2024 Note: The UUA's Lifespan Faith Engagement team is exploring a Whole Church approach to Multigenerational Ministry. Please stay tuned!
Many Unitarian Universalist congregations and communities are embracing multigenerational ministry. We are talking about a ministry that brings all of our people together, regardless of age; a congregational life where all are welcomed, included, and encouraged to lead and participate at any age. When we bring the ages together to minister to and with each other--children, youth, young adults, emerging adults, the middle aged, older adults and elders--we build a whole community, not fractured or siloed by age.
Multigenerational? Intergenerational? What’s the difference?
"Intergenerational" typically describes an interaction between people of two different generations: an adult teacher working with a child in a religious education class, a Baby Boomer minister offering pastoral care to a Gen X parent, a grandparent and a young adult engaged in a mentor/mentee relationship. We need these intergenerational connections as well as multigenerational connections (among three or more generations) to help our congregations thrive.
Learn More About Multigenerational Ministry
Multigenerational ministry is important for many reasons.
Everyone benefits from multigenerational ministry.
Multigenerational ministry can take many forms.
There are many ways congregations are implementing multigenerational ministry.
Call and Response
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Whole Church Religious Education (RE)From Call and ResponseFaith Development for All, With Love (and Community) at the Center
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I Got Stuck in the Youth Leadership-to-Seminary PipelineFrom Call and ResponseEmber Kelley writes, "I’m a survivor of the youth leadership-to-seminary pipeline. In elementary school, I made a statement that would end up shaping the course of my entire life. When asked about what I wanted to be when I grew up, I dared to name “Pastor” ...
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The Power and Practice of PausingFrom RE-sourcesFrom Karen Hering: "The old rules are breaking... We are living on the threshold, between what is no longer and what is not yet. It can be exhilarating. It is often unnerving or even frightening."