Multi-Generational Church

Last week, I attended a seminar sponsored by Virginia Baptists at Camp Little Crossroads. The title of the invitation only seminar was, “Leading a Five Generation Church.”

You can understand why this intrigued me—as this precisely describes the challenges we face at Ivy. There aren’t many congregations that are picking up this challenge. Too often, one generation of Christians is given the lions share of attention at the expense of the others. The reasons for this are many and varied. Typically, words like “survival” and “squeaky wheel” are the motivational forces behind a focus on one generation over another.

Obviously, the greater challenge facing a historic church like Ivy, is to bring all generations together as the Body of Christ. This is no small or easy task, rather it challenges all of us to reach beyond our small circle of friends to include other generations into our communities. The scriptures are replete with examples of younger Christians honoring their elders and elders mentoring and caring for those who are coming behind them.

Jesus commanded us to “love our neighbor as ourselves.” The Apostle Paul expanded this command with these forceful words, “bear one another’s burdens in love.” Both of these instructions imply we have neighbors, and both of these are directed at Christians within the faith community. Love does not exist in a vacuum, rather it demands that we interact and care for those around us.

Both scriptures demand that we move out of our comfort zones and established friendships with many different generations. How else can the seniors receive the respect and honor due them, and how else can the older believers mentor and disciple the younger?

It may be that this is a new paradigm for the modern church; however, it is not new to the historic church. Mentoring and honoring have been as much a part of the fabric of Christianity as Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. I am convinced that the next twenty years of the church will see a revival of “mentoring and honoring” as Christians rediscover the jewels of generational connection.