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If you are part of a small church family, chances are some of your family members are senior adults. Just like a biological family, our church families are made up of people of all ages and stages. God desires for us to be a multi-generational family. One that shares and cares for one another and one in which each member has a valuable contribution.
Many times we have a wealth of volunteers, wisdom, skills, and personalities sitting in our churches each week and we don’t even realize it!
Asking older adults to be involved in ministry is first of all God’s design. He desires for each part of the body to have a purpose and a calling. Inviting older adults to be part of our ministries offers them a chance for socialization and connection, to build new relationships, and to feel valued.
Older adults in our small churches can bring their wisdom and life experience to our family members, which will benefit all ages of our church community. Finding ways that older adults can serve may take some thought and being purposeful, but it will be an encouragement to them and a blessing to your small church.
Here are some ideas for you to consider inviting the older adults in your church to participate in!
14 Volunteer Ideas For Older Adults In Your Church
1. Greeters-Sunday & Beyond
Many of us use our seniors on Sunday morning as greeters, but have you considered using them for greeters at your Youth Program? Some of your youth may not have local grandparents and would treasure an intergenerational connection with older adults. This could be as simple as having your older adults greeting children as they come into your youth program. As they connect and build relationships, it could be a connection to the entire family.
A few tips for your volunteers:
- Encourage your older adults to ask and remember kids’ names. If you have several kids who attend, ask everyone to wear a name tag.
- Ask questions and get to know them a bit. They won’t have an extended amount of time with them, but you could provide them with conversational prompts.
- Pray for the kids throughout the week. Ask for God to work in this ministry and for volunteers to be the light of Christ as they interact.
- Be their cheerleaders, as you find out activities or projects they are working on, encourage them and celebrate wins with them.
- Let them know that their church family cares for them. This could make an eternal difference for a child in your small church program.
2. Mommy & Me: Rockin’ Readers Program
Offer a program at your church for the community where mothers (or caregivers) can bring in toddlers & pre-k children to a storytime, read with great enthusiasm, by an older adult in a rocking chair of course!
You should require children to be escorted by a caregiver so you are not asking your volunteer to be a ‘babysitter’, something that most would not be comfortable doing.
This program will give your senior volunteer a chance to enhance the life of a young child and offer the mom/caregiver a fun activity in their day. Reading to young children is a great way to share God’s love, as there are many wonderful Christian-based storybooks.
Promote your program through social media, local community connections, and through your church family.
3. Creating The Story Of Your Church
Many of your senior adults have been involved in your church for years. This makes them ideal for preserving the history and story of your church for generations to come.
Ask them to gather information, establish an archive (whether digital or paper), make an album or display of photos, and interview past & present members and leaders to ensure the story of your church is recorded. Encourage them to incorporate their own ideas of how to record the history.
When it comes time for a milestone celebration year, you will be happy that you have this collection.
Invite them to make a display to share with the church family, and encourage creativity. A bulletin board, a collage, a digital album, a video. The sky’s the limit!
This project would work best with a small team of older adults working together.
4. Coffee & Hospitality Teams
Sunday morning coffee bars and offering hospitality is a great volunteer opportunity for senior adults. Offer training in how to use the coffee machines, and have the church provide the materials needed. Ask them to have input in setting up your hospitality area. Invite senior adults to make or bring in goodies for your coffee time. Many people enjoy baking, but have no one to bake for!
Beyond Sunday mornings, you could have the hospitality teams volunteer to provide refreshments for church board or council meetings, new member classes, or other groups that may meet at your church.
This is a good way for your senior adults to make connections with many different segments of your church family and your community.
5. Lead Support Groups
As you get to know the senior adults in your small church, identify those who may be willing to lead a Support Group as a ministry, a single leader, or a pair. Sit down and brainstorm with your seniors and get their input to help identify needs in your church and in your community. Ask your church leadership to help provide them with materials and resources.
Some of the possible groups to consider starting:
- Grief Group – For those who have lost a loved one. Grief Share is a great resource for materials for this. You can also listen to our podcast episode 084: Is A Grief Ministry Right For Your Small Church? With Karen Altizer.
- 12-Step Groups – There are local/national resources to guide you in starting this.
- Only’s & Lonely’s Senior Group – A support group for those who live alone or are a great distance from any family. This group would be for connection, discussion, and a chance to share the gospel through simple devotionals.
- Caregivers Support Group – Giving compassion and support to those who care for someone, i.e., an aging parent or spouse, someone with cancer, someone who has a severe disability, etc. Invite speakers to encourage and share resources. Encourage your senior adults to come alongside and minister through relationship, empathy, and prayer.
6. Establish A Church Library
Many small churches have a ‘library’, usually described as a bookshelf in the corner, piled with books that no one wants anymore. They are rarely used and soon become dust collectors, but not if you invite your senior volunteers to have a creative approach to the library.
Encourage your volunteers to brainstorm on ways to make your library more appealing to all ages, convenient, and inspirational to your small church family.
Ask your church leadership if you could have a small budget to purchase a new book each month.
