Inspiring Christians to Serve and Empower Older People: The Mission of Faith in Later Life

Here at Faith in Later Life it is our mission to inspire and equip Christians to reach, serve, and empower older people everywhere, through the local church. We firmly believe that older people have a valuable place in the church and society, and we want to ensure that they are not overlooked or undervalued.Here at Faith in Later Life it is our mission to inspire and equip Christians to reach, serve, and empower older people everywhere, through the local church. We firmly believe that older people have a valuable place in the church and society, and we want to ensure that they are not overlooked or undervalued.

Rather than creating the next big movement, or a “Faith in Later Life Framework” for instance, we recognise that this is a mission shared by churches and individuals throughout this nation. We’re not here to reinvent that wheel, but instead, to come alongside those already on that journey, and help them to serve the Lord and his people. Part of our work is also to promote positive attitudes towards ageing and to encourage the active involvement of older people in church life. Our goal is to help churches become places where older people feel welcomed, valued, and empowered to use their gifts and talents to serve God and others.

We recognise that many churches face challenges when it comes to engaging with older people. Some may see older people as a burden or struggle to meet their unique needs, whilst others may simply not know how to connect with them. We aim to bridge this gap by offering practical resources, training, and support for churches and individuals we call Faith in Later Life Church Champions who want to make their ministries more age-inclusive, or serve older people in particular.

If that sounds exciting to you, why not check out our Church Champion network, which consists of individuals and organisations who share our vision for empowering older people in the church. Faith in Later Life Church Champions serve as advocates and ambassadors of Christ within their churches and communities, and as a part of this, they also see the importance of older people in the church and create new opportunities for them to get involved.

An important aspect of Faith in Later Life’s work is our regular training events. This is the primary way we help to equip Christians to serve and empower older people, by inviting expert speakers to come and share their knowledge and expertise with us. These events provide an opportunity for our members to come together, learn not only from the speaker, but from one another, and be inspired to put what they learn into practice. By investing in our own training and development, we can better serve the older people in our communities and help them to feel valued and included in the life of the church. We have an exciting line-up of training events for you this year and we’ll be expanding our resources too as a result!

In addition to being served, older people also have an important role to play in serving others in the local church. They can serve as mentors, teachers, prayer partners, and encouragers to the younger generations. The Bible teaches us to honour and respect our elders and to learn from their wisdom and life experiences. By involving older people in church activities and encouraging them to serve, we not only benefit from their contributions but also create opportunities for them to use their gifts and talents to serve others. We encourage churches to create opportunities for older members to use their skills and experiences to serve the wider community, whether it’s through volunteering, leading Bible studies, or serving on committees. When older people are given the chance to serve, they can experience a renewed sense of purpose and fulfilment, and the church can benefit from their valuable contributions.

In short, our mission at Faith in Later Life is to help Christians everywhere recognise the value and potential of older people and to work towards building more age-inclusive churches and communities. We believe that every older person has something unique and valuable to contribute to the church and the world, and we are committed to helping them do just that.

Grace and Peace

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