{"id":29611,"date":"2019-10-02T09:00:29","date_gmt":"2019-10-02T13:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sharefaithblog.wpengine.com\/?p=29611"},"modified":"2019-09-25T18:01:06","modified_gmt":"2019-09-25T22:01:06","slug":"five-ways-to-serve-elderly-church-members","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/five-ways-to-serve-elderly-church-members\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Serve Elderly Church Members"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/aging\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the CDC<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the elderly population in our nation is expected to increase over the next decade due to longer life spans and aging baby boomers. This means that no matter how young or hip your church may be, you can expect to see the number of elderly church members rise. However, if your church isn\u2019t actively finding ways to serve, connect with, and minister to these elderly church members, chances are they won\u2019t stick around long enough to serve, be served, or feel loved by the family of God.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the church, it\u2019s our job to honor our elderly church members and work to support them during this period of their lives. Scripture even says in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/biblia.com\/bible\/nkjv\/Prov%2016.31\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Proverbs 16:31<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, \u201cThe silver-haired head is a crown of glory, If it is found in the way of righteousness.\u201d Elderly church members aren\u2019t to be pushed to the wayside, ignored, or abandoned \u2014 instead, we are to see the signs of aging as \u201ccrowns of glory\u201d and work to find ways to serve them in our churches.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take a look at these five ways that you can serve elderly church members.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Provide Avenues for Connection for Elderly Church Members<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aging isn\u2019t easy. Along with the physical ailments like limited mobility and chronic conditions come emotional and mental ailments including isolation, loneliness, and even feelings of uselessness. However, we were never meant to have to bear these burdens alone. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblestudytools.com\/ephesians\/passage\/?q=ephesians+4:2-6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ephesians 4:2<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> says, \u201cBe completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.\u201d Find ways as a church that you can \u201cbear with one another.\u201d A few ideas include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating both multi-generational and elderly specific small groups where people can connect.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hosting elderly care ministry events for people to attend.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pairing elderly members with deacons or leaders in your church who will check in on them regularly and help meet their needs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Live Stream Services and Happenings at Your Church<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the best ways to serve your elderly church members is to make your church accessible via church live streaming. Some elderly church members will be able to physically be at your building the majority of the time, but others may have trouble driving at night, stay home when the weather is bad, or be homebound altogether. Because of this, it\u2019s a great idea to live stream not only your sermons, but also events, small groups, and other happenings at your church. This will help keep them connected even from afar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more, check out our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sharefaith.com\/blog\/2019\/03\/the-ultimate-guide-to-church-live-streaming\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ultimate Guide to Church Live Streaming.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Create Unique Service Opportunities<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scripture is clear that we have each been given spiritual gifts and have a purpose to fulfill in the body of Christ. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblestudytools.com\/1-corinthians\/12.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1 Corinthians 12:27<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> says, \u201cNow you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.\u201d It doesn\u2019t say anything that excludes the elderly. Because of this, it\u2019s important that your church creates unique service opportunities designed for elderly church members to be able to serve and use their gifts. Here are a few areas where elderly church members could serve:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Door greeters<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extra hands to rock babies in the nursery<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Small group teachers and leaders<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prayer intercessors\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Decision counselors<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Include Elderly Church Members in Your Marketing Efforts<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether it\u2019s intentional or not, more and more churches seem to be excluding senior adults from their marketing efforts. Maybe it\u2019s a focus on new technology, or the desire to see more millennials come to church, but no matter the reason, it\u2019s actually harming some of your elderly church members who feel left out and forgotten.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you work to promote your church, be sure to include photos of senior adults on your church website, in your print material, and in any advertisements. This will help portray your church as a place where senior adults are welcomed. Also, be sure to know where senior adults are, and meet them there. For example, most senior adults spend some amount of time in doctors\u2019 offices so consider placing ads in local magazines that may be in those offices. Lastly, make sure your church website is built with them in mind, too. For more on this, check out <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hello.ekklesia360.com\/blog\/3-reasons-senior-adults-arent-visiting-your-church-website\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3 Reasons Senior Adults Aren\u2019t Visiting Your Church Website.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5. Reach Out and Meet Needs<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finally, in order to serve your elderly church members, create ministries at your church designed to reach out and meet needs. A nursing home ministry and a homebound ministry are two excellent places to start.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.elderlycareministry.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">elderly care ministry<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 60 percent of nursing home residents never have a single visitor. This should be a wake-up call for churches. Work to create a nursing home ministry in which members visit nursing homes on a regular basis. Oftentimes, just sitting and visiting with the residents there goes a long way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it comes to creating a homebound ministry, find people who can help these members with chores around the house. This may include things like yard work, cleaning, cooking, and even just picking up groceries.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next Steps<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hopefully, this has given you a few ideas to get started in serving elderly members at your church. If you\u2019re wanting to jump into live streaming, be sure to check out <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hello.sharefaith.com\/live-streaming-free-trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ShareFaith live streaming<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. You can try it free today! Learn more <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hello.sharefaith.com\/live-streaming-free-trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"hs-cta-wrapper\" id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-7fb325b9-1373-4384-af92-190a1d652662\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-7fb325b9-1373-4384-af92-190a1d652662\" id=\"7fb325b9-1373-4384-af92-190a1d652662\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!--[if lte IE 8]>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<![endif]-->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/4969873\/7fb325b9-1373-4384-af92-190a1d652662\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" id=\"hs-cta-img-7fb325b9-1373-4384-af92-190a1d652662\" style=\"border-width:0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/4969873\/7fb325b9-1373-4384-af92-190a1d652662.png\"  alt=\"New call-to-action\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script charset=\"utf-8\" src=\"\/\/js.hubspot.com\/cta\/current.js\"><\/script>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thbspt.cta.load(4969873, '7fb325b9-1373-4384-af92-190a1d652662', {});\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code -->\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to the CDC, the elderly population in our nation is expected to increase over the next decade due to longer life spans and aging baby boomers. This means that no matter how young or hip your church may be, you can expect to see the number of elderly church members rise. However, if your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[1814,1891,2105],"class_list":{"0":"post-29611","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general","8":"tag-live-streaming","9":"tag-serve-the-elderly","10":"tag-start-live-streaming"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogrouting.sharefaith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/5-Ways-to-Serve-Elderly-Church-Members.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v14.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>5 Ways to Serve Elderly Church Members - Sharefaith Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do the elderly church members at your church feel loved and cared for? 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