iTeach newsletter

Aging Matters (April 2012)

By Richard H. Gentzler, Jr., DMin

Not long ago I asked Sunday school teachers to tell me the first thing that came to their minds when I said “old age.” Not surprisingly, most people came up with negative notions. Responses included illness, grouchy, depression, dependency, social isolation, disability, wrinkles, closed-minded, and chronic health conditions. As a church, I wonder if we have negated any value in aging.

Many people believe that the main concerns of aging relate to health conditions and financial security. If you have your health you have everything and financial security is the key to a better life or so these modern day adages profess. While both of these concerns are real, I believe there is an even greater concern that many adults have: finding meaning and purpose in the later years.

A spiritual malaise is present in some older adults. They may replace the pursuits of their early and middle adult years with a focus on staying busy, proudly claiming to have more to do after retirement than they did when they worked. But this does not mean that they have found meaning. They may make themselves incredibly busy to fill the void left by the loss of their careers or other roles.

Fortunately, this isn’t the only path for adults. Many people grow in significance (dare we say “wisdom”?) as they age. Our senior years can be the time during which we grow in spiritual maturity and have the most practical knowledge of life, during which we reach heightened self-awareness and understanding. It’s a time when the meanings of life, suffering, and death become more focused and understandable. It can also be a time of forgiveness – and perhaps even of equanimity, peace, and acceptance that life contains some mysteries that may never be explained.

Rather than an end, late-life adulthood can be a time of renewal. In the Bible, the psalmist wrote: “In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap” (Psalm 92:14). Aging and old age can be a time when people continue to grow, learn, and give.

Teachers play an invaluable role in assisting adults in finding meaning and purpose in the later years. This does not mean that teachers have the answers to the many questions voiced by older persons; rather, teachers can facilitate the learning opportunities and provide resources necessary to assist mature adults in this journey of self discovery. By building relationships with older adults, teachers can come to understand their needs and interests and help them capture a new vision, a vision that will be different for every individual.

• What are ways your teaching invites mature adults to grow, learn, and give?
• What are ways your Sunday school class provides opportunities for adults to find meaning and purpose in their later years?
• How are you building relationships with older adults so that as a teacher you better understand their needs and interests?

Resources that can help:

• Aging and Ministry in the 21st Century: An Inquiry Approach by Richard H. Gentzler, Jr. (Discipleship Resources)
• Aging Faithfully by Missy Buchanan (Upper Room Books)
• Living with Purpose in a Worn-Out Body by Missy Buchanan (Upper Room Books)
• Shaping a Life of Significance in Retirement by R. Jack Hansen and Jerry P. Haas (Upper Room Books)

-- Richard H. Gentzler, Jr., DMin is director of the Center on Aging and Older Adult Ministries for the General Board of Discipleship. He is author of numerous books and many articles on aging, midlife, and older adult ministries. His most recent book, Aging and Ministry in the 21st Century: An Inquiry Approach, is published by Discipleship Resources. He is an ordained Elder in the Susquehanna Annual Conference.