Inter-generational or intergenerational ministry is a model of Christian ministry which emphasizes relationships between age groups and encourages mixed-age activities.

Contrast with traditional models

Inter-generational ministry stands in contrast with other modes of ministry more traditionally seen in local church

Local church

A local church is a Christian congregation of members and clergy.Local church may also refer to:* Local churches , a Christian group based on the teachings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, and associated with the Living Stream Ministry publishing house.* Parish church, a local church united with...

es, such as Sunday schools and youth ministries.

In Sunday school

Sunday school

Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...

, children, youths, and sometimes adults, are instructed by teacher

Teacher

A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...

s who are, typically, adults. Classes are usually divided by age groups, as in secular schools. In youth ministries

Youth ministry

Youth ministry, also commonly referred to as Youth group, is an age-specific religious ministry and is the way in which a faith group, or other religious organization involves and engages with the young people who attend its place of worship, or live in its community...

, teens or young adults (especially college age) gather in groups presided over by a "youth minister". These groups, which are often part of parachurch organizations, focus on peer fellowship and instruction of their members.

These modes of ministry segregate members by age, and presuppose a hierarchical ministry in which more experienced, more educated, and generally older members minister didactically to their charges. Inter-generational activities, by contrast, emphasize a mixture of ages, and de-emphasize formal teacher-pupil relationships.

Motivation

Inter-generational ministry is one of a number of movements which have arisen in response over concerns that young adults very commonly cease participation in church, and often do not return. Proponents of the inter-generational ministry movement hold that the hierarchical and didactic roles found in traditional church ministries deprive teens and young adults of a sense of purpose and involvement, since their role in these ministries is passive and subordinate, and since they are often kept separate from adult activities. Therefore, they propose that younger members should take active roles in the ministry of the local church, and that church activities should involve and encourage participation from members across a wide range of ages.

A second thread in the inter-generational ministry movement is that of family involvement. Concerns over divorce

Divorce

Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...

, abuse and other family disruptions led to criticism of how traditional church activities typically segregate family members according to age, thus de-emphasizing family relationships. Inter-generational activities were seen as a means to involve families as units, thus reinforcing family bonds.

Studies show that children attending Sunday Schools and youth programs are less likely to continue church involvement, compared to those who attended worship with parents, and are integrated into a community (e.g., Mark de Vries Family-Based Youth Ministry, 2004). Those children who continue church involvement as adults often have a ‘nominal faith’ (e.g. George Barna Transforming children into Spiritual Champions, 2003).

Proponents of this mode of ministry claim it is a Biblical

Bible

The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

 model - particularly when the ministry is located within the family

Family

In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...

 in accordance with the 'relational' Hebrew

Judaism

Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...

 model described in Deuteronomy 6.

A movement of family integrated church

Family Integrated Church

A family integrated church is one in which parents and children attend church services together, children stay all through church services and organised groups and activities for children and youth are non-existent...

es has arisen within American evangelicalism

Evangelicalism

Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...

. The National Center for Family-Integrated Churches lists around 800 affiliated churches.

History

Many denominations have instituted offices or programs which focus on inter-generational ministry.

• The Presbyterian Church (USA)
  Presbyterian Church (USA)
  The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
  
   has an office of Family and Intergenerational Ministries
• The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
  Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
  The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 2.3 million members, it is both the eighth largest Protestant denomination and the second-largest Lutheran body in the U.S. after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Synod...
  
  has a list of res.pdf Intergenerational resources on its website.

External links

• ChurchBaby is particularly dedicated to information concerning the church as inter-generational community, including the e-zine ChurchBaby. News.
• Calvin Institute provides suggestions for 'multi-generational' worship form
• Seasons of the Spirit aims to equip congregations for inter-generational life with a lectionary-based resource for multi-age congregations available for purchase.
• Children at Worship presents resources for the inclusion of children and youth as full participants in the regular worship life of a congregation.
• Faith Inkubators aims to spearhead a Christian education reform that restores parents as the primary faith teachers.
• Institute for Uniting Church and Home has a vision for accomplishing the Great Commission through their households.
• Family-Based Youth Ministry FBYM began when Mark DeVries began to devise a system targeted at bringing families together within the church body.