Older Adult Ministry

Maybe it is because I am about to have another birthday, maybe it is because I have been occupied with aging parent issues or maybe it is because I am planning for our Snowbird and Seagull ministry, but I seem to be encountering some interesting articles about the graying of the church that have left me wondering. In our efforts to attract younger members, do we forget the fastest growing segment of our population? According to AARP, 41% of American adults are older than 50 and this number is increasing each year and it is well-documented that the average age of a United Methodist is 57.

We know that the older population cannot be uniformly defined and accommodated. It is popular to name three groupings of older adults as the go-gos, slow-gos and no-gos. Yet, do we really consider this in our planning for and nurturing of this segment of our community? It is much more than fellowship groups and large-print. It is no different than any other age group – know the needs and concerns and how individual gifts can be shared to create a nurturing ministry that promotes faithful discipleship. Somewhere along the way, we have given permission for too many of our older members to retire from the active status. We need them and they need us. It seems to me that we need to rethink much about what we call older adult ministry.