Youth Ministry and an ‘Old People’s Home for Teenagers’

In recent weeks, the TV Show ‘Old People’s Home for Teenagers’ aired on the ABC. It is a new instalment of the popular series ‘Old People’s Home for 4-year old’s’ which saw pre-schoolers visit residents of a retirement community. In this new version, a group of teens and elderly residents meet on neutral territory to participate in challenges together for six weeks. It is designed to bring different age brackets together to fight loneliness, build new friendships and bridge generational barriers.[1]

In one episode, the teens and elderly residents were challenged to use an old school street directory to navigate certain residential homes, and we quickly learnt that if Google Maps dies, our teens might be in trouble! On reflecting on the experience, 84-year-old Bob said, “…if I could have a positive impact on a teenager, I would feel that I have contributed.”

Research suggests that these types of programs are associated with improved physical and mental health in elderly populations and with improved wellbeing in adolescents[2]. As a result, these programs are being increasingly implemented worldwide,[3] but is there something our youth ministries and churches could learn from them?

What is intergenerational ministry?

Intergenerational ministry is about building ‘significant and purposeful interactions between the generations within the structures of a church.’[4] It is a concept celebrated throughout the Scriptures. Psalm 145:3-4 declares, ‘Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.’ Research suggests that when adolescents have intentional relationships with people from different generations, they are less likely to leave the faith.[5]

What could this look like in your youth ministry?

Imagine what your youth ministry (and broader church) could look like six months, five years, or fifty years from now. What could be the result of teenagers being discipled by adults of all ages and stages of life? Intergenerational ministry elements (especially adults showing interest in teens and getting to know them) have been shown to increase adolescent’s church engagement, spiritual maturity and the likelihood they will continue in their faith.[6] As researchers at the Fuller Youth Institute note, “It turns out that intergenerational relationships are one key to building lasting faith in students. Silver bullet? No. Helpful if we want students to live their faith beyond high school? Absolutely.”

A few weeks ago, we held our first ‘Family Night’ at youth group. We invited parents and guardians to experience a typical night which included, a meal together, worship, testimonies, bible time and some classic youth group games. It was really encouraging to connect with parents and gave them an opportunity for them to hear the vision of our youth ministry, but also how God has been working in the lives of our young people.

We also wanted to recognise and honour adults from the church who may not have their own children in youth group but who have partnered with us to support the youth ministry. We called them our ‘supporters’. These supporters cook meals for our dinners, financially support kids to attend camps, give talks for us, pray for us, mow our lawns, clean our building, and seek to build relationships with youth at our church services. We were so excited to have these supporters participate in our night and many spoke of how encouraged they were, and even shed a tear about the joy they saw! It was a special time. We are hoping that some of these supporters may join our official youth group leadership team over time.

What could your church do to foster intergenerational relationships and help young people thrive and flourish in faith? Here are a few possibilities.

• Think about how you are modelling intergenerational relationships yourself. Who do you talk to at morning tea or supper at church? Do you have positive interactions with people from different generations?

• Invite different generations of adults within the church to a night of youth group and have them share testimonies, give talks or be on a Q and A panel.

• Equip, encourage, and train your young people to serve within your church services and other ministries.

• Ask your Parish Council or key church committees to invite young people to participate in decision making.

• Recruit parents to be involved in youth group or bible studies by cooking meals, hosting groups, leading or mentoring.

• Recruit adults from different generations to lead in your youth ministries (start small but think big): ask them to cook a meal once a month or help with the first hour of youth group.

• Get your staff team along to Youthwork’s Intergenerational Roundtable to start the conversation.

• Ask your church to consider setting aside funds to support young people in attending Youthworks Leaders in Training Conference.

• Listen to this episode on the Effective Ministry Podcast about how Tim Adams and Macquarie Anglican encourage their generations to share meaningfully together.

 Could your youth ministry be an ‘Old People’s Home for Teenagers?’ Could your youth ministry be a place where adults of all generations actively invest in the lives of young people? Could your church services be alive with the more mature sharing wisdom from years of a life lived faithfully to Christ? And could your young people share their childlike, wide-eyed excitement for their Saviour?

What’s your next step?

[1] Lucy McDonald (2022) https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-30/old-peoples-home-for-teenagers/101385210

[2] Jennifer Petersen (2022) A meta-analytic review of the effects of intergenerational programs for youth and older adults, Educational Gerontology, DOI: 10.1080/03601277.2022.2102340.

Laging, B., Slocombe, G., Liu, P., Radford, K., & Gorelik, A. (2022). The delivery of intergenerational programmes in the nursing home setting and impact on adolescents and older adults: A mixed studies systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 133, 104281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2022.104281

[3] https://playgroupaustralia.org.au/intergenerational-playgroup/ Stanley, M., Allen, P., Tunks, T. A., Davenport, M., & Cartmel, J. (2022). Ageless play: Sustaining intergenerational playgroup programmes. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 20(3), 370-382.

[4] Ed Springer, “An Introduction to Intergenerational Ministry”, youthworks.net/articles/an-introduction-to-intergenerational-ministry

[5] http://www.effectiveministry.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Intergenerational_Min-Research_Paper.pdf

[6] Mason, M.V. (2020) A Qualitative Study Exploring the Implementation and Effects of Intergenerational Youth Ministry, Biola University. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2395535321?parentSessionId=%2FPYOwWTac3duqeIjzVNlDMQvKIg4dqhSvsdo2WfVV40%3D&pq-origsite=primo&accountid=12219# 

Powell, K., Griffin, B., & Crawford, C. (2012) The Church Sticking Together. Lifelong  Faith  Spring  2012. https://www.lifelongfaith.com/uploads/5/1/6/4/5164069/__the_church_sticking_together.pdf