Why Your Youth Ministry Should Get Older

At a recent parish meeting, an older parishioner walked up to me and asked, “How can we get more young people to attend this church?”

I smiled and told her about our different initiatives as a ministry, but made it clear that we needed more people to pull it off. I then took the opportunity to invite her to serve. Her response was, “I’m too old, did you know that I’m a great-grandmother?”

I’m willing to be that there are people in your pews that feel too old to serve with the next generation. I’m willing to be that there have been times when you didn’t ask someone because they seemed too old. Unfortunately, I’ve been there too; however, I’ve also learned that some of my best volunteers are empty nesters, retirees, grandparents and even great-grandparents. Many of your older church members are prime for serving because:

• They have years of wisdom and patience built up
• Teens sometimes like their grandparents better than their own parents
• They have more margin and flexibility in their schedules

That’s not to say other age groups can’t help your ministry as well as older ones. We just have to remember that no one is too young or old to serve. If you aren’t sure how to approach older generations be sure to:

Point out that they don’t have to be young to be relevant

One of the big fears I hear from older church members is that they aren’t current with the latest trends and technology. I tell them what teens crave isn’t cultural relevancy, they just want to know they are valued.

I make sure our volunteers know that our teens crave attention, if we show them that with God’s love, they’ll listen to our advice. When you lift the myth of relevancy you take away a huge obstacle.

Avoid stereotypes that might prevent you from unleashing their full potential as leaders

Don’t assume that because they are your grandparents age that they don’t know technology. Don’t assume that they won’t know how to connect with the teens. Don’t assume teens won’t like them because they aren’t young, cool and hip.

We live in a world where everyone is trying to keep up with the trends. If an older person is a grandparent they’re probably familiar with technology because they want to connect with their kids. Most of them have computers, mobile devices and understand the world around them is changing.

Plus, there are timeless principles out there that they already know. Even if they cannot operate the software you need for check-in, they are going to be able to still connect with kids through good old hospitality. Our assumptions create limits that will prevent us from really knowing someone’s potential. All you have to do is ask.

Remind them they still have a purpose

There are a lot of people out there who believe that because they can no longer work or have physical limitations due to age that they lack purpose. It’s a similar lie that our young people buy. People believe that because they are too young or too old that they lack significance and value.

If you remind an older person that they can still make a difference and impact their family they’ll invest themselves into what you do. If they aren’t sure what their purpose is, just sit down with them, listen to their story and invite them to figure it out with you.

You are never too old to serve the next generation. You are never too old to have purpose. Connect older and younger generations together so that you can see the church continue to grow.

How have you encouraged older people to get invested into your youth ministry?