Ministering to Older Adults: The Building Blocks / Edition 1

by Donald Koepke

Overview

Learn how to focus your ministry’s programs and services on the elderly

By 2030, 20% of the people living in the United States will be age 65 or older, with unique spiritual needs that can affect their physical and mental well-being. Ministering to Older Adults answers the critical need for a ministry that doesn’t center primarily on youth and families in its outreach, instead presenting a step-by-step guide to developing a ministry for the aged that is focused on the needs and resources of each congregation. This program has been used effectively with nearly 50 congregations, both large and small, to create a focused older adult ministry.

No two congregations are alike. The resources, perspectives, and skills of each congregation are different, as are the needs of its members. Ministering to Older Adults provides a framework for use by planning groups within communities of any religious tradition. The book presents a process that includes essential questions that allow planning groups to develop answers that fit the needs, cultural, history, and structure of their individual congregations.

Ministering to Older Adults is divided into three sections:

• "The Fundamentals"—defining your audience, your mission, and the skills and existing programs that can be brought to the planning process
• "Programming Possibilities"—spiritual needs based on the aging process, continued learning for older adults, opportunities to serve and be served, providing quality pastoral care, and community building
• "Putting it All Together"—deciding on a direction, using desired outcomes for evaluation, establishing target dates, and ongoing evaluation

Ministering to Older Adults also includes forms and charts to help in the planning process. The book is an invaluable resource for clergy, ministry committees and planning groups, and staff persons responsible for older adult ministries.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780789030481
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/30/2005
Pages:	220
Product dimensions:	5.81(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

• About the Contributors
• Why Older Adult Ministry? (Donald R. Koepke)
• PART ONE: THE FUNDAMENTALS
• Step One: Who are the Elderly (Robert Carlson)
• Step Two: What Do You Want the Older Adult Ministry to Accomplish? (Donald R. Koepke)
• Step Three: Assessing Readiness for OAM (Older Adult Ministry) (Donald R. Koepke)
• Step Four: Planning for Older Adult Ministry (Donald R. Koepke)
• PART TWO: PROGRAMMING BASED ON SPIRITUAL NEEDS
• Spiritual Need One: Spiritual Development: The Aging Process: A Journey of Lifelong Spiritual Formation (Ray Mattes)
• Spiritual Need Two: Continued Learning for Older Adults and Older Adult Organizations (Rod Parrott)
• Spiritual Need Three: Opportunities to Serve "Call Me a Master, Not a Senior Citizen" (Bonnie Stover)
• Spiritual Need Four: Opportunities to Be Served and to Share with Others (Donald R. Koepke and James W. Ellor)
• Spiritual Need Five: Providing Quality Pastoral Care as a Congregation (Robert A. Rost)
• Spiritual Need Six: Community Building (Judy Armstrong Bever)
• PART THREE: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
• Building Blocks for Older Adult Ministry (Donald R. Koepke)
• Index
• Reference Notes Included