A VISION FOR THE AGING CHURCH
Renewing ministry for and by Seniors
By James M. Houston and Michael Parker. IVP Academic. 247 pages. £16.99
ISBN 978 0 830 839 483
The book addresses great issues — how we respond to increased life expectancy in society and the needs of older people in our churches.
The authors’ combined knowledge and experience makes this a well-informed work. It is thoroughly biblical and a timely response to a growing problem.
Challenges for churches
In the West, people are living up to 25 years after retirement, many developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. How does the church provide support for older people and their adult carers? The obverse is that many ‘seniors’ in our churches are retiring with years of useful service ahead of them. How does the church make use of this resource? Too often the church focuses on the problem of caring for the elderly and less on the potential they represent. As the authors state: ‘Now is the time for the church to offer ministry to its increasing numbers of seniors and to benefit from the ministry they can offer … they aren’t the problem. They are the solution’.
Engage with our communities
The problem is replicated in society at large. There is a compelling case for the church to engage with professionals in the caring profession to propose solutions. The rich resource of seniors in our churches can be mobilised to respond to the needs in society as a gospel opportunity.
There is a fresh insight into the issues of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. We should take a far more positive view of people with these disabilities — they are people created in the image of God who are loved by God. For the ‘senior’ Christian, this is a great consolation. For the non-Christian, their failing faculties indicate that they need the peace that comes from a newfound personal relationship with God. I heartily commend this book to church leaders.
Geoff Weekes,
former elder at Widcombe Baptist Church, Bath, and chairman of a Christian charity providing support for older people and their carers in Bath
