“And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.” - Judges 2:10 ESV
Why am I committed to intergenerational ministry? I am often asked that question by colleagues. By people in my church. By folks outside my church. After all, wouldn't it be easier to target one generation? Really tailor ministry to their particular needs? Wouldn't you be more successful at reaching the lost if you did things their way? Played their kind of music? Dressed the way they like to dress? Designed ministry that fits their lifestyle? I've even been told by well-meaning friends that I will kill my church if I keep heading this direction. That there is no way we can grow if keep going down this road. It's just too hard. Too messy. And maybe they're right. Maybe it is just too hard. Maybe the differences between the different generations are just too great. Maybe the gulf we are trying to cross is just too wide. Maybe the needs are too overwhelming.
But here's why I am absolutely, 100% sold out on this vision. Judges 2:10. "And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work He had done for Israel." Wow. How heartbreaking! How painful! The generation that had walked with Moses, seen the miracles, helped conquer the Promised Land had somehow, someway missed passing that legacy on to their children. Somehow in the midst of all the great stuff they were doing and the great activities they were engaged in, they forgot to tell their children about the Lord. About all that He had done for them. Rescuing them from Egypt. Crossing the Red Sea. Providing for them in the wilderness. Giving them the Law on Mt. Sinai. Crossing the Jordan river into the Promised Land. The victories at places like Jericho and Ai. The covenant renewal ceremonies. The Passover meals. What in the world happened to Israel? Why did they not do all they could to tell their children and their children's children about what God had done for them?
That's the problem with the "mono-generational" mindset. You lose the stories. You lose the wisdom. You lose the wealth that comes from life experience. I remember attending a conference many years ago where the speaker was promoting what he called, "target evangelism." He described in great detail the "target" his church was shooting for. Suburban. Young. Married. Kids. Affluent. He was unashamed to say over and over again that these were the people that made up his church. These were the people his church were going after. And if people came to his church who didn't fit this "profile" then they could join in but he was up front with them that they wouldn't get their needs met. It was a bold vision to be sure...it just wasn't biblical. And the sad thing is that I know far too many churches who follow the same playbook.
And here's what's really scary...Let's say you are successful (and many are) at creating an environment that looks homogeneous in terms of age, race, background, and class. What happens when that group is "gathered to their fathers?" What happens then? Yes, you may have been successful at gathering a crowd of people but you have taught them implicitly or explicitly that the church (and by extension God Himself) exists to meet their particular needs. That the church (and by extension God) privileges their "way" of doing things. That the Holy Spirit somehow sanctifies their personal preferences. And once you go down that road as a church leader, you often end up with "golden handcuffs" meaning you cannot change lest you anger the wrong people and they stop supporting the ministry. It is a vicious cycle to be sure.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple, once famously said, "The Church is the only institution that exists primarily for the benefit of those who are not its members.” Putting his words in the context of Judges 2:10, we exist primarily for the benefit of future generations of believers. Not just young generations (a common misconception) but those who are lost of ANY age. For young, hipster churches, this means creating community with those who are older, even elderly in your community. For older, more traditional (don't just think music...) churches, it means being willing to sacrifice to reach a younger demographic. Again, is it messy? Absolutely! Do people's feelings get hurt along the way? Without a doubt! Are their misunderstandings and tensions to work through? No doubt! Is it hard? More difficult than you can imagine! But here's the real truth. We can die on a lot of hills in the church. Most of which simply aren't worth it. This is one hill worth dying on. This is one battle worth fighting. Study after study shows that the most effective evangelism takes place when one generation reaches another with the good news of the gospel. When one generation makes it their aim, their goal, their passion to pass on the faith to the next generation. Parents to kids. Grandparents to grandkids. All so that, as one generation is "gathered to their fathers", there remains another generation to take their place.
This is why I love the church I serve. As difficult as it is, we are finding ways to create space for multiple generations to find and follow Jesus. And as we've chased this vision for the last six years, we've discovered two key elements to making this happen. First, worship. Corporate worship must be intergenerational. Churches that are serious about intergenerational ministry MUST resist the temptation to segment or pander to personal preferences for any particular group. When we fall into this trap, we may indeed gather different generations under the same roof but we are far from being the "intergenerational" community God wants us to be. In my mind, a "successful" intergenerational worship service is one where everyone has to die a little, everyone has to sacrifice a little, for the sake of those who are worshipping with them. Second, leadership. There must be a place created at the table for young and old alike and everyone in between. Yes, they must be spiritually mature. Yes, they must have some life experience. But too often we make the mistake of equating the two as if life experience equals spiritual maturity. At the end of the day, I am not sure this is a goal you ever reach so much as a tension you constantly have to manage so we aren't perfect by any stretch. But we are getting there. And I am thankful to serve such a courageous group of folks.