Plugging SENIOR ADULTS INTO YOUR MINISTRY

Group, Sep/Oct 2004 by Yancey, Shane

SOME OF YOUR BEST YOUTH MINISTRY VOLUNTEERS ARE HIDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU-8 WAYS ONE CHURCH IS USING THE STRENGTHS AND GIFTS OF ITS SENIOR CITIZENS TO REACH TEENAGERS

Up until a couple of years ago, whenever I got together with my youth pastor friends, "clueless church members" were our favorite discussion topic. We'd say things like, "Most churches just don't get what youth ministry is all about," and "Imagine what would happen if we tried that in the main worship service-that'd get us fired for sure!" We complained about "always done it that way" thinking and our congregations' mulelike resistance to change. I'm now embarrassed to admit we laid most of our criticism at the feet of our senior adults.

My complaints about seniors in the church were flat-out wrong. Today they're crucial players in my ministry to teenagers-I couldn't do without them.

I work in a small church in the Deep South. For a long time, I assumed our church members were stereotypically closed to my "out there" youth ministry practices. I held on to that bias right up to the moment a senior adult lady came up to me before church and asked if she needed to move back a row. She told me she'd been sitting in the sanctuary's third row for 35 years, but the young people who sat in the first two rows seemed cramped. She wanted to know if she needed to move back a row. She wasn't mad that she had to move; she wanted more people to come to church and was happy to accommodate them.

That was just the beginning.

I was the Sunday night preacher for a little while. I substituted drama and storytelling for the traditional sermon. Afterward, two senior men (not my teenagers!) couldn't wait to tell me, with tears in their eyes, how much they appreciated the change.

Not long ago our church planned a monthlong prayer emphasis-we closed the month with a Sunday night worship service dedicated to prayer. My team set up prayer stations around the room that helped focus our prayers by using letterwriting, art, candles, and even food as "hooks." Church members spent the entire service moving around the room praying at each station. Again, after the service it was the senior adults who asked me to do it again.

I don't know if I hit the senior adult jackpot or if every church has seniors who are longing to wake up and worship God in new ways. My guess (and hope) is it's the latter. I'm no expert, and not all the ideas that follow will work in your church. But over the last two years we've learned a lot about involving seniors in our youth ministry, and I know it's doable.

1. Spend time with them.1 Find natural ways to build relationships with your senior adults. If they have a monthly meal, invite yourself. If they're sick, visit them. If they're in a nursing home, take a book and read to them. Get between two seniors on your church's prayer chain list so you get to talk to them often. Go out of your way to speak to them before and after your church service. Join their Sunday school class for a quarter. Spend time with a few of them, and word will get around that you care about their needs.

2. Keep them informed about your ministry's "why's." Sometimes seniors see youth ministry as just fun-and-games. The fun stuff gets a lot of publicity, but your underlying spiritual priorities get buried. When you talk to seniors, be sure to mention why you do what you do. Tell them the guys you've been playing basketball with for three months finally came to an evangelistic youth event. Tell them how many of your games are really gospel discussion-starters. Be specific and consistent.

3. Tell them stories about your young people. Get them personally involved by sharing stories about kids in your ministry. Let's say you're talking to them before church and a teenager walks by-tell about what's happening in that student's life. For example, "Wow, he said one of the most profound things in small group last week, and he never talks..." Remember, a good story is experiential-they won't forget it.

4. Tap into their strength as prayer warriors. You probably have a group of seniors who meet to pray at your church. Get them involved in your ministry by assigning them students to pray for. Remember, they'll respond better to stories than fact-based requests. Send the group a simple note that says: "Please pray for Jennifer-she's stressed about school and what she's going to do after graduation" or "Please remember Rebecca as you pray-her parents aren't supportive of her commitment to Christ, but she's here every week and it's a struggle for her."

And when you're chatting with seniors before or after church, specifically ask if they'd pray for one of your kids. They'll treat your request as a compliment!

5. Give them a role in your ministry. The decibel level at your youth events might exclude seniors from filling a typical volunteer's duties, but you can use their talents in lots of other ways. Ask them to make blindfolds, bake cookies, create banners, and other ministry necessities. Whenever I ask them for help, I always emphasize the spiritual purpose their efforts will serve. And I remember to report to them about the event's success after it's over. I've also plugged seniors into our regular meetings by asking them to talk about the keys to a successful marriage and practical ways to communicate respect to adults.