then we find the need to do less and less talking to embark in being more and more being in Christ. Gently we become less and less self conscious and joy in living in His presence becomes less effort and more receiving. For like the woman at the well, we too, will find the promise of Jesus so profoundly true: “Out of you will flow rivers of living water.” This of course is a process usually a very slow process that requires deepening trust, patience and longsuffering humility. For true wisdom is not just being shrewd about other people, rather it is in becoming more of a person within a profession. It is becoming wise unto salvation in living out the truth of the Gospel.

 

 

Dr. James Houston, one of the original founders and first principal of Regent College, has just published his most recent work Joyful Exiles, which reflects on the current divergence of Western culture and the Christian spiritual life. Dr. Houston also serves as a Senior Fellow with the C.S.Lewis Institute in Washington, D.C., USA. 

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A challenge to Senior Pastors and Church Leaders

John Thill

 

The conventional wisdom of the modern day church says, “The future of the church rests with the young.” Driven by that assumption, many churches have chosen to focus their ministry on children, youth and young families. Sometimes this assumption translates into the neglect or the outright rejection of ministry to people who are considered ‘old.’ Some would go so far as to say that ministry to older people is wasted and the resources we have should be spent on the young.

Has God played a cruel hoax on us by promising that we would “live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you if we obey his commandments” (Exodus 20:12)? Yet when we arrive at a stage of life where this becomes a reality, some churches see such a person as excess baggage. Perhaps it should be required of every senior pastor to consider at what age a person will no longer remain a key ingredient of ministry, and to explain the reason for such a decision.

The practice of segmenting congregations into age groups and, in some settings, limiting ministry to the ‘young’ often misses the purpose of building the Family of God. “Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s Household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:14-15). It appears that Paul in I Tim. 5:1-16 is speaking directly to how we should live together inter-generationally.

 

The theme for some seems to be “ministry to the whole person for part of your life.” Yet God calls us for the whole of life. The amazing thing is that we all share one thing – we are all aging. To the person who fears aging, who does not want to be with older people, who wants to stay young and die quick, the plan and purposes of aging and the high calling of fulfilling Scripture is missed.

One generation will commend your works to another, they will tell of your mighty acts. Psalm 145:1-7

O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old – what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done…so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. Psalm 78

Remember the days of old, consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you. Deut 32:7

We are in danger of repeating in the 21st century what happened in Israel. “…Joshua died at the age of 110. After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals” (Judges 2:6-14).

As we grow older, Psalm 71:17-18 must be our prayer: “Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me O God, so that I can rest in my retirement for I have done my part.” Of course, the verse reads differently “….till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.”  To those who are “old and gray” – to what degree is this our desire? To the leaders of the Church – to what degree do we encourage and enable this ministry among those who are “old?”

 

For the Church to ignore, devalue or reject the ‘old,’ the absence of the ‘elder’ will mean that we refuse God’s call to honor those who have walked before us. We will have removed God’s means for reminding and encouraging us to trust him as we remember who he is and what he has done. We will have set up a pattern of demeaning the “old” that affects us as we grow older. We will have put away the very means God designed for ministry to the young to be effective – “…ask your elders and they will explain to you.”

Leviticus 19:14 makes the point: “Do not curse the deaf man or put a stumbling block in front of the blind…” Why not? The deaf can’t hear or be effected by our curse. The blind can’t see to bring a charge against us. Why not have fun at his expense? Leviticus gives the answer, “…but fear your God. I am the Lord.” The young, especially in our culture, will not honor this command unless someone is there to teach them the “fear of the Lord.” What does it mean to fear the Lord? What are the results of fearing the Lord? What are the results of not fearing the Lord? Why is fearing the Lord the beginning of wisdom (Psa. 11:10)?  “…ask your elders and they will explain to you.” 

Of course, this presupposes that the ‘elder’ knows how to answer the question – therefore the need for ministry to the ‘elder.’ Equipping, encouraging and challenging them to “declare God’s power to the next generation.” It also demands the church have at its core  an intergenerational, Biblical understanding of the family of God, and create in its ministry an intentional, effective and practical means to bring the generations together.

 

For those who would minister to and through ‘elders,’ we must bring the message of Exodus 9:16. “I have raised you up for this very purpose – that I might show my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” If the Church does not have vital, credible, and radiant ‘elders,’ we have little evidence that our faith really works or any hope of finishing well. So we must ask, “What are we doing ‘to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ’” (Eph. 4:12-13). Ministry to the ‘mature’ is not entertainment, maintenance or appeasement. It is rather valuing, challenging and equipping as stated in these passages of Scripture. We must call the older person to declare and validate the power, promise and purpose of God to the younger generation; to people worthy of Deuteronomy 32:7, and create the means to do so.

Within the Church that would minister to the young, where in fact the future of the Church does reside, there must be a clear understanding of God’s plan that enables the generations to be together; learning, serving, correcting and encouraging one another. If we do not heed the instructions of the verses above and so many others that say the same, we will continue to see the “snare of the culture” (Exodus 34, Romans 12) rob the young of the “truth of God” and the future of the Church will be lost (See Josh McDowell – “The Last Christian Generation” Green Key Books 2006).

Within the Church that would minister to the whole person, there must also be ministry for the whole of life. What is the basis to say we only minister to the young – for that matter when does a person cease being young? When does old begin? Should we honestly declare in our mission statement, printed materials, and church programs that when you reach a certain age, be it 40, 50, 60, 70+, you no longer have a place in the family of God as represented in our local body? The Biblical insanity of such a position is obvious but too often ignored in the attempt to do what we think will make our church we grow numerically.

 

Admittedly, some people 50+ are a better example of what not to be than a model of trusting God and living vibrantly in his truth. That means part of our ministry must be to challenge, equip and call our ‘elders’ to be what God intended them to be. We need to have people in the second half of life who understand what Moses said in Exodus 33:15:  “Then Moses said to him (God), ‘If your Presence does not go with us do not send us up from here.  How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?’” It is my prayer that when the ‘elders’ we minister to and through enter any aspect of the church people will say: “When those people enter it is like Jesus comes into the room.” Exodus 34:29 says it all: “His face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.”

The ‘elders’ of the Church, and I’m not simply referring to the ‘office’ of the Elder, should be the builders of “God confidence” among the rest of the church. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Cor. 4:7-12). “You have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth” (Psalm 71:5). It is the ‘elder’ who can declare the truths of Proverbs 3 in a world that puts confidence in all the wrong things. It is the ‘elder’ who can declare with unique credibility and power the truth of Proverbs 3: 25-26, “Have no fear of sudden disaster or the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence;” and “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” (Jer. 17:5-18).

