Intergenerational Christian Community

ctm.uca.edu.au/children-and-families/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2017/06/Towards-Truly-Intergenera...Short article with good book list re intergenerational ministry ... See MoreSee Less

‘Intergenerational’ seems to be the buzz word of the moment.  There are large international research programmes in the secular world devoted to intergenerational issues and there’s even a dedicated journal of intergenerational relationships.  It is now widely recognized, even outside the church, that good intergenerational connections are a source of hope for healthy societies and a peaceful world in the future.

Generational fragmentation is a reality that the church must engage as it navigates the 21st century. Generational fragmentation artificially divides the body of Christ and fails to fulfil its calling “To prepare God’s people for works of service…”

Welcome to our Integenerational Church learning community. Here are 4 key resources to help you join the conversation about the role of the whole church in nurturing the faith of a child.

I’ve seen the confused looks, and I’ve even heard the questions, some of them directly to me. “What about these children helping at communion?  I’m not sure if that’s allowed.  I’m not sure if I like that.” I understand the sentiment, and I take the question seriously.  To be honest, having the youth help at…

Intergenerational ministry takes place when people from at least two generations intentionally gather for the same activity in the name of Christ, interacting with one another in ways which reflect mutual respect and appreciation.

Being Messy, Being Church 9780857464880.

While most of the people who read the Messy Church blog will, with me, rise up in ire, wielding a pitchfork at the description of Messy Church as ‘a brand of work with children’ (yes, I share your pain), Bishop David touches on something important about the value of messiness to the way we are church together. 

This new and FREE resource takes as its source material the suggested readings from the Revised Common Lectionary, thus making it especially suitable for particular denominations (such as the Anglican, Lutheran and Uniting Churches) and usable by any church. Its basic approach is to take as a foundation the general principles of multi-age worship – such as seeking to be multi-sensory, multi-intelligence and multi-ability aware – and add a layer of intergenerational awareness. Broadly speaking, this resource addresses the Welcome, Call to Worship, Prayer of Confession, Music and Bible Reading elements often found in the first third of a mainline worship service.

In Seven Days "Let the Children Come" - Intergenerational Worship Wanted: Sunday School Teachers False Idols: Changes in Worship What to Do with Broken Pews? No Stress, No Fuss Christmas Pageant & Worship Part I No Stress, No Fuss Christmas Pageant & Worship Part II Covenant: Intergenerational Faith Community The What and How of Intergenerational…

Across October new, FREE intergenerational lectionary-based resources will be provided for each week. Suitable for use whether you are following the lectionary or not, these resources from the VCCE will include intergenerational music, prayer and Bible engagement ideas. These ideas may be used wherever liturgically appropriate in a service, including as part of an Early Word/ Children’s Talk time.

Wish the elders officiating at communion hand whispered instead of speaking loudly while elements were being distributed!

When it's used to describe children's ministry, next generation also implies a better approach -- a more effective way of reaching young people of all ages.

Yesterday we spent the service reflecting on our church values and at one point everyone had some space to draw, write thoughts or to discuss the values. One of the children (she is 3) drew this picture and asked her mum to write the names in of the other people in her Sunday School class. Two…

During my most recent Messy visits, I have found my attention drawn to something that can often be pivotal to the success or failure of running a good Messy Church. It may sound trivial when I tell you what that is, but in my experience it holds the key to solving some of the challenges we face in the activities, at the celebration or over the meal. The truth is that so many of those problems boil down to a question of... the furniture! Yes, furniture! Let me try and explain…

Indeed for what purpose do we older folks exist, other than to care for, instruct and bring up the young? | Martin Luther

We asked ‘What helps young people stay rooted in their faith and church lives?’ Here’s a summary of what we heard.

Kids who are black, white, Asian, Hispanic. Kids who are fostered or adopted. Only children, middle children, and youngest children. High risk, special needs, gifted, introverts, extroverts, strong-willed, or mild-tempered . . .

In biblical culture, as in most cultures still today, people did not live primarily as individuals, but as families, especially extended families. How might this influence our understanding of discipleship?

“I knew we were starting to get somewhere when my six-year-old son was rattling off who he wanted at his birthday party.  There were as many adults as kids on that list.”

It turns out that intergenerational relationships are one key to building lasting faith in students. Silver bullet? No. Helpful if we want students to live their faith beyond high school? Absolutely. Sadly, many high school students lack these significant relationships. In our effort to offer relevant and developmentally appropriate teaching and fellowship for teenagers, we have segregated (and we use that verb intentionally but not lightly) students from the rest of the church. In interviews and open-ended survey questions, participants shared reflections like this one: “The students seemed to be very separated from the rest of the congregation. Maybe fixing that gap would help unite the church.”