Inter-generational or intergenerational ministry is a model of
Christian ministry
In Christianity, ministry is an activity carried out by Christians to express or spread their faith, the prototype being the Great Commission. The '' Encyclopedia of Christianity'' defines it as "carrying forth Christ's mission in the world", in ...
which emphasizes relationships between age groups and encourages mixed-age activities.
Contrast with traditional models
Inter-generational ministry stands in contrast with other modes of ministry more traditionally seen in local churches, such as Sunday schools and youth ministries.
In
Sunday school
A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West.
Su ...
, children, youths, and sometimes adults, are instructed by
teacher
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
s who are, typically, adults. Classes are usually divided by age groups, as in secular schools. In
youth ministries
Youth ministry, also commonly referred to as youth group, is an age-specific Christian ministry, religious ministry of faith groups or other religious organizations, usually from ages 12 to 30, whose mission is to involve and engage with youth, y ...
, teens or young adults (especially college age) gather in groups presided over by a "youth minister". These groups, which are often part of
parachurch
Parachurch organizations are Christian faith-based organizations that work outside and across denominations to engage in social welfare and evangelism. Parachurch organizations seek to come alongside the church and specialize in things that indivi ...
organizations, focus on peer fellowship and instruction of their members.
These modes of ministry segregate members by age, and presuppose a hierarchical ministry in which more experienced, more educated, and generally older members minister didactically to their charges. Inter-generational activities, by contrast, emphasize a mixture of ages, and de-emphasize formal teacher-pupil relationships.
Motivation
Inter-generational ministry is one of a number of movements which have arisen in response over concerns that young adults very commonly cease participation in church, and often do not return. Proponents of the inter-generational ministry movement hold that the hierarchical and
didactic
Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is an emerging conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need to ...
roles found in traditional church ministries deprive teens and young adults of a sense of purpose and involvement, since their role in these ministries is passive and subordinate, and since they are often kept separate from adult activities. Therefore, they propose that younger members should take active roles in the ministry of the local church, and that church activities should involve and encourage participation from members across a wide range of ages.
A second thread in the inter-generational ministry movement is that of family involvement. Concerns over
divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
, abuse and other family disruptions led to criticism of how traditional church activities typically segregate family members according to age, thus de-emphasizing family relationships. Inter-generational activities were seen as a means to involve families as units, thus reinforcing family bonds.
Studies show that children attending
Sunday Schools
A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West.
Su ...
and youth programs are less likely to continue church involvement, compared to those who attended worship with parents, and are integrated into a community (e.g., Mark de Vries ''Family-Based Youth Ministry'', 2004). Those children who continue church involvement as adults often have a 'nominal faith' (e.g. George Barna ''Transforming children into Spiritual Champions'', 2003).
Proponents of this mode of ministry claim it is a
Biblical
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
model - particularly when the ministry is located within the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
in accordance with the 'relational'
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
model described in Deuteronomy 6.
A movement of
family integrated church
In Christianity, a family integrated church is one in which parents and children ordinarily attend church services together; during the service of worship, children and youth stay all through church services and do not attend children's and youth m ...
es has arisen within American
evangelicalism
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exper ...
. The National Center for Family-Integrated Churches lists around 800 affiliated churches.
However, with growing frequency of non-traditional families, Scott Wilcher ("The Orphaned Generation: The Father's Heart for Connecting Youth and Young Adults to your Church") suggests a broadening of the interpretation of family from a birth family to a spiritual family into which all believers are adopted. The book encourages inter-generational discipleship by identifying current conceptual metaphors that the adult church uses to organize their thinking and speech about young people, (animals, aliens and closed spaces) and suggest reframing those thoughts with the metaphor of "orphan in need of a wise guide." He argues that Hollywood has primed a generation of movie goers to expect that young heroes require a wise guide in order to gain a new identity, a new community, and the path to their destiny, which creates a valuable opportunity for the adult Christians to become the
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinn ...
, Gandalf, Rafiki, Mr. Miyagi or Alfred to a young person.
[Wilcher, S. (2010). The Orphaned Generation: The Father's Heart for Connecting Youth and Young Adults to Your Church. Chesapeake, VA: The UpStream Project. ]
History
Many denominations have instituted offices or programs which focus on inter-generational ministry.
*The
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PC(USA), is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the US, and known for its liberal stance on doctrine and its ordaining of women and ...
has an office o
Family and Intergenerational Ministries*The
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), also known as the Missouri Synod, is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 1.8 million members, it is the second-largest Lutheran body in the United States. The LC ...
has a list o
res.pdf Intergenerational resourceson its website.
References
*Bak, Mindy. (1999). ''Together in Faith,'' Youth and Family Institute.
*
*Barna, George. (2003). ''Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions'', Regal.
*Seymour, Jack and Miller, Donald (eds). (1982). ''Contemporary Approaches to Christian Education'', Abingdon Press.
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inter-Generational Ministry
Christian missions