For the Church not to nurture this kind of ministry, there is a lack of depth to its life, a missing testimony of longevity, and frankly, a betrayal that God cares about us at every stage of life. Unthinkingly, we say to every person, whatever their age, there will come a time when you are no longer important to God or us. It reveals an ignorance of God’s Word, an immature understanding of what the church was created to be, and a diminishing message to every member as we each grow older. It is like a husband saying to an aging wife, I don’t want you anymore; I want a new “young” wife. I think we can be grateful that God deals with us as His bride so differently than we often treat each other, especially as we age. I wonder what God will say to the Church if we declare by our actions, “Lord, when your bride got old, we divorced her, moved her to a place of dishonor, neglected her, and silenced her?”

 

Am I being too strong? No! There are many churches these days that have remarkable ministries to and through maturing adults. There are lots of models as to how to have a ministry like this, but if a church’s mind set is “the future of the church belongs to the young and therefore we do not have and sometimes don’t even want a ministry to people in the second half of life,” this incomplete understanding of the Church needs to be challenged. It will result in a ministry whose people will be “infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Eph. 4:14-16).

Evaluate the practice of your church and the world view from which it comes. Is it possible we have listened far more to the world than the Word, to the devil than the Deliverer, to our flesh than the Fresh Wind of the Spirit?

 

John Thill is Pastor to Mature Adults and Intergenerational Ministries at Rolling Hills Covenant Church.

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May be Detrimental to Third Age Ministry

by Robert Chism

 

The objective of this article is to create receptivity for appropriate Church change regarding the social disconnect produced by age bias and greater longevity.

The term “third age” was introduced by William A. Sadler in his book, The Third Age (2000). The term refers to a 30 year period, not previously possible in the life experience. It is based upon the increase in life expectancy between 1900 and 2000.

New-old, encore generation, midlife & beyond, second half, 50+, older adults, third agers, senior, mature, frail, and elderly are all terms used to describe a similar population segment with varying degrees of political acceptance.

 

The Faith Development in Adult Life Cycle (FD/ALC) study from 1981-1987 included, among others, the following Church practices:

  • Primarily a Youth Focus
  • An Institutional Pastoral Model
  • We’ve Never Done it That Way

Let’s examine in greater detail how these standards may cloud, or even hinder, the Great Commission and Commandment as well as a commitment to Third Age ministry.

 

1. Primarily a Youth Focus 

Retirement, midlife, and youth are primary faith development stages.

Charles Arn’s book, White Unto Harvest (2003), confirmed that there exist heightened degrees of emotional and spiritual receptivity during life changes. Heartbeat! (2011), identifies an effective ministry model that looks for the side doors, personal sweet spots or passions to engage with third agers.

Under the category “one size fits all,” many think third agers can be ministered to through other ministries. This may be true to some extent, but we must still recognize the unique issues that affect people in this life stage, which are all big issues (mentoring, parental care, grandparenting, grief share, addictive behavior, military family support, wellness, finances, generosity, estate planning, and finishing well, to name a few). According to Amy Hanson’s book, Boomers and Beyond (2010), it is good to gather people of all ages together. However, there are times and places for ministering to people one-on-one exactly where they are.

Age 65+ is the fastest growing population segment for the next 30 years. They have abundant discretionary time which includes a 30 year longevity bonus for pursuing their passions. On average, third agers contribute 80% of the local church budget and own 65% of the nation’s wealth! According to the Great Commission, everyone includes the old and the rich.

Based upon the size, affluence, life stage, and uniqueness of this population segment, my interpretation is that both a focus on third agers and youth is more appropriate.

 

2. An Institutional Pastoral Model 

The institutional pastoral model had negative historical experiences reported.

Ward Tanneberg, President & Executive Director of CASA (Christian Association Serving Adults) Network recommends greater investment in training for adult ministry pastors and lay leaders with little or no special training that are responsible for the midlife and beyond segment.

A short list of available helpful educational resources includes:

 

My interpretation is that an individual lay model by, among and to third agers is more appropriate for this segment.

The books of Michael Kinsman, Encore (2007); Charles T. Knippel, How to Minister Among Older Adults (2005); David Gallagher, Senior Adults Ministry in the 21st Century (2002), Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Church (1995) are all useful references for effective local Church ministry.

 

3. We’ve Never Done it That Way

It is desirable to celebrate, sponsor, and encourage a spiritual quest. This means doing more in terms of people’s needs, problems, and life changes both positive & negative with a sense of vibrancy, intensity, and care—more than church-as-usual.

Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Church (1995), also identified spiritual receptivity (knowing who you can best reach) as key to evangelism. My interpretation is that an intentional second half recruitment, development, and placement flexibility provides the best engagement process for third agers.

 

Take away points from this article include the following changes:

  • A dual focus on third agers and youth
  • Individual lay evangelism by, among, & to third agers
  • Intentional third ager recruitment, development, and placement flexibility

 

What’s next?

For over 28 years CASA Network along with other Christian organizations have been teaching appropriate changes that address social disconnect caused by ageism and a 30 year longevity bonus. With their momentum, it is now time to commit to find a way to engage with third agers.

 

 

Robert W. Chism is the founder of Finishing Well, a personal website dedicated to coaching third age adult faith development. He attends Village Church of Gurnee, and is a member of the CASA Network, YES! and Christ Together. Certificate programs he participates in include, the Center for Christian Leadership, Anderson University School of Theology; “Aging Ministries,” and “Navigating Ministry in Times of Generational Changes.” Bob has four decades of experience in finance & strategic planning, and is a Certified Public Accountant. He is a graduate of Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace, as well as Bowling Green and Northwestern Universities. Married 48 years, he has three adult children and seven grandkids.

Contact Information: Robert Chism, 1513 Eagle Ridge Drive, Antioch, IL 60002 | ph. 847- 395-1626. Send an email to: chism.w.robert@comcast.net.

 

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Dreams are Powerful Motivators

off the rockersDr. Charles Arn

Provided by CN Building Adult Ministries Resource Center

 

Senior adults in most churches have more available time … give more financially (one study indicated seven times more) than younger members … have years of valuable experience working in the church … don’t go “church shopping,” nor do they often move their residence … their work quality is high, and church loyalty solid.

