Question: Who needs older adult ministry?
Answer: The Church -- Your Church

One of the hundred reasons (we are encouraging only 10, not to worry) is that according to America's Crisis in Aging by Edwin J. Pittock, President, Society of Certified Senior Advisors at a conference on January 14, 2004, "over the next 16 years, the number of people over 50 will grow by 74 percent, while the people under 50 will grow by only one percent." The church must pay attention!

With a nod to David Letterman, let's explore the top ten reasons the church needs Older Adult Ministry. I believe with all my heart that each church, no matter what size or where God has planted it, must have a meaningful and active Older Adult Ministry for the following reasons. The church needs to:

10. Respect older adults as role models for faithful life.

9. Listen to the stories of faith as a living history of thechurch.

8. Provide an opportunity for safe and loving communication about doubts and fears that are often a part of the aging process.

7. Allow for a community with life-long learning opportunities.

6. Allow people to explore their lives -- warts and all in a safe environment.

5.Administer to the physical, mental and spiritual needs of older adults.

4. Provide an opportunity for older adults to feel needed and respected.

3. Provide more than "bring a dish to pass" lunches and day trips. We can and must provide, from our core, a safe and facilitated place for spiritual growth.

2. Celebrate, with older adults as visual reminders, the continuation of the church.

And the number one reason the church must have a meaningful and active Older Adult Ministry is . . .

1. God doesn't forget!

All well and good you say, but how do we provide for ministry to/with/for our older adults? There are many and varied right answers. I might suggest the following as a possible plan. Think about it for your church . . .

• Pray for guidance.


• Invite someone to do a "needs assessment" survey in your church.


• Consider what is already available in your community. Do not attempt to duplicate services/groups that are already functioning.


• Gather a small group of people who have a genuine passion for this ministry. Meet informally and generate "dreams" for this ministry. List all the dreams.


• Take a breath. Go back and revisit your dreams. Prioritize and combine ideas.


• Ask people to commit, to sign their names next to those they will take actions and/or responsibility for exploring. The ideas that have no signatures attached to them cannot be very important to the group and need to be saved for a later time. Keep your energy focused on three or four actions. Spreading yourself too thin, provides scattershot, not focus.


• Encourage each person to create an "Action Plan" for the idea he or she signed up for. Make certain this plan builds in accountability:
  

  Example:
  By ____________ (date) I will have ____________________ and _____________. On the stated date, I will report back to the group on my progress.
  Signed ________________________________ .

  
  
  Hold to the plan. The ideas that have the most interest and prospects for the benefit of both the older adults and the church need to be implemented as soon as possible.


• Get church leaders on board and keep them informed of what is happening.


• Let everyone know what you are doing; publicize your actions.


• Celebrate all successes, small and large.

There are many wonderful resources -- both people and published available. Read books, look at what other churches are doing. Check with your denomination for surveys and other tools for Older Adult Ministry. Look ecumenically at what the church down the block or across town is doing; join forces. Attend and gather information from events that are specifically geared toward older adult ministry.

Barbara Bruce is a nationally known speaker and an author. She serves on the Western New York Conference Older Adult Ministries Team and is the Northeastern Jurisdictional Representative to the UM Committee on Older Adult Ministries. Barbara has earned a certificate in Gerontology. Barbara is passionate about learning about how people learn. She is author of countless articles and eight books, including Mental Aerobics: 75 Ways of Keeping Your Brain Fit and Our Spiritual Brain: Integrating Brain Research and Faith Development.

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