In my new book, Wisdom Church: Abundant Life for Aging Congregations, I call for a shift in how we see aging congregations. In churches where most members are over 55, conversations return again and again to one question: How can we fix this?
The same question can sound like: How can we bring in young families? How can we have more children and youth? Unsaid, but perhaps implied, is: How can we stop being so old?
In these conversations, the aging church becomes a problem to be solved rather than a beloved gift from God. Imagine what this does to morale and energy. The current members can’t reverse their own aging. Members and leaders can not change the global trend of declining religious participation in younger generations. Feeling powerless to change something the congregation believes must be changed creates intense stress. This can devolve into open conflict or serial pastoral transitions as the church tries to fix a problem that is unfixable. It can generate an exhausting culture of self-blame and even self-hatred.
God does not want this for any congregation.
What if, instead of seeing the aging church as a problem, we saw it as a beloved gift from God? What if God intentionally called this group of people together in this place and time? Why might a good, loving God call us together in this way? Surely not to harm each other with blame and brokenness.
I dream of the day when congregations stop measuring their worth by average age and size. I long for churches to start asking: Where is the wisdom in our collective life experiences? What gifts is God calling us to surface and share? How is God calling us to thrive as a church right now, just as we are?
You may be saying: But we were once bigger, younger, had more families, had more kids, plus a bigger budget, and surely that is who we need to be again.
I would ask why you think so. Did God say that good churches would always look a certain way? Did Jesus say, “follow me, and I will make your churches large and attractive and rich and young?” On the contrary, those ideas are rooted in very American ideas about success and growth, drawn from the world of business. We believe a successful enterprise will grow forever with an ideal customer base of those 18-45. Yet we are not called to be in the business of church. We are called to be the church together.
Every group of ragtag misfits, young and old, that seeks to follow Jesus together is a good church. Sure, you may not be able to support a giant budget and physical plant if you are a smaller and older congregation. Did Jesus call us to big budgets and buildings? I think not. You will, however, be able to:
- gather together in a space that is right-sized for you
- love and support each other through joys and struggles
- listen deeply to each other
- uncover your collective wisdom, and
- hear God’s calling for your people, right here, right now.
Are you ready to shift the conversation in your church? Reach out to me find out how I can help, or check out my new book, Wisdom Church: Abundant Life for Aging Congregations.