There’s only one problem.  Many seniors have given up on the idea of getting involved. And worse, many churches have given up on them, too.

 

Out of the Rocking Chair

So, how do we tap into this bountiful resource of human spirit?  What can church leaders do to help senior adults out of their rocking chairs and back into active ministry?  Here are some suggestions:

#1: Help senior adults re‑capture a dream.

Sherwood Wirt, author of I Don’t Know What Old Is, But Old Is Older Than Me, opens his book with the following comment: “The number one problem facing older people today is not aging itself. Nor is it a diminished income, or dependence on relatives or loneliness, or mental depression, or unhappy memories, or fear of death. The number one problem with us older people, as I see it, is a lack of vision.”

How do senior adults re‑capture a dream? The first step is to help them focus their attention away from themselves onto someone or something else. Dreams journey beyond oneself. Help seniors find a cause to support, a person to mentor, a mission to pursue. For “… unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone. But if it dies it brings forth much fruit” (John 12:24).

Next, integrate the pursuit of the dream into a ministry of the church. If there are dreams in the hearts of some seniors for helping young children get a fair start in life, work with the seniors to begin a parent effectiveness training course and adopt-a-grandchild program. If some seniors dream of learning new skills, begin a series of stimulating courses open to members and non‑members alike. If some dreams are for seeing friends reached for Christ, develop a friendship evangelism training strategy.

Solomon’s words of wisdom apply particularly to senior adults: “Without a vision, the people perish.”

 

#2: Help senior adults discover and use their spiritual gift/s.

Senior adults who have found and are using their spiritual gifts have discovered that,  a) they are more productive in their Christian life, and  b) they are happier and more fulfilled.

There are numerous books and discovery guides to help senior adults (and others) discover their gifts. The value of such a process is substantial:

  • Retirees find identity in their spiritual gift/s, even though their occupational identity has been taken from them.
  • Those using their gifts are more effective and productive.
  • Unity among members and harmony in the church are by‑products of people using their gift.
  • More significant ministry can be accomplished in a church.
  • More senior adults will be involved.

 

#3: Help senior adults do “kingdom work” rather than “busy work.”

Kingdom work is activity that touches lives for Christ and the church. Busy work is activity for activity’s sake. Seniors, more than most, know the value of time.  And their time, more than most, is limited. Consequently, older adults want to use the time they have as productively as possible. Folding bulletins, arranging chairs, and stuffing envelopes may be important to the functioning of the church, but it is not a very effective way for senior adults to touch people’s lives.

The Church of the Nazarene in Pasadena, CA has focused on deploying seniors in kingdom work. They have developed a “Helping Hands” ministry that is managed entirely by their retirees. Needy families in the Pasadena area come to receive food and clothing, and the members they come in contact with are the seniors. Another ministry of the church is “Heart to Heart,” where members scheduled for open heart surgery receive a visit from a senior adult who has had heart surgery themselves, who serves as a reassuring counselor. A widow support group brings together people who have recently lost a spouse with those who have experienced this loss earlier. These are examples of “kingdom work”–work that is significant and fulfilling.

 

#4: Involve senior adults in short‑term tasks rather than long‑term roles.

In our research, we have found that one common characteristic of older adult men and women is that they prefer short-term tasks over long term roles. A short-term task may be anytime from three weeks to six months. It might be serving on a task force to raise money for a missionary. It might be organizing a greeter training program. It could be organizing a small Bible study group for new retirees. But there is a singular goal with an identifiable completion date. In contrast, many churches have one, two, even three year terms on various boards or committees. And some positions (such as Sunday School teacher) often sound like life sentences. Senior adults value flexibility. They want the freedom to leave for weeks or months at a time. They don’t know what health situations may change their mobility. And they want to participate in tasks they can see through to completion.

 

#5: Recognize achieving senior adults. 

How do you reward and praise your senior adults who are willing to get out of their rocking chairs and back into the mainstream? Positive reinforcement is one of the most powerful motivators for continued behavior. Public affirmation. Private gratitude. Notes of thanks. Words of praise. Seniors know the value of their time. Do you? And do you thank them for it?

One side benefit in frequent public affirmations is that the more seniors are thanked for their involvement, the more those uninvolved members will see what their peers are doing. Anyone — of any age — is influenced by what his or her peers are doing. Through public affirmation you are trying to “get the ball rolling” and build momentum that will become self‑perpetuating in senior adult involvement.

 

 

Dr. Charles Arn serves as Visiting Professor of Outreach and Christian Ministry at the new Wesley Seminary in Marion, Indiana. He completed his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Southern California, majoring in Instructional Design and Technology. Learn more at his website: www.HeartbeatMinistries.net.  

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If You Have Passed the Baton…Take It Back

 Dr. Chuck Stecker

 

If you say something long enough and with a sufficient certainty in your voice, soon others will repeat it as fact without giving it a second thought. Now with the internet, anyone can launch an idea, quote or concept without any justification.

Think about all that we have heard that gets repeated as fact. Things such as “God helps those who help themselves” and “God will not give you more than you can handle.” One of my favorite totally unmerited statement centers on the idea of “Passing the Baton.”

“Passing the Baton” is a modern day term based on a relay race. There is no Biblical basis for this flawed concept when it is applied to leadership development and relationships. Consider for a moment that when a runner in a relay race passes the baton to the next runner, the first runner must immediately do three things:

1. Quit running
2. Step off the track
3. Get out of the race

If the runner continues to run even after leaving the track, the runner is charged with “pacing” and the team is disqualified.

As a society, we have bought into a lie and confused the “baton of engagement” with the “mantle of leadership.” Virtually every study that I have read indicates that one of the greatest needs of young men and women is the continued investment into their lives of older men and women.

There is a very clear biblical basis for training up new leaders and trusting their leadership. I would go as far as to say that as older men and women, we should not just trust the leadership of younger men and women, but we should be willing to serve under their leadership.

We find our nation and our churches have fallen into the unfortunate situation of losing far too many of our “seniors” who have a significant amount of time and experience to offer to younger generations. This is happening because we have fallen prey to someone wrongfully telling seniors to “pass the baton.”

Never have our churches and our nation needed our seniors more than we need them today. Clearly our roles need to change. We may not be able to physically do the same things we could do 10 or 15 years ago. We may lack some stamina for other things as well. Yet, years of experience should not be lost because someone was told to “pass the baton” by a person who has failed to consider what that actually means.

