I was thinking today about 'focused churches', by which I mean the enterprises set up with a very specific demographic in mind when it comes to missions work. I know a number of good people employed in such a task at the moment.
I can see the logic - after all, if you were going to a little known tribe with the gospel, you'd want to make sure that your mission was properly focused on reaching them, not on reaching 17th century French people, for example.
But what I don't get is the age group thing. To further along the analogy of the little-known tribe, you wouldn't set up a mission just to the 14-20 age group among that tribe, surely?
But I keep hearing about people called to minister to the hip and groovy teens to twenties age bracket in our culture, and I'm finding it a little strange. For a start, and I know I might produce some yawns from some readers by saying this - I can't see it in scripture. In fact, the Pastoral letters are full of instruction to a wide range of age-groups about how they should interact with each other.
But more than that, and this is what gives me pause - I haven't yet heard of a cutting edge interview-with-Christianity-magazine style leader who has felt called to the vast mission-field of the elderly, and the shut-ins as their focus. If a reader wants to point me that ministry, I'll be more than happy to add an addendum to this post.
Because I worry about the modern church losing the weight of experience that the elders in our faith have, and also the weight of experience that comes just from living long enough for that grey head to come. If I ever hear a speaker who makes mock of the elderly, whatever else he or she may say, they lose my respect straight away.
Comments about a church 'dying' just because it has many elderly members seem to me to be the height of youthful arrogance and of conforming to our culture that wants to 'banish wrinkles' and baulks at the first sign of grey. Modern church gatherings are often like visiting a west-end musical in terms of production values and style, and it just screams out 'designed for youngsters'.
I'm not suggesting there is no place for targeting our ministry focus. I do just that here in my little home - I focus my ministry on my small children currently. But I truly believe that a church which jettisons those with old eyes and grey heads, or worse still, never has any in the first place, is an unbalanced gathering that is missing something God intended for our benefit.
7/01/2007
Honouring the elderly
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
Great post. This particular situation has been of concern to me for some time. How are the older ladies supposed to teach the younger (per Titus 2) if there are no older ladies around?
While my husband and I are not leaders, we have enjoyed spending some time ministering to the elderly in nursing homes with music (and otherwise) partly because we saw them as a largely ignored sector of society. This should not be the case. Actually, they are a very interesting group of people to be around.
"But more than that, and this is what gives me pause - I haven't yet heard of a cutting edge interview-with-Christianity-magazine style leader who has felt called to the vast mission-field of the elderly, and the shut-ins as their focus."
Yes, I have to agree, I haven't heard of one either. My husband works with a number of organisations concerned with mission and evangelism and it is just a non-issue with them. Every event or campaign is designed and evaluated on the basis of how it (supposedly)reaches 'the young people', anything else will give 'the wrong impression' of what Christianity is all about. If I hear the phrase 'well young people are the future of the church' one more time I shall hurl my hymn book at the speaker. It is as if people think that an 80 year old coming to Christ is of less value than an 18 year old. I think there are more stereotypes about 'the elderly' than practically any other group. The hippies who rejected God in the 1960's are in their 60's now. As you say, it is a vast mission field.
I think youth-orientated ministries are a bit suspect.
Oh I do agree with what you say in this post...I feel uncomfortable about the 'demographic' thing, too!
Thankfully, the Catholic Church doesn't seem to operate that way :)
Libbie, you might find this post from The Common Room of interest too:
http://heartkeepercommonroom.blogspot.com/2007/07/language-wars-in-our-hymnals.html
Not sure if that link has copied right - but it is todays post on 'Language Wars In Our Hymnals' at
http://heartkeepercommonroom.blogspot.com
We have a large seniors population in our church as well as a lot of young people. The older folks just love it when the younger ones mingle with them. And the younger kids need to be exposed to the wisdom of these people.
Thank you from an 81 year old and on behalf on a 83 year old husband.
Betty G
Personally, my son aged 3 and I have benefitted hugely from visiting a 90+ year old and an 80+ year old lady. There shouldn't be all these divisions.
One thing I was saddened by, visiting our 95 year old friend, was to hear that our son and I are the only people who do visit her. The full-time assistant pastor told me that in 6 months he had visited her once - and she tells me that she never sees the pastoral staff. Now, I don't know the full picture but this is what I hear.
I think, truth be told, it is too hard and boring to go round visiting a lot of old people in the privacy of their homes, hearing all the repetitions and confronting the grim reality of age and mortality.
Getting groovy with the teens and twenties or mums and tods is much more fun and visible.
So sad.
Great post! This has been a concern of mine for a while. What are we losing by ignoring a person who has walked through many a valley with Christ?
People who have lost loved ones, seen times change and through it all they have remained steadfast in their faith. What they could teach us all!
nice blog
Post a Comment