LIFE TOGETHER



There has been a lot of talk lately about making church intergenerational.  When I think of church I tend to D I VI D E everything up in in ages and stages of life. Kids go to KidsMinistry, Teenagers go to YouthGroup, and so on.  I use to roll my eyes at parents who would say "I want my kids to be in service with me so they can see me worship."

In a very snarky and under my breath tone, I would ask:

 "Well, then what are you doing all the other days of the week?" 

I won't lie, there is a part of me that is still not sure I have bought into the idea, but on the other hand, I never want to be considered unteachable or close minded.

So here is my thought.

If a church is going to be intergenerational, I think it has to go beyond having a kid take up offering, or leading a couple of songs with the worship team.  I think that being intergenerational is more than throwing a clip board with a coloring sheet and crayons to a kid so he or she has "something  to do" during the service that keeps them quiet.

I think that having kids serve is absolutely necessary, because that is what being the church is all about. 

I buy into the idea that people don't feel significant until
 you give them something significant to do!

If we serve in leadership, it is not about WHAT we do, it is about WHY we do it.


For me, Intergenerational Worship takes effort.  It is about people from all seasons of life coming together as a community and sharing life together.

LIFE TOGETHER.

It's a small group that meets in some one's home that consists of a couple in their 70s, a newly married couple, a family with teenagers, and a family with a newborn that are sharing life together.  It's telling stories, giving advice, feeling supported, by a diverse community of people that share one goal in common, to love each other like Christ loves the church.

It's a group of widows asking to come and visit a jr high girls small group and share in their lives with their stories and experiences.

Intergenerational does not mean PROGRAMMING, it means seeing a bigger picture.  It's about ending the segregation of the ages and stages of life and seeing that there is more to this life than our comfort and our desire to surround ourselves with the people we are most similar to.

If your heart is still beating, God is NOT done with you.

 Just because you have retired doesn't mean you stop being the church. Just because your kids have grown up and gone to college doesn't mean you don't have a lot of parenting advice to share.  Just because your kids are little and life is busy doesn't mean you can't ask for help. Just because you are single, doesn't mean you have nothing to offer married couples.  Just because you're young, does not mean you don't have a voice.

God uses us in every stage,when we are intergenerational we ask the question:

 "What am I doing to pour into the generation that is directly behind me?"

I think that makes us intergenerational.

I think that makes us intentional.

I think that makes us strategic.

I think it makes us THE CHURCH.

It's more than programming.  It's a lifestyle.