I am a senior and my life mission is to raise up leaders in all generations. To do this, I must stay engaged. God is not done with me, and I refuse to let others bury me until God is ready to receive me. Please do not tell me to “pass the baton” unless the message you want to relay is that I no longer have any value.

If you have bought into the lie and passed the baton, take it back. God will tell you when you are done.

 

Dr. Chuck Stecker will be sharing more on this topic at the upcoming Leadership Conference in Anaheim, November 9-11.

Chuck Stecker is the President and founder of A Chosen Generation. Chuck is an ordained minister of the Gospel with the Evangelical Church Alliance and has earned a Doctorate of Ministry specializing in Christian Leadership. As an Army Lieutenant Colonel, Chuck served on the Joint Staff in the Pentagon. After his retirement, he served with Promise Keepers. In 1997, Chuck launched Mission Capable Men, and A Chosen Generation in 2000. Learn more on his website, www.achosengeneration.org. 

 

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Seminar: Igniting Boomers for Significant Impact

“Why are the Boomers in our congregation so uncommitted?  It seems like they used to be so involved and now all they do is attend.”

This question from the Outreach Pastor of a nearby church expresses a growing concern throughout North America. What’s happening to this generation of believers that is supposed to be so interested in “finishing well,” investing their skills and talents, and making a significant impact with the remaining years of their life?

The Finishers Project, partners with the CASA Network, has studied this phenomenon and now offers local churches an opportunity to delve into this challenge. An insightful, one-day seminar is designed to enable church leadership toward a better understanding of, and communication with, this unique boomer generation. It is possible to help them connect with fulfilling ministry roles.

Facilitated by Tom Adelsman, Director of Church Ministries, and Don Parrott, Finishers President, the “Igniting Boomers For Significant Impact” seminar provides a practical understanding of the boomer mindset, why they become less engaged in our churches, and insights into communicating in ways they will hear. The desire of Finishers Project is to help churches mobilize this powerful force of workers for kingdom impact locally and worldwide.

This one-day, adult-learning workshop rotates between short presentations by Adelsman and Parrott, then round-the-table interaction on the questions and challenges presented. Participants and church staff, working with mid-life and beyond adults or lay leadership, leave the four-hour session with a greater understanding of how to help these vital people connect with ministries that utilize their God-given passions.

One recent participant stated, “This meeting was very beneficial to me. It was as advertised!”

We encourage you to contact Finishers Project by phone or email to see if this seminar might be offered in your area. Email: toma@finishers.org, or call 480-854-4444.

 

Don Parrott is President of Finishers Project. For more information, see their website http://finishers.org/.

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Counting it All Joy When it Doesn’t Add Up!

Pastor John Coulombe

In a recent AARP Bulletin, an article appeared entitled “Farewell to a Dreadful Decade.” The gist of the editorial? This is not the end of the world, but it perhaps is the end of the world—as we know it! Was it not Bob Dylan, the 60’s prophet/troubadour who reminded us “the times, they are a’changin’?” It was changin’ in the 60’s, but here 50 years later, the changes seem even more pronounced.

The article proposed that the dreadful decade began with “…9/11 and the rise of terrorism, closing with economic upheaval of historic proportions, a growing gap between the rich and poor, rising anger and rhetoric, impatience, fear, and paralyzed and polarized political institutions…” and continued, “the old jobs are gone…millions are out of work.”

There was another poll taken just this week. It revealed Americans are not only in a depression economically, but also in an emotional and spiritual funk. Peggy Noonan writes in the Wall Street Journal: “There’s a pervasive sense of anxiety… [evidenced by] a widespread use of antidepressants.”

People have lost faith in their government and feel they have been lied to. One psychiatrist analyzed the mood of his patients this way: “People feel unled, overwhelmed and the situation seems unsalvageable…there is a psychological pandemic of fear regarding the future of our country and even mankind. And, there seems to be no pill for that!”

Joni Eareckson Tada and her husband Ken were with us recently to lead a hymn sing for our Closer Walk Bible study. What a joyful morning! Joni has been a quadriplegic since she was 17 (she’s now 60) and is dependent upon others to do everything physically for her that most of us are able to do on our own. She also had a major bout with breast cancer this past year.

At one point during the hymn sing Joni needed her nose wiped, a drink of water and assistance to clear her lungs. She apologized and very casually asked Ken, her faithful husband of 29 years, if he would come help her cough and carry out those simple but necessary procedures. We sat and watched in silence, pondering as this faithful couple dealt with the issues of their lives in our presence. Needless to say, we all left the building with a new sense of acceptance of the life we’ve been dealt.

Joni is in constant pain despite having no feeling in her limbs. She shared that every morning upon waking she has to depend completely on the Lord to get going, and wonders perhaps if the people most ‘handicapped’ are those who depend solely on themselves rather than needing to rely upon their God.

Francis Chan, a contemporary spokesman for the gospel these days, noted recently in one of his books that Joni is a person whose life, at every level, gives evidence of the Spirit’s work in and through her. He considers Joni the most Spirit-filled person he knows. We saw this exhibited last week, and have not quickly forgotten those moments. Whenever Joni gets ‘bumped,’ it seems all those near her get splashed and covered with joy!

 

– How do we face this ‘brave new world’ and make it through times like these?

Things do appear to be getting worse, but Paul Harvey, noted radio commentator, observed: “In times like these, it helps to recall that there have always been times like these.”

What are our choices? Be filled with the Spirit and all that comes along with it, like love, joy and peace (Gal.5:22-23). Or, filled with fear, anxiety, hopelessness and all that comes with that?

Your choice, but I’d recommend being filled with the Holy Spirit!

  • God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Ps. 46:1
  • The joy of the LORD is your strength. Neh. 8:10
  • In Him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28
  • Be filled with the Spirit . . . Eph. 5:18

 

John Coulombe has been in pastoral ministry since Judson Baptist College and Biola/Talbot Seminary days, working with youth in Redondo Beach and Long Beach, and for 17 years with youth and families in Santa Barbara. For 21 years at First Evangelical Free Church in Fullerton, CA, John has served as Pastor to Senior Adults. He and Jacque teach in churches and conferences on issues surrounding marriage, family and grandparenting.

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Mar
30
2011

The new old are active, involved and anything but “old.”

Amy Hanson was a recent guest on Ed Stetzer’s Thursday-is-for-Thinkers blog site (edstetzer.com).

