Celebrating the Graying Church (Richard P. Olson) -- A Review
CELEBRATING THE GRAYING CHURCH: Mutual Ministry Today,
Legacies Tomorrow. (An Alban Institute Book). By Richard P. Olson. Lanham,
MD: Rowman & Littlefield
You may
have heard about all those churches filled with "gray hairs." The question
often asked is, who wants to go to a church with a lot of old people? Well, I serve
as pastor of a congregation that fits that description. A majority of our
members are over 60. In fact, I'm over 60 myself! That means I'm part of the
gray-haired population and I'm the pastor! So, is it okay to celebrate the
gray-hairs that populate churches? After all, many of them serve as active
leaders of our congregations well into their 80s and even 90s. So, how do we
welcome younger people into the church without excluding those of us with gray
hair?
One who
seeks to offer an answer to the question of what to do with all these gray-haired
people in our churches is Richard Olson. In Celebrating the Graying Church he has written a valuable book that
speaks to the possibilities of ministry with those who make up the older
population of our communities and our congregations. He writes from the
perspective of being older himself, having served for many years as a pastor
and then as a professor of pastoral care and practical theology at Central
Baptist Theological Seminary in the Kansas City area. He brings to the conversation his own
experiences as a pastor ministering to and with older persons, as well as being
an older person who remains active in the life of the church. He notes that as
a younger pastor he "tried to provide good pastoral care to older adults
and give at least some support to the groups and organizations that they had
created. But the more intentional focus— both of those churches and me—was
young families, children, and youth. For, we believed that is how a church
could be strong, its future assured" (p. 2). It's an understandable
belief. I've held it myself. The problem, however, is that the senior
population (those over 60) is growing exponentially as we live longer. This
population also needs to be engaged by the church. For one thing, they can continue
serving the church, offering wisdom and leadership. At the same time, as they age,
they will need care. So, while we need to attend to the needs and concerns of younger
members of the population, we can also celebrate the gifts brought to the
church by our elders.
In the
course of this book, the reader will learn about this cohort of seniors (many
of us are part of the Baby Boomer generation that has been dominating
conversations for decades). Once we get a handle on this cohort, Olson describes
some of the barriers to the full acceptance of seniors in society. He discusses
barriers to participation in the life of the church such as hearing issues as
well as the challenges of mobility (walking). There are also cultural concerns,
including ageism. Ageism is complicated by sexism and racism. Understanding
these challenges will assist in building the necessary bridges to effective
ministry.
He
offers chapters that share stories of individual lives, describing people who
have coped with their aging process. There is a chapter on laughter and play
among older folks, which is quite eye-opening. He writes about housing and work
issues, as people move from being active in life to slowing down and facing
health issues. He speaks to such issues as care facilities and the costs
involved (nursing care is very expensive!) He speaks to health issues
specifically, detailing some of the challenges that people face as they age ranging
from arthritis to cancer to respiratory issues. Of course, there is the issue
of memory. So, what is needed? You will find some helpful suggestions that will
be useful in ministry with those who age and have health concerns.
One of
the things that often serves as a challenge is the fact that as we age we often
leave behind our previous vocations. That can lead to questions about the
purpose of life. There is also a challenge of loneliness (something that is exacerbated
by the loss of ability to drive and get out as one could at an earlier age).
Thus, ministry with older persons can help them find meaning in life. While
chapter 7 raises the question of meaning, in chapter 8 he speaks of some of the
ways in which older persons can be assisted in recognizing and claiming their
passions. In thinking about these two chapters, many conversations come to mind
as I've ministered with older persons who feel they have lost their purpose. So
how do we find new opportunities? That’s the question.
Since
this is a book about ministry, one should expect something to be said about
faith development and expression. There is a chapter on it as well. One thing
about spiritual life is that growth need not end early in life. I know this to
be true, as I lead a Bible study with a largely older population (everyone is
over 60). This study is a joy because these folks want to learn and grow! So, there
is still much to be experienced regarding faith formation. It’s not just for
the children! So, Olson offers us guidance as we discern pathways for continued
spiritual life. I appreciated that in this chapter he speaks to the power of
music, as I've seen people who seem mentally adrift during a nursing home service
perk up when we sing Amazing Grace. Music is powerful, which is why music
therapy plays a role in ministry. This chapter on spirituality is followed by
one on acts of kindness—both for those who are older and by those who are older
for one another and for those who are younger. It's important to remember that
kindness and caring is a two-way reality.
Aging also
involves saying goodbye. It might be a move to a new place of living. Often
older folks move closer to their children, which means leaving behind church
and friends. There is also the reality of death to be faced. So, how do we say
goodbye? Now, saying goodbye is one side of the coin, but there is also the
matter of grief. Olson addresses this concern, which includes such questions as
rituals to the disposal of the body. What is it that we wish for ourselves? How
do we have those conversations?
Having
laid out all of these realities and attendant possibilities for ministry, the
question then is: How do we get to a place in congregational life where our
elders are celebrated, and true ministry takes place without abandoning ministry
with younger persons? With that in mind, he shares the stories of four
congregations that have been intentional in their ministry with the aging
population. These stories don't cover all the possibilities, but one of the
values of this conversation is that for the most part, these are ministries
taken up by smaller congregations. In other words, you don’t have to have 1500
members to engage in effective ministry among seniors!
Olson wrote
a postscript to the book that speaks to what ministry among seniors might look
like post-pandemic. He shares with us that he wrote most of the book before the
COVID-19 pandemic hit but finishing it and submitting it for publication during
the pandemic. In this post-script, he offers his thoughts as to what ministry
might look like going forward. I thought this was a wise choice, helping us
understand that we may have learned some things during the pandemic about
ministry and the church that will be helpful long term even as we deal with the
ramifications of such a long period of isolation.
The
great value of Richard Olson's Celebrating the Graying Church is that it is written from the perspective of a
"participant observer." This isn’t a clinical examination of the
church and its life written by a consultant who hasn’t tasted life on both
sides of the divide. Olson may have engaged the work of a consultant with
churches on such matters, but has lived and lives now on both sides of this question.
He’s been a pastor who has ministered with older people. Now, he is older. Thus,
he speaks with wisdom gained from these experiences. Therefore, I believe that
this book will be of great assistance to the church as it seeks to minister
across generations.
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