How Does Age Affect the Church?

"We can talk forever about numbers and statistics and the causes for these trends. What does all of this really mean for those of us living in the twenty-first century who care about Christ and His church?

"First, it is no accident that God has allowed such a large number of older people to be alive at this moment in time. In His great sovereignty and wisdom, He chose this time to raise up an army of older adults for His purposes. We must tap into God's plan for the members of this generation, to see them come to Christ, grow in Him, and be engaged in meaningful service.

"Second, if we take these statistics seriously, we can see that we are not talking about creating some little subsidiary ministry for a few older people who live in our communities and go to our churches. Rather, we should plan and dream for this to be one of the strategic initiatives of the church. In the past, older adult ministry was not seen as crucial to the mission of the church. As we move into the future, this attitude must change. If we want to be churches and Christians who are in step with the demographic trends of our time, we must respond to this one. It's huge.

"Third, this ministry is much bigger than the baby boom generation alone. There are hundreds of thousands of older adults in their late sixties, seventies, and even eighties who are looking at aging in a new way. They are seeking meaning and purpose and are capable of contributing their time and talents to Kingdom efforts.

"Fourth, older adulthood is becoming a life stage of its own. With the majority of people born expecting to live into their later years, we have an entirely new season of life. Developmental psychologists used to focus on the changes in childhood and adolescence and then lumped all of adulthood into one category.

"Now the older years are being perceived as a brand-new stage of life with its own opportunities and challenges — as well as great possibilities for ministry. If we choose to embrace this reality, we have the chance to help define what this new stage of life will be like.

"Finally, this is not a ministry for just the United States. Nearly every country in every part of the world is being affected by aging, and opportunities to minister and encourage older adults to live for Christ abound."