When I first started in pastoral ministry, the big rage was how to reach the baby boomer. I even attended an Elmer Towns conference by that same title in Buffalo, New York. Though I wasn’t a boomer, I found fascinating the need to reach this rather large generation. Later, we’d hear much about what was then called Generation X (what my generation would be called), and the focus continued to evolve toward subsequent generations. We need to consider, however, as generations age, how does the church respond? Today’s post deals with that issue.

I am glad to have Amy Hanson here at the blog. Amy is a speaker and consultant in the area of older adult ministry, as well as the author of Baby Boomers and Beyond: Tapping the Ministry Talents and Passions of Adults over 50, in which she reminds us of the work still to be done making disciples in the older generation. She regularly blogs at amyhanson.org. I’m glad to to have her here today, and hope that you will join the discussion.

Well, it’s here. The year 2011. And people like me who have spent their entire ministry, work and academic life immersed in the field of aging and older adult ministry have been anticipating this year for a long time. Just a few weeks ago when January 1st rolled around, the first of 78 million baby boomers turned 65. Pew Research Center reports that 10,000 adults are turning 65 each day and that in 20 years, almost 20% of our population will be over the age of 65.

In the past month there has been a surge of news articles and stories on the topic of aging baby boomers, a group I like to refer to as “the new old.” These are adults who are primarily between the age of 50 to 70 and view the later years of life in a completely different way than their parent’s generation. The new old are active, involved and anything but “old.” Government, health care, fashion merchandising and a host of other businesses are giving serious attention to the implications of this huge demographic. And it’s time the Church enters into the conversation. How do we respond to this phenomenon? What do we need to know?

Here are 4 key issues we must consider.

1. The new old are approaching aging in a much different way than preceding generations. For starters, leading-edge baby boomers and those just slightly older do not like the word “senior” and they reject just about anything that smacks of old age.

I’ve had more than one frustrated church leader tell me, “We can’t get those sixty-year olds to attend our senior adult activities!” One primary reason for this is because the new old do not consider themselves to be seniors and for the most part, they are never going to fold into the existing senior adult ministry at a church. They are not interested in potluck luncheons or bus trips. While some of these ministry ideas have worked in the past, they are not going to reach this new generation of older adults. Community senior centers are discovering this and making adjustments like taking out the shuffleboard court and putting in fitness centers. Some retirement communities are even removing the names “senior” and “retirement” from their titles. The church will need to follow suit.

A handful of churches across the country are creating boomer ministries (separate from their senior adult ministries) and are calling these new ministries Encore, Adult Impact or simply Boomer ministry. Whatever the format, we need different ministry names, fresh ideas and a whole new approach to how we do things.

2. The new old are reinventing retirement. The New Retirement Survey conducted by Merrill Lynch found that 76% of boomers want to keep working in some fashion during retirement. Many adults want to retire from their current career and launch into something new, like part-time work or a job that has flexibility. The types of jobs boomers are most interested in involve working in the nonprofit sector, starting their own business, or just doing a fun job that is less stressful. One thing is certain. Boomers do not plan to sit in a rocking chair and simply relax for the next 20 years of their lives. They want their retirement years to include a component of work – either paid employment or a significant volunteer role.

3. Not all older adults are Christians. I know that sounds so simple, but think about this for a moment. Many churches invest a lot of time, staff and resources into children’s and youth ministry – which is important – but few churches are intentional and strategic about reaching the millions of older adults who do not have a relationship with Christ. Ironically, there are some characteristics among 50+ age adults that make them very receptive to the gospel. They are facing a number of life transitions such as caring for aging parents, concerns about their own heath and mortality, financial worries, and evolving relationships with their adult children and grandchildren. All of these stresses provide great opportunities for communities of faith to reach out with ministry. Boomers are also receptive because they are searching for purpose. They are entering a new phase of life and are asking questions like, “now that I am getting older, my work life is changing and the children are out of the house, what is it that gives my life meaning?” Obviously, Christ-followers hold the only true answer to that question. I’ve been thrilled to learn of a few church plants and multi-site venues that are purposing to reach out to this age group. But we need more.

4. Aging boomers have the potential to make a tremendous Kingdom impact with their lives. They have time, experience and resources and they want to participate in purposeful endeavors that will benefit others. As these adults enter their retirement years, they desire to do more than staple newsletters, fold bulletins and make coffee. One man said about his retirement: “I want to give my time to ministry through my church, but I’d like to do more than be an usher.” These are adults that can lead community efforts to help with homelessness, give hours each week to mentoring children at an underprivileged school, serve for an extended time overseas, counsel those who are facing unemployment, and on and on the list goes. It is imperative that we open our eyes and recognize the potential of this generation and then find ways to unleash them into ministry. My fear is that if the church does not engage them, they will look elsewhere.

Never before in history have so many adults moved into their later years of life with so much health and vitality. We have a window of opportunity right now to harness the capacity of this enormous generation, to grow them up as disciples of Christ, and to mobilize them for His mission. Let’s not miss the chance.

What are the barriers you’ve seen that keep us from developing robust ministries with aging boomers in our churches and communities? What are you doing in your ministry context to reach out to this age group and tap into their ministry potential? What other comments and ideas do you have about ministry with the new old?

 

 

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Ward Tanneberg

From CHURCH EXECUTIVE MAGAZINE Volume 2009, Issue 7 - July 2009

The revitalized engagement of men and women aged 50-plus in the church is critical.

You’ve heard of the 10/40 Window, an area of the world with great poverty and the largest population of non-Christians, extending 10 to 40 degrees from the equator across North Africa to China. But there is another window opening on the world, one that many in the church have grown so accustomed to, we don’t even think of its being there. It’s the 40/50 Window.

It is part of our daily lives, highlighting the fact that nationally 40 percent of Americans are 50+ in age. What is true in this country is happening elsewhere in the world as well. And this percentage is growing every day. Longevity’s gentle revolution has come home to the church.

The American Religious Identity Survey of 2008 reveals that Catholics are closest to this age balance. Baptists, Jews and Pentecostal/Charismatics have the highest proportions of adherents more than 50 years of age. But regardless of where we fit in the grand scheme of Christendom, aging in the church is a topic that is no longer a leader’s option — the truth is that no one expected so many to live so long.

Wisdom being ignored

It is a reality that has been pushed to the background by many as irrelevant and inconsequential to church growth or something to be ignored altogether. For ministry leaders to continue to do so, however, will be akin to acting like Rehoboam of old who ignored the wisdom of his father Solomon’s counselors in favor of his peers, with disastrous consequences.

