'In old age they still produce fruit': the enabling and equipping of older adults for leadership in church renewal

Josephus A Maissan

Etd

'In old age they still produce fruit': the enabling and equipping of older adults for leadership in church renewal

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MLA citation style (9th ed.)

Josephus A Maissan. 'in Old Age They Still Produce Fruit': the Enabling and Equipping of Older Adults for Leadership In Church Renewal. Concordia Theological Seminary (IN). rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/9c945313-457a-4342-9723-12b019bcedd9.

APA citation style (7th ed.)

J. A. Maissan. 'In old age they still produce fruit': the enabling and equipping of older adults for leadership in church renewal. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/9c945313-457a-4342-9723-12b019bcedd9

Chicago citation style (CMOS 17, author-date)

Josephus A Maissan. 'in Old Age They Still Produce Fruit': the Enabling and Equipping of Older Adults for Leadership In Church Renewal. Concordia Theological Seminary (IN). https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/9c945313-457a-4342-9723-12b019bcedd9.

Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.

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Josephus A Maissan

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In Copyright

Abstract

This project grew out of a desire to address the concern of the demographic shift to an aging population and how that shift might impact the future of the church. A youth-oriented culture views the growing, aging population as a burden not a blessing; that as the number of older adults grows, so will the problems associated with aging (chapter 1). In the context of the church community, the younger adults viewed an aging church population as the decline of a source of gifts and abilities, and a drain upon church resources as older adults' need for ministry increases. The specific Scripture for the basis and focus of this project is Psalm 92, vs 12-14. This Scripture text suggests that older adults, 'planted in the house of the Lord,' in the church, still can bear fruit in old age and have much to offer in the way of resources for the life and mission of the church. This project sought to challenge the myths and misconceptions that suggest older adults are a burden and present a barrier to church renewal (chapter 3). A preliminary questionnaire revealed that those most active in the church and generous with their temporal and spiritual gifts are the older adults. The Scriptures reveal that God does not discriminate on the basis of age when persons are called to use their gifts for the building up and renewal of the faith community (chapter 4), nor does one retire from their Christian vocation until they are called to God's eternal home. Thirty-seven mainline Christians, from various denominations, participated in this project. The concluding chapter is a digest of the respondents' reflections on being a resource for church renewal.

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