Multigenerational Ministry

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

Call and Response

  • YUUP Logo. The yellow Y has an orange flame, the U's are blue and pink and the P is purple
    Sunsetting the Young UU Project
    From Call and Response

    Five years after a small group of youth and emerging adults across the country in collaboration with Lifespan Faith Engagement started the Young UU Project as a way to stay connected when they couldn’t be together in person, the LFE office has decided it’s time to sunset the program. The Young...

  • Youth exploring spirituality and activism during a workshop led by UU College of Social Justice during UU-UNO 2017 Intergenerational Spring Seminar
    Youth Engagement: What We’re Learning
    From Call and Response

    Across our congregations, we see both challenges and opportunities in engaging high school aged youth. We, your friendly Youth and Emerging Adult Ministry Regional Liaisons, recently collected data to understand what’s working and what needs attention, so that we are not relying on our own...

  • The sun is setting over the dark blue Atlantic ocean. The sun is a glowing yellow ball, surrounded by a halo of hot orange. Clouds, grey with shadows, float above the sun.
    The Sunset of Tapestry of Faith
    From Call and Response

    The Sunset of Tapestry of Faith: New Horizons in UU Faith Development and RE

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