Understanding the aging of America and its subsequent implications is essential to every church’s health and mission. Empowering 50+ men and women to answer the call and share the values of Jesus with the generations at home and around the world is one of our most pivotal tasks as church leaders.

Inspiring second half Christians to lead in transformational discipleship is vital. Preparing second half Christians for successful and meaningful aging is a critical responsibility. It is time to tackle the questions, test the assumptions, offer practical tools, provide stimulating interaction and leadership insights and take a fresh look at the 40/50 Window.

The simple fact is that an American turns 50 every eight seconds — more than 10,000 people every day. By 2015, those aged 50 and older will represent 45 percent of the U.S. population. If pastors and church leaders place adult ministry on the bottom tier of importance it signals wrong thinking.

Social impact of seniors

Today, men and women aged 50-plus represent one-third of the Internet users in the U.S. They control 67 percent of the nation’s wealth. If that fact alone doesn’t awaken every senior pastor to this powerful reality, I don’t know what will.

But there is more. This age group also represents a large segment of Americans who are currently leaving churches, not because of a loss of faith, but precisely because they want more of God in their life and feel they cannot get what they need from their local church.

The revitalized engagement of men and women aged 50-plus in the church is critical. These “new elders” are looking for attention, inclusion and expression. They are more interested in being the church than in going to church. Meaning and purpose is at the head of their list. This longest living generation is seeking answers to the questions, “Who am I?” “Who is God?” “What am I going to do with the rest of my life?”

The focus of the church remains primarily on young families, singles, youth and children as it should; but to turn away from addressing the needs and callings of men and women at midlife and beyond is foolhardy leadership.

Many at this point in their journey do not have an understanding of the calling of God as it relates to them personally. This is our job as pastors and teachers. There is a hunger at midlife and beyond for fresh meaning and purpose, for a holy adventure. This hunger is God given and often fulfilled on the way through value-added moments of everyday life. We are surprised by our own story, by the core of who we’ve become so far, by our gifts and skills and by what moves us deeply. Older adults seek spiritual guidance. They still have something of high value to give away. In numbers, they are at least 40 percent of the body of Christ. They are important.

Core factors in reaching seniors

How might we go about reaching, retaining, recharging, reinventing, restoring, reinvesting and releasing this powerful demographic in our churches, our land and our world? Remember, whatever your age as a pastor or ministry leader, the 40/50 Window is a window you will have to look through and deal with every day of the rest of your life. Here are some core factors:

Reach. Take initiative. Show your interest. Listen. Ask questions of your second half constituents about where they are at this stage in their life journey. Keep listening. Encourage them to tell you their story—their whole story. Listen some more. Encourage them in their discovery of fresh Kingdom meaning, purpose and calling. Show that you believe in them. Reaching this age group is often more about listening than telling.

Refuse. Say no to marginalizing older adults. Repel ageism in your church. Cultivate a sense of belonging and respect and nurture deeper intergenerational relationships. Seek ways to inter-generate. Jonathan Alexander, senior pastor at Northshore Baptist Church, Bothell, WA, has a goal of having “gray hair” visible in every department and ministry of the church. In other words, he is promoting among staff and congregation the fruitfulness of intergenerational ministry.

Retain. Study issues that surround the second half of life. Investigate. Read. Consider the online CASA Academy, an exciting new educational component of CASA’s 26 -year ministry, beginning in September 2009, with a focus on Second Half Adult Ministry. (See sidebar.)

Recharge. Fuel spiritual life among second half adults in your church and community. Help them overcome spiritual or emotional malaise and apathy. Lead by word and example. Inspire fresh thinking about the present and future of their lives. Bring your best and brightest together to explore the possibilities that they see among themselves. These can be their greatest, most productive and most joy-filled years.

Reinvent. Brainstorm new “legacy ideas.” How can each individual make an effective and useful contribution of God-given gifts, acquired skills and accumulated resources? What passions are in their hearts? Do they see themselves nearing the end of life or ready for a new beginning? Often it is up to the pastor/leader to inspire fresh thinking, to encourage second half adults to dream again. Involve them in strategic planning for ministry among their peers and the generations. For those with a passion for world missions, FinishersProject.org is an ideal way to connect.

Restore. Give attention to special discipling opportunities with those entering their 40s, 50s and 60s. Will this take time? Of course. Is the igniting of fresh passion in hearts of less importance than tending the politics and administration of the church? Midlife is a period in which significant life change is taking place. It is a season in which “office” should give way to “influence,” when relationships are increasingly important and a renewed sense of divine calling is vital. If you want to invite someone to participate in a ministry, start at the top of what you think is needed for that project and what they might give, not at the bottom. People want to be challenged, not coddled.

Reinvest. Give and receive affirmation and respect. Invest in others. As you show genuine interest in them, it inspires them to pass that interest on to others you will never touch. Demonstrate the sense of personal worth and value. Being valued is something often missing in the lives of older adults, even in today’s church. In a culture focused on youth, beauty and productivity, older Christians often feel left out of the picture even though this season in their lives could be the most beautiful and productive of all.

Release. “Let my people go!” When you show interest and confidence and a willingness to discover what God is saying to them (as opposed to simply filling holes in something you’ve already planned), you can almost feel the fresh wind of the Spirit blowing. Sometimes their dreams and vision will augment that of your church’s mission. Often it may exceed what you yourself have imagined. Your job may simply be to help clarify realistic objectives, strategies and action steps and let them go. Will it be messy at times? Of course. Will it be a holy adventure? Absolutely!

There has been a great deal of conversation about today’s “emerging church.” Looking through the 40/50 Window, I see another emerging church, one that blends tradition with daring and experience with the unknown. It is an emerging church with great power and potential and more than a little gray hair. If you lead well within it, you will be abundantly blessed as will every generation that is coming after.

Dr. Ward Tanneberg is executive director of CASA Network.

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Variations on 50+ age Ministry Models in North America

Robert W Chism

Provided by CN Building Adult Ministries Resource Center

A new decade provides opportunity for local church leaders to make a difference in achieving the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.

There are many factors which tend to separate us or influence our behavior, including gender, race, generation, health, disability, culture, education, economical status, and denomination. Since the arrival of ‘teenagers’ in the 1960’s the local church has experienced constant change. Examples of major change include societal aging; longevity; life course evangelism, benevolence development; and the need to maximize undesignated income and minimize the salary and benefit line of the local church statement.

