This weekend I talked about the concept of people in all age groups getting into the game. From kids to retirees God is moving and we are seeing people respond. But we need everybody in the game to be at our best.
I think God purposely didn’t give every age group all the goods so that we would have to rely on each other. Our sages and our youth. Our parents and our kids. They all add something.
Here is what I would like you to do….
Give me what you think each group especially adds to the makeup of the Body of Christ.
Here are the groups:
1) Children (4-14 Years Old)
2) HS and College
3) Post College/Young Professional (family)
4) Parents with kids at home
5) Empty Nesters/Retirees
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1) Children (4-14 Years Old)- They have the faith. They believe all things. The have innocence and think in ways adults are too small minded to see
2) HS and College- They are the boots on the ground in a sence. They usually are the ones to go out and do the work
3) Post College/Young Professional (family)- Still trying to find their way in life. They are ready to go out and mold this world
4) Parents with kids at home-Seem to make up the most of a church body. They impact the community by reaching out to individuals
5) Empty Nesters/Retirees-wisdom through life experience!
Very well put! I have to share, last night as Adam and I were putting Steven to bed he wanted to pray for us instead of us praying for him. Just like John’s instructions from earlier in the day, he put his little hands on our heads and prayed the most intense, honest, and heartfelt prayer…I was so touched by his eagerness to be like Jesus. He prayed for healing and had faith when he prayed because he has experienced healing from Celiac’s disease. It is the trust and compassion that I can learn from my 7 year old how to be more Christ like.
What an awesome story! I am sure God heard that prayer.
I had to wonder if this is a trick question, because you could have a HS/College person who might be ten years older in Christ than an Empty Nester/Retiree who just started a new life. You can have a babe-in-Christ who is 70 years old who could learn from a 12 year old who grew up loving Jesus. Of course there are old-timers, “sages” I think you called us, in Christ who bring wisdom and experience that only comes from following Jesus a long time that need to pass on that knowledge.
I think a key to a successful congregation is not ALWAYS trying to separate them. I don’t think we should be in a hurry to isolate each group.
While always being closely supervised for safety, I think the HS group should be working with the 4-14 year olds – kids will listen to and believe older “kids” wayyyy more than they trust adults. Little ones helping/serving old-timers are such a blessing to many older folks.
College/Young Professionals bring strength and exuberance. Like at the tree-lighting outreach they can have the energy to rowdy it up a bit and cheer people on to accept our gifts. They yell louder. They smile wider. They hold a sign higher. They last longer – LOL.
Folks with kids in Christ bring stability. They do the boring day-to-day care of the folks. They work the nurseries. They work the kitchen. They keep the family together and that makes for a strong foundation and brings long-term viability to the church. They show the love of Christ in a less flashy way. They show many in the world that families don’t have to be scary, bad, mean places. Families can be a place of fun and working together where kids and parents don’t always fight each other or despise one another.
Of course these are generalities and there are always those who cross stereotyped boundaries but these are just a few of the ways I see the age groups.
They are generalzations but that is what we are talking in right now. I think you hit some of the things on the head. And your first point is my point of Integrated Vineyard Family. We don’t want to always seperate but intergrate because each group is stronger with healthy interaction with other age groups.