The 5Rs of Intergenerational Ministry Hui Er (Maria) Yu (Intergenerational and Children's Ministries Pastor of NYCCC, PhD.)
Introduction In the West, the ideas and practices of intergenerational (IG) ministry have been promoted one after another. However, if a church does not understand the concept of IG ministry, it may make IG ministry a ministry that offends every generation. Ortberg, for example, has said that when one does not understand the meaning of IG worship, one defines it as follows: “Intergenerational worship would be a congregation of diverse ages sitting through a service of mixed styles that displeases everyone equally.” 1 In view of this, this article attempts to propose the 5Rs, namely Reformation, Reaffirmation, Restoration, Recollection and Reimagination, 2 in the hope that Chinese Churches will have a further understanding on IG ministry.
Reformation
Intentional Intergenerational Ministry (IIM) 3 is a movement in the West, carried out in churches, neighborhoods, communities, corporations, and organizations which addresses problems of dysfunctional families and the indifference of society in the postmodern era. Its goal is to “start a movement to bring Christ’s intergenerational message of unconditional love to an aging society suffering from generational isolation, separation and neglect.” Nowadays, Chinese and Western churches also suffer from generational isolation and separation due to their “over-reliance” on agespecific ministries. This results in many of the next generation’s lack of belongingness to the church, which is one of the reasons why they leave the church. 4 Faced with the high turnover rate, Western Christian scholars have returned to the Bible to re-explore God's intentions for passing on the faith down the generations, and IG ministry should be a crucial factor to bring back the next generation. However, in the society defined by “age-segregation”, people of all ages in the church are generally accustomed to staying in their comfort zone of “age-stratified” meetings. Therefore, intergenerationality is not considered to be the mindset that the church should have, or the core value that needs to be emphasized; 5 it is even viewed as counter-cultural. 6 Fortunately, after nearly half a century of John Ortberg, “Closing the Gap: Enter the Fractured World of Multi-Generational Church Leadership,” in Effective Intergenerational Small Groups (Carol Stream, IL: Christianity Today International, 2010), 4. 2 Thanks to my professor-mentor Dr. Dennis Ngien of Tyndale University for the incisive categories which help the presentation of Intergenerational Ministry. 3 The phrase “Intentional intergenerational ministry” was coined by James Gambone and refers to a form of ministry in which “the entire church makes a commitment to involve as many generations in as many parts of church as possible.” See James V. Gambone, All Are Welcome: A Primer for Intentional Intergenerational Ministry and Dialogue (Crystal Bay, MN: Elder Eye Press, 1998), vi. 4 David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock, Faith for Exiles: 5 Proven Ways to Help a New Generation Follow Jesus and Thrive in Digital Babylon (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2019), 33, 113. 5 Cf. Brenda Snailum, “Implementing Intergenerational Youth Ministry Within Existing Evangelical Church Congregations,” Christian Education Journal 9, no. 1 (2012): 168. 1