The church has not approached societal aging intentionally. As a result, neither adequate strategy nor structure is in place for Baby Boomer in the local church. One fits all life cycle models are insufficient to recruit, train and place this enormous population segment based on the diversity found in older adults in general.

Thanks to better medical and health knowledge with intelligent individual choices 20 years or more of longevity has been added to the average life span. This creates the need for local church leader guidance of this defuse age segment for a length of time heretofore uncharted.

Intergenerational synergy, financial planning, mentoring, parental care, grandparenting, grief share, addictive behavior, military family support, wellness ministries are a few opportunities to make a difference.

Intentional encore generation evangelism staring with ‘in reach’ is one of the greatest areas for church growth for the next three decades based on trend analysis. “The large Boomer generation will become more receptive to the gospel. Our data is anecdotal for now, but we are seeing indications that the Boomers may actually become more interested in spiritual matters in general and Christianity specifically. If so, this trend will be counter to other trends, where adults tend to become less receptive to the gospel as they age. The Baby Boomers have tried it all and found no joy. They may likely turn to the hope of the gospel” according to by LifeWay Christian Resources. © 2010 ChurchCentral.com

Every congregation celebrating 25 years or more of existence should be pursuing benevolence and generosity development. A foundation with a director is both a spiritual and economic necessity for member estate plans and maintenance capital reserve budgeting.

A business manager is a necessity in today’s economy. Making do with less is a reality. A professional business manager position is not a cost, rather an annuity which keeps on paying for itself. Cost efficient suggests include maximizing directors, part timers, volunteers and forming alliances with organizations committed to inspiring, educating, and empowering midlife and beyond age Christ-followers in servant leadership, and spiritual growth. The following list provides a few alliances opportunities:

2nd ½ for Him ministries of Converge Worldwide exists to equip and encourage leaders who can develop powerful and effective ministries that address the needs and opportunities of an increasingly diverse group of age 50+ adults.

American Health Rankings/Individual Role provides information for the individual about the factors that affect health and tools to improve habits that can make a difference in individual longevity.

Center on Aging and Older Adult Ministries of the United Methodist Church provides quality resources and valuable training support to help equip leaders (both clergy and laity) in their ministry of faith development with midlife and older adults.

Christian Association of Serving Adult (CASA) Ministries Network exists to prepare (equip, heal, mend) God’s people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up … Ephesians 4:12 NIV

Christian Grandparenting Network A Christian organization devoted to challenging those in midlife and beyond to finish the race well by living for future generations, helping individuals and churches cultivate “intentionality” in inter-generational ministry by strengthening the grandparent-grandchild relationship.

Christ Together Helping the Church bring Gospel to the Community.

Dr Amy Hanson is a speaker, author, and consultant with a passion to help older adults discover a life of Christ-centered meaning and purpose.

Dr Charles Arn is a speaker, author, and President of Church Growth, Inc, which attempts to enhance the efforts of local churches, regional judicatories, and denominations in the task of disciple making through seminars, study kits, books, video, and other ways and resources that facilitate worldwide the Great Commission and the Great Commandment so that churches may better achieve their full potential in making disciples.

Evangelical Churches of America exist to glorify God by multiplying healthy churches among all people. EFCA Encore Ministries involves: Reaching, equipping, and unleashing 50+ adults for the cause of Christ during their “encore” years of life.

Finishers Project provides Christian adults with information, challenge, and pathways for discovering and processing opportunities in missions — short-term or as a next career.

Senior Life Style is a web magazine for making the most of the ‘Second Half’.

Prime on Line Senior Adult Ministries of the Assemblies of God USA is a website reference source for those in the second half of life.

The Center for Christian Leadership of Anderson University School of Theology (Church of God/Anderson) provides an online Aging Ministries certificate (50 CEU) program.

Young Enough to Serve (YES) is a new and movement promoting exceptional stewardship of better health, extended longevity, gifts, and life experience of an adult in life’s second half.

At the 2010 CASA Network Leadership Conference in Atlanta, GA Dr. Amy Hanson presented 4 decade changing strategies for the local church from her new book, Baby Boomers and Beyond: Respond to diversity among the older adult population, Integrate the older adults among the entire Church, Make evangelism and spiritual growth priorities, Emphasize service. In her book, she suggests a short list of where to discover encore generation leaders. Ministries can thrive under the leadership of a boomer from the business world (catalytic leader). I’ve also seen a number of dynamic and innovative ministries across the country being led by women as well as former worship pastors and even children’s pastors. The key is to find someone who is passionate about reaching this generation, has a teachable spirit, and can train others to lead and serve in the ministry.

The following list provides examples of successful encore generation ministry and networking opportunity for decade changing exchange of creative idea:

Beaverton Foursquare Church (www.beavertonfoursquare.org) 13565 SW Walker Rd, Beaverton, OR 97005 (503) 644-9104 Mike Kinsman. Pastoral Services: Encore! (The Bridge & Prime Timers) (503) 644-9104 x133 Mgkinsman@beavertonfoursquare.org

Calvary Assembly Church (www.calvaryorlando.org) 1199 Clay Street, Winter Park, FL 32789 (407) 644-1199 Mike Martin, A.R.K. (Acts of Random Kindness), Sonlighters Ministries mikemartin@calvaryorlando.org

Central Baptist Church (www.cbccrossville.org) 1346 South Main Street, Crossville, TN 38555 931-484-8426 Billy Kemp, 50+ Adult Pastor billy@cbccrossville.org

Central Baptist Church
1346 South Main Street
Crossville, TN 38555
phone – 931.484.8426Central Baptist Church
1346 South Main Street
Crossville, TN 38555
phone – 931.484.8426Central Baptist Church
1346 South Main Street
Crossville, TN 38555
phone – 931.484.8426

First Free in Rockford (www.firstfreerockford.org) 2223 N Mulford Road, Rockford, IL 61107 (815) 877-7046 Chuck Rife, Pastor of Senior Adults & Caring Ministries chuckr@firstfreerockford.org, Tom Mathisen Director of MAXlife maxlife@firstfreerockford.org

First Evangelical Free Church (www.evfreefullerton.com) 2801 Brea Blvd, Fullerton, CA 91835 714-529-5544 John Coulombe, Pastor, ‘Experienced Adults’ john.coulombe@evfreefullerton.com

