Age Diversification

in Church
Megan Miller
OGL 350
OUTLINE:

1: Title 8. Narrative: Ability to adapt

2. Outline
3. Introduction
4. Thesis
5. Narrative: What differences do you see?
6. Narrative: Generational differences
7. Narrative: Age groups at religious services
9. Narrative: Ageism… finding balance.
10. Narrative: Define intergenerational church
11. Narrative: Increase intergenerational diversity
12. Narrative: Suggest the following
13. Conclusion: Failure to adapt
14. References
INTRODUCTION:
• The church has been around for centuries and is meant to be a gathering
place for all to worship.
• However, over time there have been changes that have affected the makeup
of the church population.
• In recent decades, many churches have been faced with generation gaps
leading to minority generation groups becoming increasingly common.
• This presentation will take a closer look at the age composition of the
church membership body and offer solutions to how it may be broadened.
THESIS:

Statement of fact/issue: The average age of a church member at the

Baptist church in Holly is 56 years old.

Problem examined/thesis: What can the church do to gain younger

members?
WHAT DIFFERENCES DO YOU SEE?

VS.

TRADITIONAL SERVICE CONTEMPORARY SERVICE

GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES:

“Never before in living memory has the gap in mutual acceptance and
understanding between generations been as large as it is now. Massive
societal and cultural shifts, fueled by changing technology, increasing
rates of change, globalization and disconnectedness, have caused a
deep divide between those born in the first two-thirds of this century
and those born in the latter decades” (Codrington, 2000).
AGE GROUPS AT RELIGIOUS SERVICES

Only 27% of people ages 18-29 attend religious services at least 1x per week compared to 38% of adults
ages 50-64 and 48% of adults ages 65 and older (Age Distribution, 2015).
ABILITY TO ADAPT:

“Unfortunately, a major disconnect lies in the typical church’s

ability to adapt to change and the rate of societal change that
now exists” (Benke, W. & Benke, L. E., 2001).

Society is changing at a rapid rate, and like other businesses,

churches need to find a way to keep up with the changes, or fear
their disconnect deepen.
AGEISM… FINDING BALANCE:
“Ageism is discrimination against people,
especially older ones, because of their age. It
produces a mindset that despises old age in others
and in ourselves. It has spilled over into the
church, often in ways we are unaware” (Ageism,
n.d.).

Although we are discussing how to bring in a

younger audience, it is important to be mindful
of the fine line between creating balance and
expressing ageism.
DEFINE INTERGENERATIONAL CHURCH:

“The intergenerational church is a

holistic congregation with distinct
generational subgroups peacefully
co-existing under one roof, one
name, and one leadership core”
(Magi, 2004).
INCREASE INTERGENERATIONAL DIVERSITY

There are various ways to increase

intergenerational diversity.
Examples include:
• Encouraging and fostering the
growth of “Quality intergenerational
relationships” (Magi, 2004)
• Combining generational preferences
in worship styles (Magi, 2004)
• Make intergenerational community a
core-value (Snailum, n.d.)
SUGGEST THE FOLLOWING:
Ways to express intergenerational ministry include:

• Selecting church leaders who uphold the belief that all generations should be treated
equally and they too should pursue relationships outside their comfort zone (Magi,
2004)
• Plan church activities that do not compete with families, but rather includes them in
church life (Magi, 2004)
• Develop an evangelistic approach to unify families, not split up (Magi, 2004)
• Provide services and offerings for singles, divorced, widowed, single parents and any
others who may need the church as their ‘family’ (Magi, 2004)
CONCLUSION – FAILURE TO ADAPT:

“Churches that persist in outdated ministry paradigms and fail to adapt to the current
generation-based multicultural environment are destined to become antiquated relics”
(Benke, W., & Benke, L. E., 2001).

• Statistics show that younger generations are less likely to go to church than older
generations
• The church needs to be proactive in adapting their methodology to create an
intergenerational culture
• There is a fine-line between creating an intergenerational culture and leaning too far
towards a contemporary approach where ageism becomes an issue
REFERENCES:
Age distribution - Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics. (2015, May 11). Retrieved
June 22, 2020, from https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/age-distribution/

Ageism and the Church A-2. (n.d.). Retrieved June 22, 2020, from
http://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/unitedchurchofchrist/legacy_url/1306/a1.pdf?1418424777

Benke, W., & Benke, L. E. (2001). Church wake-up call: A ministries management approach that is purpose-oriented
and inter-generational in outreach. New York, NY: Best Business Books.

Codrington, G. T. (2000). Multi-generational ministries in the context of a local church (Unpublished doctoral

dissertation). Thesis / Dissertation ETD.

Mägi, G. (2004). A Philosophy of Ministry and an Educational Curriculum for a Cross-Generational Community of
Faith(Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Tartu.

Snailum, Brenda. “Implementing Intergenerational Youth Ministry within Existing Evangelical Church Congregations:
What Have We Learned?” Christian Education Journal, vol. 9, no. 1, May 2012, pp. 165–181,
doi:10.1177/073989131200900112.