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Your older congregation members have much to offer your small church. Follow these steps to get to know your seniors, encourage them to participate, and give them the tools that they need to be a vibrant part of your church community.

At times when older members are not participating, it’s easy to leap to wrong conclusions. Oftentimes the person you think no longer wants to be an active part of the church is actually struggling with physical limitations, understanding where they fit, or feeling irrelevant. Learn how to help renew their passion and vision while tapping into their wealth of talents and wisdom.  

1. Take the time to build stronger relationships. 

  • Invite them to a special gathering for seniors. Serve refreshments, make them special guests, and love on them! Simply spend some time with them and talk with them.
  • Ask questions, lots of questions! Get to know them by asking about their lives, jobs, and places they’ve been. Play some fun relational mixers and LISTEN-LISTEN-LISTEN!

Click on this link for more ideas: Your Favorite Icebreaker Games For Small Churches

  • As you listen, make it a goal to discover what their gifts and talents are, and also what they enjoy doing.

2. Discover what talents and gifts your senior adults are excited to share.

Look for talents that could be taught to younger people:

  • Auto repair
  • Crochet/knit
  • Chess
  • Fishing
  • Cooking
  • Woodworking 
  • Music (instrumental/vocal) 

** Keep these ideas in mind for future outreach to your community!

3. Discover where their heart passions lie, like missions, serving, outreach, or community issues.

Here are simple ways to turn a passion into action:

  1. Send out snail mail cards of encouragement, get wells, or milestones.
  2. Get involved in a missions-based stamp ministry. (For example, Shell Point Village in Fort Myers, FL takes used stamps and sells them to stamp collectors, and donates the proceeds to missions projects in South America)
  3. Adopt a family at a local school for Thanksgiving or Christmas time.
  4. Serve local first responders or police stations with thank-you plates of cookies. (We call our ministry “Cookies with a Smile.”) 
  5. Host Reading & Rocking Events, and storytimes for preschoolers.
  6. Be a church greeter or coffee host for new guests at church.
  7. Serve on a board at a local women’s shelter or homeless ministry.

4. Invite the older congregation members to be part of the process and brainstorm for the church.

Have a planning party and invite them in to help! If you don’t know what a planning party is, check out this article from the Small Church Ministry website: How To Throw A Planning Party. (Although this article is written with women’s ministries in mind, it is easily adaptable to any group).

  • Ask them what kinds of events they are interested in and would enjoy bringing their friends to. Ask their opinions on how certain events and ministries should be structured or run.
  • Start planning with their input and ask if they can help in the oversight of some of the events or ministries. Encourage them to “own” the ideas! 

5. Equip them to serve successfully.

You’ve gotten to know your elder congregation, you’ve encouraged them to participate in the plans and suggestions, and now give them the tools and training that they need to be successful in what they’re participating in! 

Check out The Small Church Ministry Podcast for tips about volunteers in Episodes 9-14. This will help set them up for success: Volunteer Series

  • Give each participant a good job description of how you want them to be used, what you want to be accomplished, and how long their commitment will be.
  • Make sure they have the training if it is a job they are not familiar with. If you can, provide them with a chance to observe the process before jumping in to do it.
  • Make sure they have a support system, someone they can connect with for questions, advice, and encouragement.
  • Keep communication lines open – always schedule time for evaluation after events or special outreaches to see what they think, what can be improved, and how they felt they did.

Love And Honor The Older Congregation Members

One key is to remember that we must always show grace, compassion, and kindness as we deal with each other in God’s family. We want to inspire, encourage, and give value to those who are our elders. Just as Jesus taught us:

Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.

John 13:35

Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

Romans 12:10

You can make a difference in your small church by honoring and welcoming older congregation members to be a vital part of your church body. Be their cheerleader, coach, and friend as you lead the way to reconnect them to how their passions and talents are needed in your small church.

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