New Covenant Bible Church (www.newcovenantbible.org)1800 46th St. NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 (319) 393-3522 James Wartian, Mature Adults/Missions Pastor james.wartian@newcovenantbible.org, Tye Male, Middle Adult Pastor tye.male@newcovenantbible.org

Park Cities Baptist Church (www.pcbc.org) 3933 Northwest Parkway, Dallas, TX 75225 214.860.1500 Dorothy Wilkinson, Prime Time Ministry 214.860.1535 dmwilkinson@pcbc.org Dr Brian Newman, Minister of Married Adults 214-860-1536 bknewman@pcbc.org

Whittier Area Community Church (www.wacc.net) 8175 Villa Verde Drive, Whittier, CA 90605 (562) 945-4500

Hal Lentz, Lead Pastor of Development and New Horizons, (562) 945-4500×157 HAL@WACC.net

Catalytic leader and volunteer recruitment, development, & placement is yet another decade change idea. “A catalytic leader is characterized as being spiritually passionate, missional, and entrepreneurial.” according to Bill Hossler, Missionary Church President.

At the same CASA Network gathering Rev Chris Holck, Director of Encore Generations for the EFCA, provided three practical decade change tactics for the local church in the recruitment and development of catalytic leaders and volunteers: Scout Talent (Create a database, Hold “Boomerish” Events, Take Initiative), Guide People in the Discovery of their “Sweet Spots,” Help People Launch their Talents (Input, Service Menu, Experimentation).

Possibly the most important local church decade consideration is leadership style. The best research indicates a bottom up preference, consultative approach, upfront full disclosure, distain for menial tasks or roles, and an impatience tendency. Local church leaders may need to be more open, receptive to new ideas, willing to let go more, share responsibility, and involve members more in the decision making.

It may be appropriate for the Elder Boards to adopt a more bottom-up approach to the long term ministry planning process. For better transparency, it is suggested that a letter to each member be sent announcing the formation of a long-term ministry team, requesting prayer for both the team and the plans development, explaining the process and time commitment, asking interested members to apply for team consideration by providing credentials, and allowing for questions, suggestions or concerns. Based on the feedback, evaluate the need for a special meeting and/or dinner to assure from the outset member understanding, input, and buy-in before selecting or announcing the long-team ministry team’s selection.

In conclusion, the following sample position description for an encore generation leader attempts to incorporate and communicate many of the decade change ideas offered in this article for local church leaders. The position can be split into two separate positions, ministry, and business. The position can be implemented initially as volunteer and evolve into a part time or a full time person. According to Rick Warren, likely for best person is already a member in the local church.

Sample Description for an Encore Generation Leader Position

Encore Generation:  implement and direct a full scale ministry for active adults by providing leadership, training, and mobilizing them in life step opportunities:

  • For initial guidance, create two to three “Focus Groups” made up of eight to ten Boomers to cast vision and strategize how best to do ministry with their own age group and help bridge the “generation gap”.
  • Facilitate the involvement of adults into volunteer ministry with office space and opportunities for service across the spectrum of ministries at the church.
  • Provide and coordinate a wide variety of ministry opportunities and activities to encourage meaningful involvement, spiritual growth and facilitate the nurturing of relationships with others who are in similar stages of life.
  • Foster intergenerational health by integrating active adults with other life stage ministries.
  • Provide life stage support for issues significant to this segment of the congregation such as financial planning, health issues, aging with grace, care for aging parents, grand parenting, et al.
  • Develop, implement and oversee coordinated in and outreach assimilation strategies for active adults.
  • Provide training that will unleash/mobilize active adults to discover and use their gifts.
  • Create partnerships with agencies/organizations outside the church that dovetail with the encore ministry focus.
  • Develop budgets for the ministry consistent with current youth ministry investment.

Development: Identify, cultivate, and challenge partners; increase the level of generosity participation and ownership, through direct involvement and consistent financial giving.

  • Provide necessary leadership to initiate and implement a development plan, to identify, cultivate, and challenge givers who have potential to support the ongoing mission.
  • Work closely with high capacity givers to complete major gifts and major gift plans.
  • Assure that gift arrangements are properly completed, and maintain ongoing commitment to givers, building generosity into their life.
  • Plan and carry out special dinners, events, and stewardship training that will maximize partnership with and raise financial resources for ministries.
  • Maintain regular communication with the Pastor Team to assure effective administration and prompt response to each givers questions, concerns, and interests.
  • Take executive leadership to further resource the organization’s development plan; educate and support each leader with respect to their development ministry roles.
  • Review research and develop strategies used in matching high capacity givers.
  • Give overall leadership in close consultation with the Senior Pastor to all current, deferred, and capital campaign activities.
  • Provide supervision, training, and resources to the Senior Pastor, aiding in moves management integration of identified and assigned givers and/or major givers.
  • Oversee the Foundation, work with the Foundation Board to raise support for, and help provide leadership to the Foundation.
  • Provide leadership to Planned Giving efforts which would include education marketing, presentations, proposals, gift arrangements, and gift closure.

Qualifications: Strong personal relationship with Jesus Christ as evidenced by spiritual maturity, a close daily walk with Him, a consistent vision with area of ministry and our mission statement.

  • Be committed to the theological stance of the Church.
  • Understanding of the ministries of the Church.
  • Proven knowledge, experience and success in not for profit development.
  • College degree in business, communications, marketing or related disciplines.
  • Highly desirable: advanced development training or experience, older adult training, research or experience, catalytic leadership style, church member.

(“Job Description about Older Adults” by Amy Hanson; EFCA Encore Sample Job Description Resources; networking with Hal Lentz, Lead Pastor of Development and New Horizons, Whittier Area Community Church, Whittier, CA and Dr Charles Arn, Institute for American Church Growth, Monrovia, CA)

About Robert W Chism Bob is a member of the Builder (Bridge) generation. Having retired from secular work in 2005, he has refocused his 24/7 energy toward older adult ministry. He is a member of CASA Network and serves on their prayer team; YES and serves on their prayer team; Christ Together; and enrolled in the CASA Academy, “Navigating Ministry in Times of Generational Changes” and The Center for Christian Leadership of Anderson University School of Theology, Certificate of Aging Ministries. Bob and Karen, his wife of 47 years, reside in Antioch, Illinois; have three adult children and six grandchildren.

For a copy of a five year on going research report entitled “An Encore Generation Ministry Model” contact Robert W Chism: 847-395-1626, chism.w.robert@comcast.net

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