How churches are rethinking senior ministry

WHERE DO OLDER ADULTS fit in God’s kingdom?

In Brentwood, Tenn., the Harpeth Hills Church of Christ Resource Center for Aging encourages these Christians to find their purpose. Read Ephraim Rodenbach’s story below.

From across the Atlantic, Ted Parks reports on lifelong Venezuelan missionaries who are spreading the Gospel to Latin American immigrants — in Spain.

And Brady Ross reviews “The Core: 8 Principles for Building Strong, Authentic Leadership,” by Oklahoma Christian University President Ken Jones and former Lipscomb University Vice President Matt Paden.

By Ephraim Rodenbach | Intern

BRENTWOOD, TENN. — “I’m part of the irrelevance.”

Those words, from an older adult at the Harpeth Hills Church of Christ, south of Nashville, stopped Robyn Arab in her tracks.

As director of the church’s Resource Center on Aging, she had spent years promoting resources and working alongside seniors. But it surprised Arab that a church member with a lifetime of faith and service could believe she no longer mattered.

With 57 million baby boomers in the U.S. as of 2024, churches are facing a new challenge: how to keep older adults active and valued in God’s work.

“The spirit of God is just as actively at work in someone who’s 80 years old as someone who’s 8 years old,” said Jason Thompson, the Harpeth Hills church’s executive minister.

Across the Nashville area, churches are rethinking senior ministry by expanding beyond traditional care. Instead of viewing seniors solely as recipients, congregations are creating programs that enable seniors to serve others, build relationships and rediscover God’s purpose in their lives.

At Harpeth Hills, the Resource Center for Aging has developed programs designed to meet seniors and their families where they are. The center originated in 2007 when former minister James Vandiver wanted to provide a space for seniors that was more meaningful than “loading up the van and seeing the leaves.”

Vandiver brought Arab on board as a contractor in 2011, and 12 years later, Arab took over the center. Today, the program offers a range of services, including education, family counseling, frozen meals and respite care. The organization partners with Churches of Christ and some denominational churches in Nashville, including Brentwood Baptist and Bellevue Presbyterian.

Read the rest of the story.

By Ted Parks | Correspondent

VIGO, SPAIN — As the train was leaving the station in western Spain, Luisa Andrade saw a man in the aisle with a confused look. She stood up.

Using some kind of sixth cultural sense, she picked him out as a Venezuelan, like her. First, she showed the stranger his seat. Then she got acquainted — hopefully to invite him to worship.

She couldn’t help showing kindness or sharing her faith. Luisa, 73, and her husband Pedro, 72, planted churches for four decades in Venezuela. Now they’ve “crossed the pond,” as Spaniards say, to reach people for Christ on a new continent.

And they can spot fellow Latin American immigrants — more than 4 million people now in Spain were born in Latin America — a mile away.

The couple left South America late last year to take their church-planting skills to a new continent. Pedro counted up 500 people he had baptized as he thought back to the places he’d preached. The couple themselves planted 13 congregations in Venezuela and collaborated in other evangelistic efforts there and on the nearby island of Aruba.

Venezuela has experienced political and economic upheaval for more than two decades, including the forcible removal of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro by the U.S. in January 2026. Recently, the nation suffered two powerful earthquakes killing more than 5,500 people.

Read the rest of the story.

By Brady Ross | Guest Contributor

Effective leadership requires a wide range of skills. We must understand how to deliver hard feedback, lead meetings and develop our teams. At the same time, many of the most crucial leadership skills have nothing to do with the way we interact with others.

Matt Paden and Ken Jones’ new book, “The Core: 8 Principles for Building Strong, Authentic Leadership” offers a unique approach to the oft-discussed topic of leadership, citing the biblical story of Esther and Mordecai and focusing on the “Leadership Core,” a set of internal ideas and personal practices as the ultimate driver of a leader’s success or failure.

Jones is president of Oklahoma Christian University in Oklahoma City. Paden is president of Great Days Leadership and a former vice president at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn.

Their book begins with a leadership fable featuring two main characters: Clint, a college student spending his summer interning at a local hospital, and Dr. Bill Jackson, the longtime hospital CEO.

The story is told in such a way that we’re able to glimpse into Clint’s thoughts and feelings throughout the narrative, a helpful strategy in a leadership book where part of the impact comes as we understand the impact of Jackson’s leadership on Clint as both recipient and student.

At the conclusion of the fable, the book switches to a narrative as both authors explain the eight Core principles in detail. I found a few to be especially meaningful.

The chapter on “Leading with Your Ears,” a reflection on the importance of listening in leadership, deeply resonated with me. I appreciated the reminder that our best impact in leadership often comes not from what we say but from the space we offer for others to feel heard and valued. I was challenged by the idea that a failure to listen is not an ear issue, but a heart issue.

Read the rest of the review.