Let’s be the Church … together.

When God first poured His Spirit out on the church, Peter stood up and quoted the prophet Joel: “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams’” (Acts 2:17 NIV, emphasis added).

Because the Holy Spirit has been poured out on all people, everyone in Christ’s body has the potential to teach, encourage, and build each other up. Children, youth, adults young and old, boys, girls, grandmas, grandpas, single adults, newlyweds, teenagers … everyone.

family dinner party
Credit: Getty Images/Stone/Thomas Barwick

Intergenerational Ministry

Several years ago, my family was a part of a church small group that included people from pretty much every age and stage of life. Two Friday evenings each month, we would share a meal in someone’s home before studying the Bible and praying for one another. While I had good friends in the group, other middle-aged moms, my favorite moments happened when I found a spot at the table next to someone well older or younger than me. On one of these nights, I learned all about the victories and struggles of an eighth-grade boy who opened up to me about school and life. Later that evening, I got to pray for this young teen.

Intergenerational ministry is bringing together people from multiple generations who intentionally invest in and grow with one another as the body of Christ.

Another Friday evening, I sat at dinner next to a single woman in her 20s who challenged me to think about the righteousness of Christ from a new perspective. Then there was the night when I connected over a taco bar with a retired missionary woman who took genuine interest in my life, listening to my struggles and praying for me with a deep wisdom and authority that come from walking with Jesus a very long time. Several months later, when this woman, now a dear friend, faced health and financial struggles, I got to pray for and encourage her.

God Pours His Spirit on All People

In these moments, I glimpsed what it means that God pours His Spirit on all people. I got to be surprised by the Holy Spirit as He ministered to me and through me. In these moments, I experienced the body of Christ.

The phrase intergenerational ministry can mean different things to different people, but in relatively simple terms, it’s bringing together people from multiple generations who intentionally invest in each other’s lives and grow with one another as the body of Christ. Though I wasn’t familiar with the term at the time, what I experienced in that small group was truly intergenerational ministry. And because of it, I believe each of us who gathered around that table are a little more like Jesus now than we were before we spent time together.

According to the Barna Group’s 2023 Aging Well study, just 19 percent of Christians say their church provides opportunities for cross-generational interaction, yet 77% of adults ages 55+ say they have a close relationship with someone from a younger generation. In a study conducted in 2024 on the role of intergenerational connections in religious communities, the nonprofit organization CoGenerate discovered that 90% of people involved in faith communities rate collaboration with someone older than themselves as positive.

Many of us have personal stories that illustrate the impact of intergenerational ministry and relationships in our own lives, and few of us would argue that all people in the church—those younger and older than us—have the potential to help us grow spiritually. Yet so many facets of our churches and ministries are often segregated according to age. We may want to interact with people from multiple generations, but our systems (and even our church buildings!) make it feel nearly impossible. So, what can we do?

The Lens of Intergenerational Ministry

First, be encouraged! You and the Holy Spirit are doing great work! Intergenerational ministry doesn’t mean doing away with age-specific ministries and discipleship. In fact, age-specific ministries play an important role in teaching children, youth, and adults what it means to walk in the way of Jesus.

Intergenerational ministry is more of a lens than it is another event or program to add to your church’s already packed calendar. It invites you to look at the schedule and ask, “How can we engage one additional generation in what we’re already doing?” If it’s an event for older adults, how might college students and young adults come alongside them in a way that fosters mutual relationships? If it’s an event for children and families, what would it look like for single adults to be present and engaged? What does it look like to have worship together?

Children, youth, adults young and old, boys, girls, grandmas, grandpas, single adults, newlyweds, teenagers … everyone.

Ideas for Intergenerational Ministry this Christmas Season

As you look ahead to your Christmas season events, here are several practical ideas for inviting additional generations to engage together:

  • Add a meal. The church in Acts “broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts” (2:46b NIV). Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus sharing meals with people of every age, stage, and social status. In fact, I’ve heard it said that Jesus “ate” His way through the book of Luke! Community forms around the table. So, add food to any event and invite one additional generation/age group (or invite all people). Print simple prompts on table tents that people of all ages can answer or project them on a screen. For example: What is your favorite thing to do at Christmas time? Which do you prefer: Christmas cookies, fruit cake, or chocolate-covered cherries? Then invite people to sit next to someone who is at least 10 years older or younger than they are!
  • Deck the halls. Invite all ages to a church Christmas-decorating party. Serve Christmas cookies (or a meal!), pump Christmas music through the speakers, and gather at the end for an all-ages Christmas carol sing! Invite people of different ages to work together on decorating projects. Then encourage everyone to learn something new about each person they are decorating with!
  • Extend your front porch. For centuries, home architects have designed front porches to be a place where community happens and neighbors gather to shoot the breeze. Where is your church located? What would it look like to extend the “front porch” of your church to people of all ages in the surrounding neighborhood? Consider hosting a neighborhood Christmas party that includes a holiday “shop” where new, donated items are available for people experiencing need. Invite everyone—children, youth, and adults—to serve and to fellowship. And, of course, include food!
  • Host the Waiting for Jesus Experience for all generations. During Wonder Ink’s Christmas event, people travel to three stations that represent different time periods: 700 years before the birth of Jesus during the time of Isaiah, the time of Jesus’ birth, and our present moment in history when we can worship Jesus as Savior. Host the event after a Sunday service (following an all-ages meal!) or as your Christmas Eve service. And invite people of different ages to travel through the experience together. This event is part of your Wonder Ink subscription or can be purchased separately.

We’re living in a difficult time in history in a society defined by division and disunity. Yet God calls us—His church—to something different. He calls us to unity. And He pours out His Spirit on all people to make it possible. So, let’s step into the adventure of intergenerational ministry together. Let’s set the table for the young and the old and the in-between. Let’s be the Church … together.

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Wonder Ink’s 3-year, 52-week children’s ministry curriculum offers kids space to fully find their place in God’s Big Story. Children discover they are Known by God, Loved by Jesus, and Led by the Holy Spirit.

Sources:

  • “Empowering Older Adults: Building Intergenerational Connections in the Church.” Barna Group, 21 Feb. 2025
  • “YouGov Report Dev4 – Cogenerate.” Can Bringing Older and Younger People Together Renew Religious Communities?, 2024, cogenerate.org/yougov-report-dev4/.

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