Invite your volunteers to give a 2-minute book review & promo once a month, during your Sunday morning announcement time.
Ask them to do some Facebook posts with book suggestions on your church’s social media pages. Record a funny interview about the book and post it on your website.
An interactive and vital church library could benefit your entire church family and give a wonderful ministry to some senior adults.
7. Snail Mail Patrol
Yes, we know that sending cards/letters via USPS is out of style, but did you know that most people who receive ‘snail mail’ feel very special and valued? Older adults in your church, even those who may be somewhat limited in mobility and housebound could volunteer to do this ministry.
Make a birthday list of your church members, provide your volunteers with an address directory, cards, and postage, and watch them make someone’s day by sending out cards.
This doesn’t have to be limited to birthdays alone, get wells, encouragement cards for shut-ins, cards of support and prayer for those going through difficult times, and just ‘because we love you’, are all great reasons for sending a card.
8. Homework Helpers
Many parents would love to have extra help for their students in certain classes, but tutors are expensive. What about inviting your senior adults to be homework helpers? Of course, not all of them will have a desire to do this, but just by asking you may discover some retired teachers, former all ‘A’ students, and those with a heart to help kids learn.
Provide them with a quiet workspace at your church. Perhaps a snack might encourage some brain power!
Do some promotion and spread the word among your small church members with announcements of bulletin posts or written invitations.
You will need to get your volunteers a background check, as they will be working with children, and never allow a child and only 1 adult in a closed-door classroom. We want to follow safe ministry practices.
10. Missionary Connection Person
Wouldn’t it be great to have a designated volunteer who would keep in touch with the missionaries that your church or denomination supports?
Many times it’s hard to keep current on the happenings of your missionaries. Not everyone receives newsletters, sometimes the pastor doesn’t have time or remember to pass the information along.
Your volunteer could keep the church abreast of any milestones, ministry progress, and prayer requests. They could also write letters or emails to encourage your missionaries and assure them of your prayer support. This position would not only give your older adult a purpose in ministry, but enrich the lives of your missionaries.
If you have a bulletin board or display area, invite your volunteer to post pictures and ‘snippets’ from letters, this would keep your missionary’s needs in front of your small church at all times.
11. Crafting Connections
Making connections around the craft table is a surefire way to reach across generational lines. Asking your older adults to share skills and crafts with those in your small church is a great idea. Whether it be needlecraft, paper crafting, quilting, or woodworking, everyone enjoys learning a new skill. Your church can provide the meeting space for your crafting time and the volunteer to teach it and watch the relationships begin to grow.
Put out a poll or survey among your senior adults and see what kinds of skills and talents are available right in your own church! This is also a great opportunity to invite new people from the community to experience your church.
12. ‘Grands’ On Demand
This ministry is one that will connect families who have no grandparents locally to senior adults in the church who are willing to be local ‘stand-in on demand’.
Pairing families with your volunteers can be done through forms that families fill out for what they are looking for. The older adults would fill out their own form to describe their availability and talents. This would help your church to decide who would be the best fit for each family.
The ‘On Demand-Grands’ can provide ‘grandparent’ type connections by spending time with the children playing games, putting puzzles together, baking cookies, reading stories, sharing memories, and praying for the family. As relationships build they could even attend events to cheer on kids, be part of birthday celebrations, graduations, etc.
This program could be as little or as much as your volunteers want it to be. You could refer to it as a pseudo-adopted grandparent type of program.
Imagine what a blessing this could be both to these children and their families.
13. Caring Call Squad
Many of the retired members of your small church have time available to make phone calls just for ‘chatting’. Make a list of people who aren’t normally very involved or latchkey kids (after-school kids who are alone), those who are going through a long-term medical issue, etc. Those who would benefit from a ‘caring call.’
Provide volunteers with the names and numbers of these people. Volunteers would commit to calling their list on a specified schedule — every other day, once a week, twice a month, etc.
Equip volunteers with conversational prompts, questions for deeper connection, and ideas for discussions. Also helpful is a list of subjects and discussion areas to steer away from. Providing a list of encouraging verses and prayers to share is helpful as well.
What a thoughtful, yet simple way to connect with others and show them God’s love and care!
14. Breaking Bread Days
Do you have seniors who would love to team up to host monthly luncheons at your church? The church provides the space and the team invites people of all ages from the community or the church, to break bread together. This also provides a space for connection.
Each month encourages a different theme, volunteers can sign up to bring food, decorate the space, and someone could lead a devotional after lunch.
Jesus, Himself, modeled sharing life around the breaking of bread. What a great opportunity for older adults to show Jesus’ love to others as they gather around the table.
Connect With The Older Adults In Your Church
Do you realize that we just scratched the surface of ideas for senior adults in your small church to be a part of?
We encourage you to take time to have discussions about what their passions and giftings are and how they might like to share that with others in God’s family.
We would love to hear if you try any of these ideas or if you have your own ideas that are working in your small church. Share it with us on our Facebook group. We want to see pictures, hear stories, and rejoice with you as your older adults enrich your church body!
Read More:
5 Tips To Engage Older Congregation Members – Small Church Ministry