As the US mourns the dying of former President Jimmy Carter, who died final month on the age of 100, church leaders are dealing with a problem concerning the ministry they supply to seniors of their congregations and past.
Carter, who died in December, was nonetheless instructing Sunday faculty at his church in Plains, Georgia, into his nineties. He was a major instance of how older Christians can stay fulfilled lives, serve God and assist others discover religion.
Carter's ministry and mission stands in distinction to many church buildings the place their outreach and actions give attention to younger folks and households.
The Church of England, below the management of former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, has made “rejuvenation and variety” certainly one of its key priorities and has set itself the aim of doubling the variety of youngsters and younger lively disciples within the Church of England by 2030. In some ways, it is a laudable effort.
However does this emphasis on younger older folks make them really feel not noted or uncared for? Particularly since in lots of congregations lively older individuals are absolutely concerned in a complete vary of companies.
At a current London convention, a senior Salvation Military officer declared, “The older church isn’t a withering church.”
The Salvation Military's targets for its ministry among the many aged are clear. These embody difficult unfavourable stereotypes of older folks, combating ageism, resourcing and affirming older Christians, and offering applicable assets to native facilities and leaders.
Christian charity Religion in Later Life has now created a difficult 10-point questionnaire for church leaders that asks: “Is your church religion in later life pleasant?”. It’s designed to be used by church committees, diaconates and different management teams throughout denominations. Though produced within the UK, it’s related to church buildings world wide.
Key questions embody: How typically does your church supply actions, packages or companies particularly aimed toward older folks? Is your church proactively offering love and pastoral care tailor-made to the distinctive wants of the aged in your neighborhood? And is your church actively serving to older folks in your neighborhood discover and discover religion by evangelism, Alpha programs or different religion initiation packages?
Alexandra Drew, CEO of Religion in Later Life, describes herself as “passionate and skilled in inspiring and equipping folks for the alternatives and challenges of later life and serving to them to know Jesus extra deeply or for the primary time”.
Alexandra, who created the questionnaire, defined: “Our inhabitants is getting old quickly. This implies there are extra aged folks in our church buildings and communities – what a beautiful alternative for the gospel and an illustration of God's unfailing love.”
“Serving to folks to place confidence in the afterlife is essential and pressing. The Bible says the harvest is bountiful. But when we’re to assemble that harvest earlier than it’s too late, church buildings should be intentional of their ministry among the many aged.”
Different challenges raised by the questionnaire embody: how straightforward is it for older folks to study your church – together with non-online strategies? How accessible are your amenities to folks with completely different talents? And is your church actively encouraging and serving to older folks to make use of their religious presents?
Church management teams are prayerfully inspired to determine areas the place the church might enhance its ministry among the many aged, to set targets and timelines for bettering its ministry in later life, and to nominate a “religion champion in later life,” to which is able to give attention to older folks. 'ministry.
President Jimmy Carter was a exceptional man who had an enduring affect on his later years. His instance might encourage different Christians to be extra severe about ministry among the many aged. It's a rising want.
The Rev Peter Crumpler is a Church of England minister in St Albans, Herts, UK, and former director of communications with the CofE.
