How can the local congregation raise up and affirm each disciple all along life’s journey?
Typically, in our Sunday worship experiences, we emphasize four passages in faith life:
1. Birth/Baptism
2. Confirmation
3. Marriage
4. Death
Yet, there are so many other passages that are important in our life as a Disciple:
- School/learning passages
- family passages of children and grandchildren
- work passages
- health passages
- life changes (retirement, moving from home to care facility, and more), etc.
When a congregation celebrates these formally in worship, with the people coming up to the front to be blessed and sent, with ritual and appropriate fanfare, it elevates those passages in the life of the community, and more importantly, elevates those passages in the life of the disciple themselves.
Consider these resources for lifting up and affirming discipleship:
Bless the Years – a Worship resource to celebrate older adults.
Milestones Ministry – Resources to publicly celebrate the important stages of life. This includes stages into our later years.
Lifelong Faith Formation – What if we could identify the essential elements that make lifelong faith formation work—key elements that could guide decision-making and planning in every single church? John Roberto offers a new resource for congregations that explores 7 essential elements of lifelong faith formation. It includes information that specifically addresses the key role older adults should play in lifelong faith formation within a congregation. amazon.com