Several years ago, as I was driving down a major thoroughfare in our city, I noticed a billboard advertising the construction of a new church. I took a glance at the phone number and made a mental note of it. The following day, I called the number and chatted with the pastor about his church's mission statement. With the exception of my first and last names, I didn't tell him anything about myself.
In addition, the pastor outlined a few things about the ministry and then noted that while older people were welcome to attend, the ministry's primary concentration was on individuals in their twenties to forties. I was taken aback. When I read Titus 2:3-4, I thought about the instruction to elder women to teach younger women.
Where does a church like this go to receive the advice of wiser men? This young pastor had little understanding of or appreciation for the biblical concept of older Christians discipling and mentoring younger believers, as seen by his actions. Even if his attitude is harsh, it is more prevalent than we would want to accept that people show disrespect for older people.
Providing Care for the Elderly
Seniors have expressed dissatisfaction with the volume of music in several churches, which I have heard. I am aware of individuals who do not go because the music hurts their ears or because they do not want to take the chance of losing their hearing as a result of listening to music at high volumes. While it is true that some seniors are whiners, this is true for people of all ages. The reality is that the complaints are just different.
The needs of seniors are often overlooked by many churches today in favor of the needs of the younger generation, who are deemed to be the "future of the church." Many churches merely cater to the needs of young people. Some pastors are adamant about not visiting or conversing with elderly patients in hospitals because they believe they "have nothing in common." Although hospital trips might be difficult for some, consider how many hospital visits the elderly have made during their lifetime for loved ones, friends, and pastors.
"Are churches taking the elderly for granted?" asked Peter Smith in a recent Pew Forum piece titled "Are churches taking the elderly for granted?"
In many Protestant congregations, surveys have revealed that church-affiliated populations are much older than the general population — and in some cases, far older than the general population. Many churches offer a wide variety of seminars and activities for their senior members. However, many churches have placed so much emphasis on wooing the young that they may be neglecting the needs of those already in their congregation...
Some churches have placed so much emphasis on wooing the young that they have neglected the needs of the seniors in their congregations as a result. A number of pastors consider seniors to be uninspired but necessary members of the ministry, with the exception of when it comes to their financial assets such as their financial portfolio, living trust, or home.
Perspectives from a Younger Generation
Our society has a negative attitude about the elderly. This has been the case for several decades now. Some of us had those sensations as teenagers, which was a formative period in our lives. The attitudes of some of us when we were younger are captured in the excerpts that are included here.
A clever son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son makes his mother despised. Proverbs 15:20 is a verse that says (NASB)
A son who assaults his father and pushes his mother away is a disgusting and disgraceful son, according to the Bible. Proverbs 19:26 (NASB) (NASB)
"Whoever curses his father or his mother will have his lamp extinguished in the time of darkness." In Proverbs 20:20, the Bible says (NASB)
Unless you are the friend of a man who destroys, you cannot rob his father or his mother and claim that it was "not a violation." Proverbs 28:24 (NASB) (NASB)
Some men curse their fathers but do not bless their mothers, and this is one of those types of men. Proverbs 30:11 is a verse that says (NASB)
As we grew older, we began to value our parents' advice more, and finally some of us began to seek their advice ourselves. However, some people, other than our parents, do not enjoy being around seniors in general. As a result of God allowing Satan to test Job, the ancient patriarch Job was forced to listen to some poor advice. Elihu was a member of his council of advisors. He held an unfavorable attitude about the elder generation, particularly those who were "plenty in years." Pay attention to what he has to say.
"Those who have lived a long time may not be smart, and elders may not grasp justice." So I said, "Listen up, I'm going to tell you what I think as well." Job 32:9-10 (NIV) (NASB)
Elihu was convinced that he possessed superior understanding. He reminds us of some church leaders who believe they do not require or desire the presence of seniors in their congregations. God later punished Elihu and Job's other advisors, and they were forced to flee (Job 38:2).
