GUEST WRITER: BROOKE FOSTER
Loneliness is on the rise. People feel increasingly isolated, left out, anxious, and disillusioned. The church might just have a remedy hidden in plain sight—intentionally practicing intergenerational ministry.
What Is Intergenerational Ministry?
In my home congregation, leaders of all ages, backgrounds, and life stages consistently shepherd us through worship. Children often share the scripture, light the candles, and lead the call to worship. They also play in the family corner, or dance, giggle, and wiggle their way through service in the pews. Similarly, adults from all generations share scripture, prayer, and liturgy.
Outside of our traditional worship service, my congregation strives to host intentionally intergenerational gatherings as often as we can. This year, during Advent, the intergenerational youth and adult choir concert framed the children’s pageant, creating a full-bodied reflection on the season. Last year during Lent, we hosted a series of workshops designed to hone listening skills, making sure the groups were diverse in every sense of the word.
Multigenerational vs. Intergenerational
On any given Sunday, people of all ages and life stages gather in their local church communities for worship. For some, worship is a fully communal experience, regardless of age or life stage. For others, worship is primarily for the “adults,” while children and youth have their own programming elsewhere. Likewise, throughout the week or program year, faith formation opportunities might be strictly sorted by age or life stage, open to all, or a mix of both.
Intergenerational ministry goes beyond simply having multiple generations present. It intentionally fosters relationships, shared leadership, and meaningful interaction across ages.
Four Practices to Nurture Intergenerational Ministry
While every community has unique gifts and needs, we also each have an opportunity to forge a new path forward. So, how might we intentionally nurture intergenerational ministry in our own communities?
1. Plan with Intention
Haphazardly gathering people together from all generations probably won’t make for an especially impactful faith formation experience. Just because something is multigenerational (many generations are present) does not mean it’s intergenerational (fostering connections and interactions across generations). Intergenerational ministry requires purposeful planning.
For example, during my church’s Lenten series, workshop attendees had to “check in” before sitting down. At the welcome table, staffed by our associate pastor, each person received a colored sticker corresponding to their assigned table color. The Associate Pastor was mindful, creating intentionally intergenerational tables. As people filtered in, they were seated at tables with people outside their typical circles. When it came time to pair off and practice different listening skills, anyone from five to ninety-five participated fully, forging new friendships across traditional divides.
By the simple but intentional practice of purposeful planning, the church addresses loneliness by gently disrupting familiar social patterns. It creates space for intergenerational connection, ensuring that every participant is seen, welcomed, and invited into meaningful conversations beyond their usual circle.
Is there an upcoming opportunity in your congregation to engage across generations or mix up the typical social circles?
2. Create Beyond Tradition
An exciting side effect of purposeful planning is the opportunity to break free from the trap of “we’ve always done it this way.” Intentionally intergenerational ministry calls for “out of the box” ideas that engage a wide variety of people while helping each generation feel a sense of belonging.
In the last decade or so, a number of creative worship practices have emerged from a desire for intentional intergenerationality. Some churches have created “praygrounds,” areas in the sanctuary designed to help children (and parents!) participate in corporate worship in their own way. Other communities draw on the gifts and talents of their members, integrating different forms of worship such as liturgical dance, acting out scenes from scripture, or sharing personal poetry.
These creative worship practices honor diverse ages and gifts. They make space for full participation, and help children, parents, and adults alike experience worship not as spectators on the margins, but as valued contributors within a shared spiritual community.
What gifts and talents are already present in your congregation? How could those be used to glorify God in new ways?
3. Design for Accessibility
As people of various ages and stages come together, they will need different types of experiences, aids, and opportunities. For example, if the youngest children in worship can’t yet read, some elements of the gathering could be done through verbal repetition or with physical elements that engage all the senses. For some churches, intergenerational ministry may also open the door for faith formation practices that are more accessible for people of all abilities.
One way to make worship more accessible is through movement. You might make up motions to songs or prayers, or even integrate American Sign Language into your liturgical rhythm. Another option is to distribute small, seasonal items that align with the season, sermon series, or congregational mission. Akin to handing out palm fronds on Palm Sunday, you might hand out something hard and smooth (small wooden crosses), something edible (snacks), or even something more malleable (air-dry clay).
By engaging the body through movement and tangible, take-home elements, this approach builds accessibility. It fosters belonging by meeting people in different learning styles and sensory experiences, reducing isolation and helping worshipers feel actively included rather than passively present.
Think about the senses your gatherings typically engage. What’s missing? How could you add another element to enhance the experience?
4. Cultivate Inclusion
Intentionally intergenerational ministry meets each generation, age, or life stage exactly where they are. One way to understand the dynamics of intergenerational spaces is through the lens of intercultural spaces. Intercultural relationships are nurtured through openness, curiosity, humility, and respect. In these spaces, each group should find both familiar and fresh experiences. As communities strive to incorporate these elements, they also open themselves up to welcoming more people from distinct socio-cultural backgrounds.
When approaching an intentionally intergenerational space, it is important to set a shared foundation. For example, the Lenten Intergenerational Curriculum from Illustrated Ministry opens with this invitation: “This Lenten season, we come together to share. All ages, all backgrounds, and all beliefs or non-beliefs will be heard and valued in this space.”
Framing intergenerational ministry as an intercultural practice confronts loneliness by cultivating curiosity, humility, and mutual respect across differences. It ensures everyone encounters both familiarity and invitation, and no one feels invisible, sidelined, or alone within the community.
What shared foundations already exist in your ministry setting? How might you bend or amend them to be more welcoming for all people?
How Intergenerational Ministry Cultivates Belonging
As we open our church communities to new experiences and new ways of doing ministry, we also open ourselves up to new ways of being followers of Christ in the world. When we’re intentional about creating spaces where all people are seen, valued, and known exactly as they are, we are joining the work of the Holy Spirit to cultivate belonging and a shared sense of belovedness across existing or assumed divides.
Could Intergenerational Ministry Be the Medicine We Need?
I think so.
And I believe the church is uniquely equipped to take the lead.
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