Designing An Older Adult Ministry

Building on the success of Designing a Ministry by, with, and for Older Adults, author Rick Gentzler gives readers new ways to develop and strengthen ministries with older adults, providing: information about the needs and life issues of older adults tools to help congregations evaluate their current situation models for ministry with older adults suggested resources For more information on ministries with older adults, contact the Center on Aging & Older Adult Ministries or call the toll-free number, 877.899.2780, extension 7177.

A companion to the author's earlier book Designing an Older Adult Ministry (Discipleship Resources, 1999), this book will provide new information and outline ways to develop and strengthen ministries by, with, and for older adults that can, and will, enhance the spiritual growth and well-being of people of all ages. The church is beginning to recognize that there are vast numbers of older people in its membership. It is becoming aware of its indebtedness to them for the leadership, support, service, and faith that has made the church of today possible. The church is uniquely positioned to help older adults respond to the challenges of aging; to see the tremendous potentialities in the lives of older adult for making the church and community better; and to assist older people as they experience new meaning and purpose in their later lives. Chapters include "Why Older-Adult Ministries?"; "Understanding the Aging Process"; "Aging and the Spiritual Journey"; "The New Seniors: Boomers?"; "Intentional Ministry by, with, and for Older Adults"; "Organizing for Intentional Ministry in the Local Church"; "Organizing for Intentional Ministry in the Conference"; "Congregational Care Ministry"; "Additional Ideas for Intentional Ministry"; and "Trends in Aging." Appendixes include a "Facts about Aging" quiz, information on creating and using older adult surveys, and suggested resources for further reading and study.

Learn how to focus your ministry’s programs and services on the elderly By 2030, 20% of the people living in the United States will be age 65 or older, with unique spiritual needs that can affect their physical and mental well-being. Ministering to Older Adults answers the critical need for a ministry that doesn’t center primarily on youth and families in its outreach, instead presenting a step-by-step guide to developing a ministry for the aged that is focused on the needs and resources of each congregation. This program has been used effectively with nearly 50 congregations, both large and small, to create a focused older adult ministry. No two congregations are alike. The resources, perspectives, and skills of each congregation are different, as are the needs of its members. Ministering to Older Adults provides a framework for use by planning groups within communities of any religious tradition. The book presents a process that includes essential questions that allow planning groups to develop answers that fit the needs, cultural, history, and structure of their individual congregations. Ministering to Older Adults is divided into three sections: “The Fundamentals”—defining your audience, your mission, and the skills and existing programs that can be brought to the planning process “Programming Possibilities”—spiritual needs based on the aging process, continued learning for older adults, opportunities to serve and be served, providing quality pastoral care, and community building “Putting it All Together”—deciding on a direction, using desired outcomes for evaluation, establishing target dates, and ongoing evaluation Ministering to Older Adults also includes forms and charts to help in the planning process. The book is an invaluable resource for clergy, ministry committees and planning groups, and staff persons responsible for older adult ministries.

The church is in the hands of its elders. While the popular perception is that the aged are needy and infirm, Gentzler affirms that the majority of older adults have plenty to give. The church needs to tap into their wisdom, energy, experience, and talents. Gentzler stresses that older adult ministries need to be by and with elders as well as for them, since participants will represent all stages of retirement and activity levels. In addition to the practical issues of programming, Gentzler takes on more difficult topics of aging including chronic conditions, depression, and death. He also recommends that churches pay special attention to the needs of the Baby Boomer generation, since they are now becoming the older adults who will determine the church's path for years to come. "As Boomers have cycled through their various life stages, they passed through 'hippie' and 'yuppie' to become 'abbies': aging Baby Boomers," Gentzler writes. "But don't tell Boomers they're aging. ...They really do expect to stay young and see getting old as an option, rather than a reality." The Leader's Guide is here.

The Complete Guide for Senior Adult Ministry Over one quarter of Americans are age fifty or older. This sizable group has unique needs and requires specialized ministry. In this resource, pastor to senior adults Dr. David Gallagher offers invaluable insights, practical ideas, and successful strategies for ministering effectively to people over 50. In this book you'll find: Ð THE BIG PICTURE AND NUTS AND BOLTS OF SENIOR ADULT MINISTRY. This book offers a fresh framework of ministry goals and vision, as well as the practical insights to accomplish them. It includes steps for effective senior adult ministry, characteristics of senior adults, ways to involve senior adults in ministry, and more! Ð 150 SOLID GOLD MINISTRY TIPS, TIME-SAVERS, AND LIFE-SAVERS. This priceless help will be useful to both those new and experienced at senior adult ministry. Ð POWERFUL OUTREACH ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS. These tested and proven-effective ideas help meet the social, emotional and spiritual needs of seniors! Ð REPRODUCIBLE WORKSHEETS AND HANDOUTS. Found in most chapters, you'll find these reproducible helps invaluable for sparking creativity for all areas of senior adult ministry. A must-have, fresh, new resource for churches who truly desire to effectively reach everyone in their community.

Ministry With the Aging--the one most frequently used textbook in seminary courses that deal with ministry and aging--is now available from The Haworth Press. Here is a genuinely useful and informative text in which an all-star cast of authors reflects on the current situation of the aged in our society. Ministry With the Aging encourages a deeper appreciation of the presence and role of aging people with contemporary religion, addresses the challenges that the church and society face in a rapidly aging society, and provides practical applications for an effective ministry with the aging. Each chapter, whether it focuses on the role of the elderly in the early church, death and dying, ageism, retirement, or caring for elderly parents, is written by an eminent scholar who has chosen only the most relevant issues for discussion. A past runner up for the “Book of the Year Award” by the Academy of Parish Clergy, Ministry With the Aging is a landmark volume that can offer theology students a unique and insightful look at how they can best meet the needs of their elderly parishioners.

Packed with detailed looks into the makeup of a church community, Church Ministry By Design powerfully presents a step-by-step biblical guide to organizing and effectively running a church. The church of the 21st century has a number of challenges facing it, not all of them spiritual. How the staff handles the enormity of local regulations, social pressures, and legislation will affect the way ministry is done. Church Ministry by Design provides a blueprint for organizing the church for the future, and addresses a large number of ministries the church may choose to provide for its community. Author and pastor Gary H. Woolverton brings together information that assists the staff of the church in developing, maintaining, and evaluating effective ministry and is designed to help the church thrive in the 21st century. Watch for the continuation of this ministry, as the next volume in the series, Position Descriptions by Design, is released soon.

The Guidelines’ booklets, one for each ministry area, are tools that enable you to help get new lay leaders off to a good start. Each booklet includes the basic "job description" for the leader as well as practical "how-to" information important to implementing ministry effectively. Brief and to the point for the busy, but spirit-led leader, these Guidelines take some of the unknown out of leading these ministry areas. One booklet for each title makes up this set of 26 Guidelines, perfect for making them available to all church members. The twenty-six Guidelines, one for each ministry area, cover church leadership areas including Church Council and Small Membership Church; the administrative areas of Finance and Trustees; and ministry areas focused on nurture, outreach, and witness including Worship, Evangelism, Stewardship, and Christian Education, age-level ministries, Communications, and more. The download file of a product is copyrighted just as a print resource is copyrighted. In the case of the Guidelines Set of 26, the purchaser can extract one copy of each booklet for an individual to use. (For example, one copy can be extracted for the chair of the stewardship committee; one for the person responsible for adult ministries; one for the lay leader). Additional copies are purchased separately as needed. Download files for each individual booklet are sold separately, just as print copies of the booklets are sold separately.