In Matthew 15:4-6, Jesus chastised the Pharisees for failing to show respect for their parents. They paid tribute to their parents with words, but they did not show their appreciation in deed. They had developed a plan in which they would surrender something that they wished to keep to God in exchange for something else. It was referred to as "Corban" (Mark 7:11). Therefore, they asserted that they were unable to deliver it to their parents due to the fact that it had been entrusted to God. That was a convenient spiritual norm that they devised for themselves. Because of it, they were able to provide the greatest possible care for their aging parents. They most likely also utilized something similar in their synagogues to direct their finest ministries and resources to individuals they considered to be more important than the others. They were reprimanded by Jesus, who said,
Nevertheless, you assert, "Whoever says to his father or mother, anything I have that would be of assistance to you has been given to God, he should not honor his father or mother." And in doing so, you have rendered God's truth ineffective for the sake of your tradition." Matthew 15:5-6 is a passage from the Bible that teaches about forgiveness (NASB)
Is it possible that we are guilty of the same thing? Would you be interested in attending a worship service with exclusively seniors?
Observations and Suggestions
Some elderly move more slowly because they have passed through their prime years of life. Soldiers, physicians, nurses, scientists, plumbers, electricians, barbers, carpenters, secretaries, politicians, mothers, and fathers from a bygone era make up this group of individuals.
The Christian saints who were once pastors, music leaders, Sunday School teachers, youth leaders, camp organizers, missionaries, Gideon representatives, Child Evangelism teachers, workers at Gospel Rescue Missions, Campus Crusade leaders, countless volunteers, and mothers who volunteered in the nurseries now have wonderful memories of how God used them in their various capacities.
They are now concentrating on new ministries that do not necessitate the use of youthful, agile bodies. These are the ministries of happy giving, prayer warriors, godly advice, and wisdom, just to name a few examples.
Those individuals were essential in assisting us in coming to faith and discovering that Jesus Christ is our God and Savior. They may have been a shaky foundation or the cornerstone of our church or other churches, depending on your perspective. Unfortunately, it's possible that we're not much better. God used them in the same way that He has used countless others who have come before them. Unless God called them home abruptly, all of the saints throughout history eventually reached the age of retirement. Even the most powerful leaders can be brought to their knees by the passage of time.
If Jesus keeps His promise to delay His return for a long enough period of time, you and I will one day be reminiscing about how God has used us in the past. No matter how much God will utilize us, we will eventually get old and our skin will wrinkle if Jesus does not act quickly.
Our legs will not be the same as they were previously. We will not be able to read those familiar pages of scripture as clearly because our eyes will be fatigued. Our voices will no longer be able to sing solos as wonderfully as they once did. We will eventually have difficulty giving Bible classes and going out into the streets to share the gospel with others. We shall run out of energy for certain missions at some point in the future. You and I will both be seniors at some point in the future!
Conclusion
In their younger years, the majority of elder saints served the Lord Jesus in a variety of capacities. They were responsible for providing spiritual advice in the family. Isn't it true that they deserve our highest regard? That, I believe, is why God wrote the following passage.
You must bow down before the grayheaded and show reverence for the aged, and you must adore your God, for I, the LORD, am with you. Leviticus 19:32 is a passage from the Old Testament (NASB)
As God has commanded us to honor our parents (Lev. 19:3; Eph. 6:2), we are also obligated to honor the other seniors in our midst.
An anonymous senior stated about a year ago, "Seniors, too, need a church!" He was completely correct. Some seniors believe that the best years of their lives have passed them by, as have the best years of their church lives. Some seniors are affected by the disrespect and minor rejection that they experience inside their own church community.
They have come to terms with the fact that the church no longer places a high value on their contributions. Without a doubt, you've heard that the church is on the lookout for younger members. Except for their money and a numerical value in the attendance count, some churches are even less interested in them than others.
We should give our seniors the same respect we give to the younger generation, wouldn't you agree? Don't you think the music should be designed to give a healthy balance, so that it caters to both the older and younger generations? Maybe, just maybe, we might lower the volume of the music and sing some old hymns instead. Wouldn't it be wonderful if they were treated as equals?
Isn't it possible to have a sermon on Sunday morning about honoring our older citizens? I heard about a church youth organization that mows the front yards of its senior members many times a year, which sounded interesting. What a beautiful display of respect. God commands us to respect our parents, as well as other senior citizens. There are a variety of approaches we might take to accomplish this. God the Father — the Ancient of Days – is honored when we pay tribute to our seniors. He is the Grandfather of Grandfathers.
