6 Things Senior Members Can Contribute to the Church

We will reach (if we are blessed to live long enough) the point when our “want tos” outnumber our “able tos.” We determine our spiritual state not by how well we are doing but by how well we are doing when we are not doing well. The aging Christian cannot opt for spiritual retirement or, for that matter, desire such status. We may forego those early Saturday morning workdays at the church involving climbing ladders to clean gutters or pushing a lawn mower to clean overgrown property lines but unemployability by the church and its function within the community is never an option. 

Caleb, in his advanced years, recalled the faithfulness of the Lord and valiantly demanded “the mountain” (Joshua 14:12). This spirit of missional continuation drives our desire for participatory action in the church. As the dynamics of our audience change with our advancement in age, our message to the younger generation shifts from one of relatability to one of experience. Our unchanging goal of claiming victory in His name and reaching the lost does not depend upon a change in tactics. 

1. Power in Presence

Never underestimate the power of presence, whether it be in a pew for the pastor on Sunday morning or holding onto the bottom of a ladder on flat ground Saturday afternoon. Your faithfulness to the church powerfully testifies to your commitment to the local body of believers. Just as the little leaguer shows off his missing front tooth by smiling because she saw a family member in the stands, the elderly saint sitting in her pew comforts the pastor with her presence. Similarly, the eighty-year-old deacon encourages the younger workers by merely showing up for a church function. 

2. When You Can’t Do Anything Else, Pray

Tearful prayers get the attention of the Lord as much as the sweat of our brow on His behalf. We have no control over having a sunny day to paint the outside of the church, a full house for the Homecoming service, or sinners walking down the altar. Our fervent and persistent prayers for these ministries, however, serve as spiritual bonds by illustrating our reliance upon the Holy Spirit to control the success of the church’s endeavors. Paul wrote in Romans 12:12 that prayer is to be constant whether we are rejoicing in hope or patiently waiting in a season of tribulation. Thus, a Christian has the capability and duty to pray irrespective of condition or limitation. The function of reaching God tremendously impacts the success of the ministry but also has a profound impact on those physically active in the endeavor. Prayer evidences care for the active church. 

3. Testimony of Perseverance

The longer we live, we more evidence we have of God’s faithfulness. Caleb testified that the Lord has not only preserved him throughout his years, but he is the same faithful Lord who made the promise to Moses “while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness.” The longer we obey Christ in our service, the more we see the fruition of God’s plan for our lives. We discern the movement of God’s hand following an unexpected transition from a position 20 years earlier. The believer’s perseverance rings as a testimonial to our faithful reliance upon His grace enabling our efforts. Hope in the winter season of life lies in the instances of God’s grace during a lifetime of impossible situations. Our witness to the reality of church splits, personal persecution, or medical setbacks reveals that the believer is not immune from tribulation. However, “keeping on” despite providential hindrances proves God's resilience in transforming us unto Christ’s likeness. Failure and rebuke forced the prophet Jeremiah into a state of depression when he considered giving up his commission. The fact no one repented, or the “daily derision” of being a reproach did not burn his soul. Quickly, Jeremiah realized, “his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing.” Thus, we must discern whether the “burn” stems not from inability but from the desire to be active. 

4. Give Him Praise

God values our praise. In Hebrews 13:14-16, we see God’s pleasure in our directional and continual “sacrificial praise” in seeking the eternal kingdom. Irrespective of our position in life and physical ability, our lips remain capable of praise. We direct our praise toward heaven. The more physically limited the believer, the more capable he or she can point to the sustaining Savior. This testimony of praise is sacrificial and says, “Even though I can’t, He can.” Storms and times of limitation will magnify our praises amid a world awaiting a disparaging response. The crux of our prayers originates in our limitation – Our God sent His Son to do something we could not. 

5. Pay Forward

Financial obligations and concerns discomfort the ears of every church member. Everyone has bills and financial insecurities to a certain extent – Johnny is always needing a new pair of shoes. As we grow older, however, our ability to give monetarily to the church increases as the strain from mortgages, car payments, braces, school pictures, and rearing children wanes. The biblical obligation of tithing is a difficult reality for most younger church members. However, these financial obligations should subside and allow for opportunities for further giving to the church. Church ministries need warm-bodied volunteers. However, none of them are without financial cost. The deacon cannot operate the visitation van without fuel. Bible School necessitates program materials and stage decorations. The volunteer carpenters remodeling the fellowship hall or building a church in a mission endeavor cannot proceed without lumber. Unfortunately, ministry necessitates money.

6. Partner with Progress

We should prioritize discipleship as we spiritually mature within the church walls. Paul taught that the church should treat the elder men and women as fathers and mothers (1 Tim 5:1-2). This respect given to elders, also entails the elders embracing the duty. Mature Christians possess the ability to pass down spiritual truths through their experience and participation in church traditions. Unfortunately, water baptism does not impart the importance of the church service structure and manner of presentation of the Lord’s Supper elements. Further, church membership packages do not include “how to” manuals with instructions regarding the divvying up of duties for fellowship dinners, handling of the nursery, or planning a Vacation Bible School. As the faces change, so will the handling of these components. However, discipleship conveys the importance of the core structures and their importance to the church.

The progressive focus on our physical limitations as our hair seasons into gray naturally alters our behavior and conversation. What we once shuttered to do because of supposed spiritual inadequacy has morphed into an actual inability because of physical limitations. The church, however, needs the seasoned saint equally as much as the “limber-backed” twenty-something. The church can hire out the blue-collar work to those outside of its membership. However, the teamwork consisting of your presence, prayer, perseverance, praise, pay, and partnership can only come from within.

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/SeventyFour 

Chad Napier, while an attorney by trade, his passion is filling the pulpits of local churches when needed and engaging a broader audience with his writing. He enjoys running and golf as he completes a master’s degree at Dallas Theological Seminary. Chad lives in Jonesborough, Tennessee with his wife Brandi and one-year-old Welsh Terrier LuLu.