The first post in this series offers a look at the demographics of those who responded to my survey of pastors and church leaders in search of their insight about how they’re ministering to and with congregants over age 40. (Click here to read it.)
I’m sure the call to pass on our faith from one generation to the next predates theShema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9), but the words given to Israel before they crossed into the promised land after 40 years in the desert crystallized how to best do this – and why. While the family is the primary way in which the essentials of faith are transmitted from parents to children, the community plays an essential role in the formation of next generation disciples.
For followers of Jesus, the church is meant to that supportive community. I asked the sixty (and counting) pastors and leaders who took the survey to describe their church’s philosophy toward intergenerational ministry, I also asked how they’d each characterize the level of relationship between members of different generations within their congregation. Here’s what some of them had to say: [Read more]