Thank you for your survey responses!
Author: Faith in Later Life
At the end of 2024 Faith in Later Life surveyed those of us working and ministering in churches with older people. There were some huge encouragements. Here are some highlights of what we learned:
We are really active serving older people! A quarter of those responding see their churches engage with more than 50 older people every month. We’re offering lunch clubs, exercise or singing classes, tea and coffee times, outings or other social activities open to the community. One has a monthly chiropodist visit, one has a holiday at home. One church in in Northern Ireland wrote this: “One lady came from a smaller church which had closed down and is so heartened by the activities we offer. Sometimes it takes a new eye or perspective to remind us of what we are doing.” Congratulations too to St John’s Walton who won Team of the Year at the Voluntary Sector Awards Chesterfield and North Derbyshire. Among many regular activities for their community including those with dementia, they also offer services and opportunities to explore faith.
We’re going into care homes, and they are welcoming us. An independent church in Lancashire went into two homes to sing Christmas carols just recently: “It was so uplifting to see the joy on their faces. Many with severe dementia were recalling words long forgotten and joining in. We also used jingle bells and tambourine which they loved.” A third of us are running services in care homes, with stories of how well received they are.
We could talk about numbers – the churches who are seeing growth from handfuls to roomfuls of people, and that even these 63 respondents between them are making home visits in over 40 locations across the UK, and serving, reaching and empowering between 1500 – 3000 older people monthly. But it’s the value placed on each individual that comes through most strongly, even with small numbers: the sudden touching moments of connection and participation with people with dementia, and of seeing friendships develop among seniors who ‘naturally support each other and ask for help for others’.
As one puts it, “asking/listening unobtrusively how folk are means a lot.”
For example, Debbie in the West Midlands shared about one man… ‘who has grown in confidence. He now will participate in the readings at his church; he has been comfortable enough to pray aloud with me when we meet; he agreed to be a volunteer for one of the youth groups at church for a few weeks, and now has taken home Bible verses to read as the Bible itself is too many words.’
There is something very powerful about ministering to those who are very old, and the experience of journeying with someone to the very end of life. Church champions wrote of how seniors “now share difficult things with me, that they cannot share with family members”, and how “by regularly practising the presence of God we have been able to show seniors that they are still loved and not forgotten by God, or His church family.”
Community work goes hand in hand with reaching out with the gospel. It is striking that 83% of those delivering social activities for older people are also running services, Bible study groups, groups to explore faith. A quarter of those who responded had seen people come to faith in the last year, and half had seen people more interested in faith. It has encouraged and strengthened the faith of all involved. Shirley from a Baptist church in Suffolk writes this:
“We have an elderly church member who has moved into sheltered housing and has been instrumental in a monthly Sunday afternoon service starting. She also hosts our ladies bible study group in her flat, initiated the monthly craft group at church and that has brought new older people to our Soup and Sweet Lunches. She is an inspiration to the rest of us.” Wow, and she is an inspiration to us here at Faith in Later Life!
The impact on the wider church is significant. More than half say their work is leading to greater recognition of older people, more age-inclusivity and greater awareness of older people’s spiritual needs. One church has young people interview older people within the service. Another youth-focused church ensures that seniors are regularly visible doing reading and prayers. A third of the Faith in Later Life network in our survey say their ministry has increased confidence and skills among church members, and increased intergenerational connection: there is potential here.
However, of the 29 who are particularly concerned with helping older people live with dementia in their faith journey, only 8 say that their church is specifically involved in this ministry. And many continue feel that older people’s ministry is neglected. The opportunities to influence culture here remain vast.
Faith in Later Life is helping: we learned that you engage most with newsletters and our online sessions, and are most helped with ideas and inspiration, resources and encouragement. Those of you who come to online training say that this is one of the aspects that helps you most. One in five of these respondents are in our WhatsApp group, and are most helped by encouragement, fellowship and prayer. You shared some excellent ideas for events, resources, practical and pastoral training and evangelism support, which we will follow up in due course.
One new Church Champion from Bath, a recent joiner to the WhatsApp group, shares this:
“I am just grateful for the support that Faith in Later Life has given over the past couple of months. Being in touch with others out there with a similar ministry (& more experience), being able to pray for one another’s ministry efforts and receiving verbal encouragement is huge when you feel rather alone and weak in it. I always need reminding that it’s the LORD’s work, we do it for HIS Glory and in His Strength. I am thankful for Faith in Later Life to also remind me that it’s worth doing!”
Note: the survey ran in November-December 2024. There were 63 respondents from 9 different church denominations/networks across the UK and Ireland. Although each is unique and their ministries and reach vary, between them, their answers indicate that they:
• run more than 100 community activities
• deliver 60 midweek services or Bible study groups
• make home visits in more than 40 locations across the UK and Ireland
• visit at least 39 care homes
• are serving, reaching and empowering between 1500 – 3000 older people monthly
• seeing up to 150 people known to come to faith in the last year
Our network currently includes over 1000 Church Champions. This sample of mixed responses tells us that together your are making a tremendous impact in your church communities in bringing the love, joy, comfort, and hope of Jesus to older people.