Ludicity and Theology: Exploring Some Theological Foundations of Intergenerational Ministry

Ludicity (or playfulness) captures many crucial ingredients for intergenerational ministry (IG), including freedom, participation, relational safety and informality.  What inhibits or encourages ludicity then inhibits or encourages IG.  Reflection on three English congregations suggests that theological foundations and commitments are central to whether ludic characteristics are present in a congregation or not.  More specifically this reflection suggests that open evangelical and charismatic theologies ostensibly provide better foundations for IG than more conservative theologies.

Apprenticing Faith Together: Helping Adults Understand Discipleship and Their Role in Intergenerational Community

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Regardless of the model of intergeneration ministry a church adopts, unless there is a good foundation for understanding disciple formation, adults may still struggle to accept intergenerational endeavors. This paper explores Jesus’ way of teaching and its parallels with apprenticeship as foundational language for creating a successful basis for intergenerational ministry to flourish.

Building Ramps Instead of Stairs: Universal Design in Planning Intergenerational Worship

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The concept of Universal Design is widely used in the realm of architecture but emerged in the late 20th century as a means for educators to meet the diverse needs learners with varying backgrounds and levels of ability. This paper will provide a brief overview of the tenets of universal design as articulated for education but then pivot toward definitional work of universal design as applied to corporate worship planning and leading. Specific attention will be applied to multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement of worshipers from non-majority classes. The theoretical work of this paper will be useful for researchers and scholars studying the intersection of universal design and worship, but the framework will be used by practitioners and lay persons as a means of reconsidering intentional inclusivity in their local ministry context.

The Necessity of Intergenerational Dialogue on Social Justice within the South African Church

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The recent (2015–2017) protests by university students in South Africa have ignited conversations about social justice that have perhaps been lying dormant for many years after the country’s 1994 democratic elections. Local congregations have engaged in varying activities which created space for dialogue with these youth in an effort to figure out how the church in South Africa could respond to these in theologically appropriate ways. One of the key issues emerging from such reflections has been the gap of older generations’ voices in passing on their experiences of injustice during their fight against our apartheid regime. The role churches played during this period in history is integral to this succession. This chapter argues that it is imperative that the church in South Africa engage in intergenerational dialogue around faith and social justice if we claim to be an authentic and prophetic voice focused on passing on the faith to future generations.

How Age-Specific Ministry Became Key to Intergenerational Ministry: Findings from a Case Study in Switzerland

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Age-specific ministries—especially for children, youth and seniors—are accepted as a matter of course in many congregations. Is this harmful for intergenerationality? The presentation will contest this assumption. First, a brief review of the beginning of some age-segregated ministries is given. Second, encouraging findings from the doctoral research of the speaker presented. They show that age-segregated ministry is sometimes even a key to intergenerational ministry.

The Final Frontier? Toward a Theology of Preaching among Intergenerational Faith Communities

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Despite exponential growth in all-age worship, little attention has been given to how to make preaching moments truly intergenerational. This presentation addresses this gap by developing an intergenerational homiletic, that is, a theology of preaching that goes beyond paternalistic inclusion of young people in adult-centric sermons or the latest trends in children’s sermons. Rather, by interpreting Jesus as an intergenerational preacher and digging into key theological assumptions, this presentation builds a foundation on which practitioners of all stripes—since all are called to proclaim the gospel—can build through creative experimentations with intergenerational preaching.