TIME + EXPERIENCE + RESOURCES = SIGNIFICANT KINGDOM IMPACT
Something incredible is happening across the country. Never before in history have so many people lived into the later years of life with so much health and vitality. In fact, by the year 2030, nearly a quarter of our population will be 65+ in age. This is a huge group of people with the ability to make a powerful impact for Christ. Just consider what they have to offer: Read more
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
Several weeks ago I read an article about retirement coaches. These are individuals who have made it their business to help people navigate how to spend their retirement years. Unlike retirement planning that focuses on managing money, these coaches help adults manage their “post-career” life. Wouldn’t it be great if the church began to take on the ministry of equipping people to live out a purposeful retirement? One way to do this is to look at the members of your congregation and consider who is currently retired that would be good mentors for those approaching retirement. Read more
This year I’ve spent a lot of time writing and talking about the first baby boomer turning 65 and why the Church must respond to this huge group of people. Well, my mom is one of those baby boomers. She was born on June 9, 1946 in a small Oklahoma town. Read more
I’m going to take a little detour on the blog today, moving away from my usual talk about the new old and focusing instead on those at the very end of life’s spectrum. The fastest growing segment of the older adult population are those who are 85+ and churches need to look for innovative ways to communicate love and care to this growing group. Read more
This week is a video blog where I discuss some recent news stories that I think can help us as we consider ministry with the new old. Read more
So often what keeps us from making real and heartfelt connections with those from a different generation are the pre-conceived notions we have about that group. Such as: “They don’t care about me.” “They are so different than me.” “I have nothing in common with them.” “What would we talk about?” And these doubts and wrong attitudes keep us from building a bridge. Read more
In my ministry I often hear about the deep concern older adults have for their adult children. In fact, one of the major concerns facing many empty-nest adults today is that their adult children are no longer following Christ. I can walk into an empty-nesters Sunday school class, a coffee shop where older men are gathered for prayer, or even a nursing home chapel service and nearly guarantee you that someone is very burdened over an adult child who has wandered from the faith. This is a real issue facing millions of adults today and this is why I want to let you know of a valuable resource. Read more
This week in Orlando a big church conference called Exponential has been in full swing. Exponential is a church planting conference that has rapidly grown over the past few years to draw over 3500 people. All kinds of pertinent topics are being discussed including conversations about planting churches that are externally-focused, multi-ethnic and multi-site. Not to mention all the great coaching on leadership, social media, and vision-casting to help those who are launching new churches. But there is a crucial element missing in all of these discussions — the 78 million baby boomers in our country. Read more
