Age has rapidly change into a massively divisive issue in societies the world over. But is the Church any higher at bridging the generation divide?
Politicians, donors and voters within the United States have gotten increasingly concerned about President Joe Biden’s age and health, following his performance within the recent TV debate with Donald Trump.
Should President Biden fight the upcoming election, or stand aside for somebody younger, is the query being asked.
In the UK, many churches are concerned concerning the increasing age of their congregations. The Church of England has set ‘growing younger and more diverse’ Â as considered one of its key priorities. The CofE desires to ‘double the number of youngsters and young lively disciples within the Church of England by 2030.’
It’s a brave and necessary objective and might be an important a part of renewing the Church because it seeks to serve the people of the nation for years ahead.
But, almost subliminally, it incorporates one other message, and one not intended I’m sure by those that drew up the strategy. And it’s this – that it could make older people feel less valued in our congregations and church networks.
At a recent conference in London, a senior Salvation Army representative used a slide in his presentation that contained a key message. It said simply, ‘An older church shouldn’t be a failing church.’
The Salvation Army’s objectives for its ministry amongst older people include difficult the stereotype of the older person, difficult ageism, resourcing and affirming older Christians, and providing appropriate resources to local centres and leaders.
The conference brought together a variety of Christians organisations working with older people. They checked out how they may work together more closely, how successful initiatives might be shared, and the way the very best use might be manufactured from buildings and other resources to assist the growing variety of seniors in our communities.
The groups acknowledged that many older persons are involved in serving other older people and are sometimes resourcing most of the services and events run by local churches and other organisations.
It’s been good lately to see the expansion of organisations resembling Faith in Later Life and the Anna Chaplaincy movement which are focussed on supporting and serving older people in our churches and communities.
But I ponder if the important thing to developing healthy church communities lies in in search of to make them places of intergenerational flourishing – where each generation and age group feels accepted and welcomed. And where they will each relate to the opposite.
Church of England Bishop Graham Tomlin recently wrote: “The calling of the elderly is just as necessary as that of the young and even the middle-aged. Yet it’s different. We have to value older people, not because they will do the things younger people can, but because they’re object lessons in the best way to navigate life, and the best way to prepare for the following one.”
Bishop Tomlin’s words are smart and underline the importance of the generations accepting that they’ve different gifts and perspectives. Our church communities might be higher places when people of all ages are regarding one another, sharing life experiences and giving their insights.
I like hearing about children visiting older people’s centres, or of seniors telling their life stories to groups of young people. Or of older people mentoring younger disciples, and learning from their younger insights. All ages have a lot to supply.
So ‘growing younger’ could also be a part of the answer to assist our churches thrive, but growing intergenerational – in a revolutionary, counter-cultural way – seems to me to supply something especially attractive and missional to our age-divided twenty first century world.
Rev Peter Crumpler is a Church of England minister in St Albans, Herts, UK, and a former communications director with the CofE.
