Senior vs Young Christians - Are We Encouraging or Holding Back?

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bobinfaith

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Hello brothers and sisters;

I came across a thought several weeks ago regarding Christian ministry and the way we interact between senior and young believers.

I remember in my 20s, 30s to mid 40s I received mentor discipling (late 40s, 50s, 60s on up) from the senior elders regarding our faith. I thought this would last forever. lol!

But now that I'm on the senior side of my faith I notice that I tend to date myself - "when I was young," "years ago," "back when," "I'm old school,"etc...

A good friend of mine, a senior pastor and seasoned Christian with a Shepherd's heart, was sharing his concerns about the direction our Churches are going with contemporary, new trend flavor of worship led by younger leaders. Specifically about what? Basically everything.

I asked him to elaborate and he felt the worship back in the 50s - early 80s had more substance and more meaning in reverence to God, all around. He would like to see the incorporated way Church used to be and how it could go a long way with the younger generation.

I also listened to a young enthusiastic man of God who teaches Bible study to young adults and teens, leads worship music and is praying about enrolling at seminary. He also has a gentle spirit and feels called to become a Pastor one day.

I asked him if his pastoral ministry would have room to exhort the elders? He hesitated and discerned the senior's reluctance to be open to change in the Church.

I asked him to elaborate. He feels the senior elderly pastor, board committees, ushers, choir director want to continue the way worship should be because the new ways water down the worship. This is why he and his wife, both 27 years old, would rather go to a young adult Church where they have the freedom to adapt to new worship.

I'm guilty of expressing the former but my eyes began to open and see the disposition of our younger servants today. I'm meeting more and more younger men and women who have the same zeal for God. I just met a young professor at seminary, younger pastors, musicians and Bible / Sunday school teachers all in their mid 20s. I asked them, what is the biggest problem going forward with your ministry in the Church? They expressed that they feel stifled in their called vision instead of receiving encouragement from senior members.

No matter who we are as Christian men and women, we are to pray and ask God to change our hearts with discernment and wisdom so we can spiritually invest in youngers servants for the future of God's Kingdom.

Elderly men and women of God regarding the love, encouragement and building up of younger men and women Christians;

Psalm 145:4, One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. - ESV

Titus 2:6-8, 6 In the same way, encourage the young men to live wisely. 7 And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. 8 Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us. - NLT

Romans 16:1-2, I recommend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea, 2 that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well. - NASB

Younger men and women of God regarding the love, exhortation and uplifting of our mentor elderly men and women of faith;

Exodus 20:12, 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. - ESV

1 Timothy 4:12, 12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. - NKJV

1 Timothy 5:1-2, 1 Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. - NIV

Please share your experience and thoughts, and how we can encourage both seniors and young to work together and pass the baton, so to speak, for the future.

God bless you all and thank you.















 

Senior vs Young Christians - Are We Encouraging or Holding Back? i try to encourage all young in Christ get involved if i can find a young preacher starting out.. i do my best to preach him... me personally i feel its a 60/40 60% for the seniors those of age. the 40 % younger to respect the older members . one thing Churches so often do is take out the hymnals and replace with new music. much of our older generation grew up on hymns . mix it up the youngers needs to remember the knowledge the older has.. even tho i am 62 come Tuesday i feed off the older preachers i need to hear the word the experiences of past .​


i never want to put the older out to pasture so to speak . just my 2 cents
 
We train our replacements and then allow them to fly on their own. Each new generation has a new perspective on things. We as experienced leaders should coach, not dictate, and respect our juniors. They are tomorrow's leaders; they rise as we set. Our paramount responsibility is to approach everything prayerfully, remembering that we are responsible to Jesus for everything and everyone he has placed in our charge.
 
its common not just in churches but many workplaces and even schools. The teachers want children and students to read the books THEY read and enjoyed when they were young forgetting that so many new things have been published after they finished adolescence.

My dad wouldn't listen to any music released after 1964 and complains the young don't know 'his' era. Well of course they don't. And why should they, it was a different time. Things released now are the zeitgist for a new generation. While there is room for appreciation of the classics, that doesn't mean there shouldn't also be room for new music/artistic expression and for church, ways of worship.
 
we are losing generations the fields are white the labors are few/ this is why its very important to raise children in church . it gives them a foundation to build on.
 
