As neighborhood congregations age without outreach strategies to reach new people, leaders are tempted to begin thinking of members as needy. They’ve aged beyond their ability to do the work needed to sustain a ministry. Now they are a burden.
The strategies for dealing with this common scenario often lead to consolidation or closure. More’s the pity.
What if each of the 20 or so active members were given a task they could do to help their church?
If your members have been active for years, they probably would welcome the opportunity to continue helping the church that means so much to them.
Social Media makes this possible. 20 members can be 20 evangelists.
Since the inception of the internet, leaders have been tempted to accept stereotypes of aging members.
“My members don’t use the internet.”
This may have been true in 1985 when the first desktop computers hit the market. But that was more than 35 years ago.
The current crop of 70+ senior citizens was in their 30s when the internet was introduced. They pioneered the use of technology.
I recently visited a 90-year-old friend in a retirement community. He invited me to dinner in the ritzy dining hall. I glanced around the room filled with fancy tables covered with white tablecloths. There, by every knife and spoon, rested a cellphone. At many tables, people were passing their phones around sharing recent photos.
The time is now. Turn each of your members into an evangelist.
HERE’S A GUIDE TO HELP YOU GET STARTED.