LIBERTY UNIVERSITY JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Why Making Your Church Multigenerational Is Worth the Effort
CLED 700
A Paper Submitted to
the Faculty of the School of Divinity
in Candidacy for the Degree of
Doctor of Ministry Department of Christian Leadership and Church Ministries
By
Henry Edwin Shikuku
Lynchburg, Virginia
10/2022
Why Making Your Church Multigenerational Is Worth the Effort
Many churches consist of one primary generation, and that’s not the healthiest church. At
the same time, though, growing an intentionally multigenerational church is not easy. What are
the reasons to be a multigenerational congregation? And why is it hard to get there? Why we
need to do it
1. Older adults, who should be teaching the younger generation, need opportunities.
Paul was clear that older believers are to invest in younger believers (2 Tim 2:2, Titus 2:1-
8), thus strengthening the church for the future. That’s difficult to do if the entire church is
older adults.
2. Your community is most likely multigenerational.
Few communities consist of only one generation. If you want your church to reach your
community, you’re more likely to do that if your church reflects your community.
3. Generations need to learn from each other.
We have much to teach each other, from the older folks teaching lessons about long
marriages to the younger folks helping the rest of us think about a rapidly changing culture.
New Testament mentoring requires older and younger believers.
4. Some members need Christian “parents” and “grandparents.”
I’m thinking of those younger members who don’t have a Christian heritage, or whose
families live far away. They need “close-by” folks to help fill these roles as they strive to follow
Jesus.
5. A strong church learns from the past while preparing for the future.
A church with only a young generation sometimes pushes unwisely in wrong directions. A
church with only older folks, on the other hand, will ultimately die. Strong churches connect
both generations (and check out this post for ways to do that).
Why it’s hard to do
1. Generational differences are honest and real.
The differences in worship style, for example, aren’t superficial. They’re real, and
generations hold them deeply. Making any change, even for the sake of others, isn’t easy.
2. Congregations gravitate toward people most like them.
That’s just natural. We tend to hang out with, and reach out to, people who are at the
same stage of life as we are. Moving beyond our own generation requires work.
3. Intentionality requires action that can make everybody uncomfortable.
Becoming multigenerational sometimes means we joyfully worship through music we don’t
like, listen to stories that seem irrelevant, and welcome input from people who just don’t seem
to “get it.” Everybody chooses to give up a little to gain much.
4. Many older believers want their church to be multigenerational but without changing
anything.
Seldom does the process work that way, though. It’s genuinely hard for some older
believers to accept changes needed to reach the next generations, even when they try. This is
especially hard when the older folks have themselves never been truly discipled.
5. Some younger leaders want their church to be multigenerational, but they also want
to be in charge.
That is, they want older folks to contribute to their church but not necessarily to suggest
any changes. They appreciate the dollars of the older generation, but they don’t readily
welcome their input.
It’s hard, but worth the effort.