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I always thought families needed more help and support but the grandparents often don't want to help their grandchildren as they are too far away and they have no transport. Many don't live near or refuse to live close by. Also retirement villages exclude children - they aren't allowed to live there it would cramp the oldies lifestyles.
 
Lanolin said:
I always thought families needed more help and support but the grandparents often don't want to help their grandchildren as they are too far away and they have no transport. Many don't live near or refuse to live close by. Also retirement villages exclude children - they aren't allowed to live there it would cramp the oldies lifestyles.
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for the most in the states the gparents do help out . in fact some raise g kids
 
bobinfaith said:
Hello brothers and sisters;

I came across a thought several weeks ago regarding Christian ministry and the way we interact between senior and young believers.

I remember in my 20s, 30s to mid 40s I received mentor discipling (late 40s, 50s, 60s on up) from the senior elders regarding our faith. I thought this would last forever. lol!

But now that I'm on the senior side of my faith I notice that I tend to date myself - "when I was young," "years ago," "back when," "I'm old school,"etc...

A good friend of mine, a senior pastor and seasoned Christian with a Shepherd's heart, was sharing his concerns about the direction our Churches are going with contemporary, new trend flavor of worship led by younger leaders. Specifically about what? Basically everything.

I asked him to elaborate and he felt the worship back in the 50s - early 80s had more substance and more meaning in reverence to God, all around. He would like to see the incorporated way Church used to be and how it could go a long way with the younger generation.

I also listened to a young enthusiastic man of God who teaches Bible study to young adults and teens, leads worship music and is praying about enrolling at seminary. He also has a gentle spirit and feels called to become a Pastor one day.

I asked him if his pastoral ministry would have room to exhort the elders? He hesitated and discerned the senior's reluctance to be open to change in the Church.

I asked him to elaborate. He feels the senior elderly pastor, board committees, ushers, choir director want to continue the way worship should be because the new ways water down the worship. This is why he and his wife, both 27 years old, would rather go to a young adult Church where they have the freedom to adapt to new worship.

I'm guilty of expressing the former but my eyes began to open and see the disposition of our younger servants today. I'm meeting more and more younger men and women who have the same zeal for God. I just met a young professor at seminary, younger pastors, musicians and Bible / Sunday school teachers all in their mid 20s. I asked them, what is the biggest problem going forward with your ministry in the Church? They expressed that they feel stifled in their called vision instead of receiving encouragement from senior members.

No matter who we are as Christian men and women, we are to pray and ask God to change our hearts with discernment and wisdom so we can spiritually invest in youngers servants for the future of God's Kingdom.

Elderly men and women of God regarding the love, encouragement and building up of younger men and women Christians;

Psalm 145:4, One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. - ESV

Titus 2:6-8, 6 In the same way, encourage the young men to live wisely. 7 And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. 8 Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us. - NLT

Romans 16:1-2, I recommend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea, 2 that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well. - NASB

Younger men and women of God regarding the love, exhortation and uplifting of our mentor elderly men and women of faith;

Exodus 20:12, 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. - ESV

1 Timothy 4:12, 12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. - NKJV

1 Timothy 5:1-2, 1 Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. - NIV

Please share your experience and thoughts, and how we can encourage both seniors and young to work together and pass the baton, so to speak, for the future.

God bless you all and thank you.
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It seems to me that what you are talking about has been building for many years and the "Contemporary Music Style" brought it to a head a few years ago.

Older people are set in their ways and they essentially are the ones who financially support the church. They know what tithing is and do it. They like and except a "Choir" and to sin the Old Rugged Cross at church service. They do not like standing and raising hands and exhibitionism worship.

Younger people seem to have been tempted by the highly emotionalism of the Charismatic Pentacostal style of worship when emotions are on display.

If and when there is NO compromise on this, then the younger people leave to find a church that gives them that emotional release.

The problem then is that after a little while they realize that the trap of emotionalism which is always seeking to find a higher high which can not be sustained. That leads to disillusionment and eventually they stay home with their children and the result is that church attendance has dropped in the USA.

In 1979......70% of the population attended a church. Today it is less than 40%.

