Webinar explores the resource ‘Expressions of Older Adult Ministry’

The collection of videos and downloadable informational sheets is the work of Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network and the Office of Christian Formation

by Mike Ferguson | Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE — “Expressions of Older Adult Ministry,” a new online resource created by Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network in partnership with the Office of Christian Formation, got a rollout last week during an informational and inspirational webinar attended by nearly 50 people.

“It’s ministry with older adults, not for older adults,” said Miatta Wilson, Mission Association for Christian Formation in the Office of Christian Formation, who hosted the webinar and took participants through the features of the new resource.

The content is in four sections:

• Guiding Principles for Older Adult Ministry includes an introductory video by the Rev. Joyce MacKichan Walker, three videos called “The Age Wave,” one on “The Gifts of Aging,” two on “Relationship, Community, Connection,” two on “Envisioning and Planning” and a video called “Final Reflections.”
• Theological Framework for Older Adult Ministry is guided by the Rev. Dr. Sarah Erickson, who’s retired from the Center for Lifelong Learning at Columbia Theological Seminary. Video topics include framing a theology, covenants, sacraments, and implications for older adult ministries. Each has questions for reflection.
• Ministry in a variety of contexts. “Colleagues from across the PC(USA) and country have shared some examples of what ministry with older adults can look like and tips for you through videos and downloadable Quicksheets,” according to the section’s description.
• Explore more includes a variety of toolkits and a resource library.

The third section has a real gem included, “Millennial leaders in ministry with older adults.” Wilson played half of that video during the workshop.

Pastors in their 30s and 40s serve churches comprised mainly of older members. The Rev. James Potts hosted a few of his Millennial colleagues in ministry on a Zoom call. The pastors shared their experiences of being in ministry with older adults.

“The biggest thing I try to remind the congregation is, they may feel tired or too old, but I remind them they have grandparent power,” said one pastor. “We have 13 families with kids at our church. I’m trying to empower older adults to take on these families as their grandparents.” Many of the children’s actual grandparents live out of state. A refrigerator door has been mounted on a wall of the church. Each child there has a magnet with their picture on it. The children invite older adults at church to their soccer games and recitals, leaving notes held in place by their magnets. “It empowers our older adults to feel needed and invited into these lives,” the pastor said, “and creates intergenerational connection.”

Photo by Nathan Dumlao via Unsplash

Another pastor said the church she serves is focused on “slow fellowship,” where the coffee hour can last several hours following worship. As a result, some of the older adults spend their entire afternoon at church. “They look to me, a Millennial age pastor, to translate to allow for deeper conversations,” the pastor said. One older adult asked the pastor, “What does it mean to be woke? Is it a pejorative? Is it a compliment? Help me.”

“It was a safe place to ask that question without feeling foolish or embarrassed or judged,” the pastor said. “We had an open conversation about how ‘woke’ as a contemporary term can sometimes be an insult, sometimes a compliment, and sometimes a point of confusion for everyone in the conversation.” Older adults appreciate that “they can save face and not put their foot in their mouth because they processed it here in the church family, where it was safe to do so.”

A third pastor founded a digital ministry even before the pandemic began in March 2020. “Digital church is not just for the young,” this pastor said. “The church is changing, and people are seeking community and connection in different places and at times other than Sunday morning. I really thought the digital church was a young folks’ thing until the pandemic happened, and so many older adults were saying, ‘Actually, we like this better, or we like it as an option.’”

Digital pastors “are adamant about saying that digital spaces are real spaces, that it is a very real space to feel the Holy Spirit, to become emotional, to be vulnerable,” the third pastor said. “I’ve found that in digital ministry, older adults really do want that space as well, at least as an option to create accessibility and to create connection.”

Comments from three other pastors are also included in the video.

“It was nice for these pastors to find each other,” Wilson said, “and think about all the work POAMN does.”

“Expressions of Older Adult Ministry” is available for anyone to use, whether they’re POAMN members or not. Learn more about POAMN here. Read a previous Presbyterian News Service report about the resource here. The Planning Guide for Older Adult Ministry can be found here.