It seems to be a Catch-22. If you have an aging church, the way to be an aging church reaching younger families is to have younger families in your church. But the reason the congregation is older is because it has few or no younger families. I have seen this played out on numerous occasions. A young family visits a church. They notice there are only older adults in the worship services. The young family decides not to return as they surmise there are few opportunities for younger adults and their children.
Hear me clearly. I am not suggesting there is anything inherently wrong with a congregation of senior adults. But I have been asked on numerous occasions how an aging church can possibly reach younger families.
RELATED: Reaching Young Families
How Some an Aging Church Can Become Younger
Rather than give you my own subjective opinions, let me share with you five different ways some churches have actually accomplished this feat.
- They prayed for younger people to come to their church. Sometimes in our quest to find methodological solutions in our churches, we neglect the most important Source of our needs: God through prayer. Some senior adult churches have done just that. They have subsequently seen young families and young singles come into their churches.
- They were willing to change. There is a natural tendency to resist change as we get older. Colloquially, it is often expressed as “getting settled in our ways.” I spoke with one 77-year-old man who made a visit to the church in town that was reaching young people. He saw what attracted those younger generations in contrast to what was taking place in his church. He prayed that God would give him a heart that was other-focused instead of me-focused. He would later become a leader of the older congregants urging them to let go of things that were simply their preferences.
- The members expanded their social circles to younger people. Relationships are key to reaching people. If older adults are intentional about connecting with younger persons in their social settings, those relationships will soon transfer to the church.