Once the routine of attending a church service is broken, then it is easy to fill in that gap with sports games, golf, beach, movies etc.
 
there is nothing wrong with raising of hands in worship . this is why i say its a 60/40. 60 give in by the youth..40 by the sr adults you mix it together and it will work....maybe if we had more spirit led emotionalism our services might be better
 
When I was young I sought out 'contemporary' type charismatic Churches) (a zeal but not according to knowledge) now that I'm an 'old fogey', I actually enjoy hymns and in depth teachings (knowledge, but not according to zeal). Now, I'm fine with either, as long as they keep the Gospel central focus (Christ's death, burial and resurrection for our redemption)
 
Major said:
It seems to me that what you are talking about has been building for many years and the "Contemporary Music Style" brought it to a head a few years ago. Older people are set in their ways and they essentially are the ones who financially support the church. They know what tithing is and do it. They like and except a "Choir" and to sin the Old Rugged Cross at church service. They do not like standing and raising hands and exhibitionism worship. Younger people seem to have been tempted by the highly emotionalism of the Charismatic Pentacostal style of worship when emotions are on display. If and when there is NO compromise on this, then the younger people leave to find a church that gives them that emotional release. The problem then is that after a little while they realize that the trap of emotionalism which is always seeking to find a higher high which can not be sustained. That leads to disillusionment and eventually they stay home with their children and the result is that church attendance has dropped in the USA. In 1979......70% of the population attended a church. Today it is less than 40%. Once the routine of attending a church service is broken, then it is easy to fill in that gap with sports games, golf, beach, movies etc.
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Hello Major;

You touched on part of what I was hearing from the senior members. My grandparents, Dad and Mom and the elderly members in the Church showed by example giving back to God during the offering part of the worship service. I thought it was cool and it felt good to give a dollar because I felt a part of the congregation.

There was a sad experience when we led praise and worship, (I played guitar and sang lead with the song leader) we encouraged the choir to join us in hymns like Great Is Thy Faithfulness and Don Moen's contemporary Hallelujah To The Lamb (1997). A member in the pews raised her hands and praised God with an intense emotion. The Pastor asked her after service to refrain from doing that. He was gentle but abrupt in speaking with the member. She was shocked and cried to herself coming from her Pastor.

I'll never forget that. I requested a closed door meeting with Pastor and suggested ministering to her the distinction between emotionalism and spiritualism in worship. He was a humble man and after prayer he called her back and reconciled with her. They won each other over and everyone was able to get back into praise and worship.

Churches have struggled with the spiritual versus the emotional approach to worship. This is why it begins with the elderly leaders who have gone through the years of training, serving and passing their wisdom and knowledge of spiritual worship to the younger generation. Especially those who will serve in the future. Younger believers will go about their way and how they serve God. The leaders will see this and must nurture and coach as BibleLover shared.

These last weeks I have been blessed with speaking and listening to younger Christians from 13 to early 30s. I ask them to define praise and worship and what they enjoy doing in the Church. It also gives me an opportunity to answer questions that may encourage them in their growing discipleship.

God bless you, Major.
 
crossnote said:
When I was young I sought out 'contemporary' type charismatic Churches) (a zeal but not according to knowledge) now that I'm an 'old fogey', I actually enjoy hymns and in depth teachings (knowledge, but not according to zeal). Now, I'm fine with either, as long as they keep the Gospel central focus (Christ's death, burial and resurrection for our redemption)
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i am not big on the Charismatic movement. the raising of the hands in songs i have no problem with. even a little Holyghost led dance . what ever is done will be doe decently in order. i was at a Gospel singing seen a gal start a dance. i thought she was going to knock her self out,, from all the bouncing up and down.. the contemporary music i like certain groups and certain songs.
my personal preference is southern Gospel. over the years we have seen several groups .. i think what it comes down to is preference .
 
bobinfaith said:
. A member in the pews raised her hands and praised God with an intense emotion. The Pastor asked her after service to refrain from doing that. He was gentle but abrupt in speaking with the member. She was shocked and cried to herself coming from her Pastor.
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the pastor was out of line gentle or not paul wrote about lifting holy hands in prayer .. i will say this especially with certain Baptist. there scared the service will be Pentecostal. if you feel the need to lift your hands in worship so be it
 
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