Ministry Matters™

Generations (Feb/Mar/Apr 2009)

Ages and stages of life create needs and opportunities for fruitful ministries. Generational differences are not the only elements that come into play when we seek to know and serve people, of course. But insights about attitudes and opportunities unique to these periods of life help us teach and reach more people in ways they will connect with best.

In This Issue

Wonderfully Peculiar

Wonderfully Peculiar

By Neil M. Alexander
The blank stare shouldn't have been a surprise. Talking about how hard it is to predict future events, I asked Amy if she recalled the morning after the 1962 election in… read more
Building Cross-Generational Relationships In The Congregation

Building Cross-Generational Relationships In The Congregation

By Jacqulyn Brown Thorpe
In recent decades, our concept of the “family” has been redefined. The tendency today is to conceptualize “family” as a single-family household with fewer… read more
We Are Thirsty: Notes from the Front Lines of Young Adult Ministry

We Are Thirsty: Notes from the Front Lines of Young Adult Ministry

By Terence E. Hagans II
In Amos 8:11-13, the prophet proclaims, “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will send a famine throughout the land—not a famine of food or a… read more
All Ages, One Mission

All Ages, One Mission

By Karen Smith
Ginghamsburg Church is a United Methodist congregation in Tipp City, Ohio, a small city of 9,300 people just north of Dayton. In the summer of 2008, Forbes magazine gave Dayton… read more
S.E.N.I.O.R.S. Ministry

S.E.N.I.O.R.S. Ministry

By Richard H. Gentzler, Jr.
First United Methodist Church sponsors a regular monthly luncheon for older adults. In addition to the covered dish meal, a speaker or program entertains, informs, and/or… read more
Don't Mail To The Masses: Generational Differences in Giving

Don't Mail To The Masses: Generational Differences in Giving

By J. Clif Christopher
The other day I got two letters in my mailbox, both of them soliciting funds. One of them came from my college and the other one came from my church. I opened and read them both… read more
Dreaming Together: Intergenerational Partnership Reaches Outside the Church's Walls

Dreaming Together: Intergenerational Partnership Reaches Outside the Church's Walls

By Circuit Rider
Circuit Rider recently sat down with two pastors of Florence United Methodist Church in Florence, Kentucky. Florence is a well-established congregation—167 years old, 475 in … read more
Wesley for Everyone: Instilling United Methodist Identity in Young and Old

Wesley for Everyone: Instilling United Methodist Identity in Young and Old

By William H. Willimon
John Wesley made two enduring contributions to the church universal: First, belief in Jesus results in disciple-ship. Scripture is meant to be embodied, performed, and enacted in… read more
Caring for the Caregivers: Ministering to the Sandwich Generation

Caring for the Caregivers: Ministering to the Sandwich Generation

By Myra F. Smith
This is the fifth commandment, given by God to Moses, as one portion of his instructions to the Israelites. While we often emphasize this command only with children, it is… read more
The Crisis of Younger Clergy: Deployment Dilemmas

The Crisis of Younger Clergy: Deployment Dilemmas

By Lovett H. Weems Jr. and Ann A. Michel
At a recent pastors' school with several hundred clergy present, a bishop asked all the clergy under the age of 35 to stand. Four or five stood. The bishop said, “All the… read more
Baptizing Babies and Burying Old Folks

Baptizing Babies and Burying Old Folks

By Martin Thielen
In the fall of 1979, I left a lucrative career in the insurance business and went to seminary. My father, angry with my decision, growled in disgust, “You'll waste your… read more