Three Lessons From One Boomer Small Group
A little over a month ago I received a very encouraging e-mail from a married couple who are obviously making an impact with their lives.
Here is an excerpt from the e-mail:
We lead a small group of “Empty Nesters,” all of whom are boomers and members of the same church. Our small group of about 15 have been studying Richard Stearns’ DVD series called The Hole in Our Gospel DVD
We decided we wanted to do something and not just learn from the needs of the world. We decided in our naivety (but not God’s) that we wanted to drill a well in a third world country. We started the series in February and decided that we would give toward the well project whatever God gave to us in unexpected ways. Research said it would be anywhere from $5000 to $10,000 for a drilled well.
One thing lead to another and to make a long, amazing and interesting story short, we have seen God give us over $15,000 to date. We anticipate that by the end of summer we will have over $20,000. Some of us are planning to make the trip to see some of these wells dedicated.
We have committed $7500 to a well in Sierra Leone and that is a story in itself… $2500 for the Lydia Center in Mali, and possible $5000 for a project in Kenya.
As I read your book
I keep thinking about how we, in our church, can develop disciples who have a passion to serve as a result of obedience to His Word rather than develop another program to entertain.
As we seek to find ways to minister with the new old, there are several things we can learn from this story:
1. Never underestimate the power of small groups where committed people are studying God’s Word and listening to the Holy Spirit. As we think about boomer ministry, there is a place for small groups, Bible studies, Sunday school classes and the like.
2. If you are looking for a mission statement for your boomer ministry – I think the last statement this man makes in his e-mail just about sums up what our goal should be: “Developing disciples who have a passion to serve God because they desire to obey His Word.”
3. And finally, this note serves as yet another example that boomers want to make an impact with their lives. A small group of 60 year olds – even just one 60 year old – can make a difference if he or she will simply respond to God.
What reasons would you add to this list for why boomer and beyond small groups are important?
We are starting a Second Season group in our DC church of 3000+. We started a Creative Aging Network about three years ago and it is going strong. CAN serves mainly those over 70 (400+) and the new group is meant for empty nesters and/or those fairly new to retirement from making a living. Watchwords are Service, Spirituality, and Sharing.
We have read your book. How might we develop a consulting relationship with you?