In talking about ENCORE Ministry Foundation’s new program, the Age-Friendly Congregation Certificate (AFCC), during a recent consultation with local church leaders, I was asked to explain the term age-friendly.
We hear age-friendly a lot these days (e.g., age-friendly communities, age-friendly congregations, and age-friendly universities) — but what does it really mean? Is it about having grab bars in our church restrooms, ramps for accessibility at church entryways, and good lighting in the sanctuary? Or is there more to it?
Being an age-friendly congregation means creating a church environment where older adults can thrive rather than just being seen as a source of income keeping the church doors open. It is about honoring dignity, supporting faith and life experiences, and building a church culture where aging is celebrated rather than denied, ignored, or feared. It is also recognizing that aging is not a problem for churches to solve, but a gift for churches to embrace.
Our society is often characterized as rugged individualism — people go their own way and the sense of connection and mutual responsibility between people is weak.
Our society is often characterized as rugged individualism — people go their own way and the sense of connection and mutual responsibility between people is weak. In our rapidly changing world, it can be easy to overlook or ignore the needs of older members when the primary or sole emphasis of many congregations is reaching young people.
The aging congregation is not an accident. Advances in biology, neuroscience, healthcare, technology, and lifestyle changes are all helping more adults to live to old age. Is it conceivable that God has granted longer life so that older adults might help solve many of society’s problems?
Being an age-friendly congregation means listening more, assuming less, and designing environments and programs that uplift and support older adults as they experience the challenges and transitions of aging. Respecting older members, reframing aging in our churches, and reimaging vitality in our greying congregations are the beginnings of age-friendly congregations.
Whether you are a pastor, church schoolteacher, lay leader, or a church member, we all play a role in making our congregations more age-friendly.
If you and your congregation are interested in participating in the Age-Friendly Congregation Certificate Program and want to learn more about the AFCC program, I invite you to visit: https://certainage.org/afcc. If you are interested in participating in the program, please visit: https://bit.ly/UTCAFCC. Presently, there is No Fee for individuals or congregations to participate in the program.