INTERVIEW: Tina English.

The founder of Embracing Age discusses her new book, A Great Place to Grow Old: Re-imagining ministry among older people …

Why is the church population ageing faster than in society at large?

First I think it’s important to emphasize that society is ageing across the world, not just in the church – it’s a global phenomenon for which there are a number of reasons, not least that we are all living longer, so there’s lots to be thankful for.  The church is ageing faster than society at large because of the drop in numbers of young people attending. But the answer isn’t just to attract more young people to our congregations. We need to prayerfully consider the implications of an ageing population and how that will be reflected in our church demographics and make sure our church mission and discipleship strategies are inclusive of older generations too.

You say it can be helpful to think of growing older in terms of the ‘third and fourth stages of life’. How do you define these?

The third age is the period post retirement where individuals are physically and cognitively well and able to enjoy an active life. In contrast, the fourth age is where frailty increases and physical or cognitive decline reduces the capacity of an individual to live actively and independently. The advantage of using these terms is that it takes numbers out of the equation – how old is old? But of course the differences between the third and fourth age are arbitrary and the boundaries between them are not clear cut: people can move temporarily between the two during periods of illness.

As men and women continue to live longer, incidences of dementia are also on the rise. How can a church community support people living with dementia?

It’s hard to give a short answer to this – but there’s much more information in the book. What I would say is that before we start considering whether our buildings or our services are dementia friendly, we need to make sure our people are. An easy place to start is organizing a Dementia Friends information session for people to learn more about dementia and challenge their preconceptions. It’s also important to understand that everyone’s journey with dementia is different, so whatever support we give needs to be individualised to the needs of each person living with dementia, as well as supporting those caring for them. We want people living with dementia and those caring for them to feel included and loved.

What would be some guiding principles for churches to support carers?

We asked family carers how they would like to be supported by the church, and this is what

they told us. Each of these principles are expanded upon in the book

1. Seeing - we need to be intentional about seeing carers because too often they are out of sight, out of mind.

2. Listening without judgement

3. Including and enabling both the carer and the person they are looking after.

4. Praying for the carer and asking if there are specific prayer requests

5. Giving practical help – not assuming what a carers needs are, being specific about what help we are able to give, rather than a generalized offer of support, and to keep asking.

 

Are care homes too often passed over by churches, and indeed the community at large, when it comes to efforts reach out to older people? Why might this be so? What can be done about it?

In many cases yes! We tend to imagine that since they have carers on hand 24/7, and are living with other residents, all their needs are being met, but this simply isn’t the case. Research shows that care home residents are twice as likely to feel severely lonely compared to older people living at home. There are lots of reasons for this, which I expand on in the book. And it’s unrealistic to expect care staff to meet all the emotional and social needs of residents along with all their physical and nursing needs. One resident said that she just wanted to chat with someone who hadn’t seen her naked!

As well as a lack of understanding about the needs of care home residents, the cynical side of me wonders whether they are not a priority to many churches because reaching out to them won’t necessarily result in bums on seats, or names on rotas. But hopefully that’s not true! I suspect the reality is that there are so many pressing needs within our communities that care home residents are simply not a priority in many churches.

In terms of what can be done, the simple answer is so much! I devote a whole chapter in the book to it, and one thing that I have found incredibly humbling is that it really doesn’t take a lot to make a huge difference in their lives.

How can we make our churches more accessible to older people?

The accessibility of buildings is a huge subject and in the book I point you to a few websites that have much more expert advice than I can provide. In the book I encourage you to also think beyond bricks and mortar. For example, have you ever turned up to a new church for a midweek event? I have, and it can be nerve wracking. First of all, some church buildings seem to have lots of entrances. It might be obvious on a busy Sunday morning where to go, but on a quiet week day it can be confusing. The life and bustle inside the church might not be apparent from outside. So make sure you have clear signage, or even better, someone outside with a friendly smile to welcome people and direct them where to go.

You also need to consider seating – arm chairs may provide a cosy feel, but someone with mobility issues will find it easier to get up from a chair that is higher and has armrests to provide leverage. Someone struggling with incontinence will prefer a chair that can be wiped down easily rather than a fabric cushion that can leave a stain in the event of an accident. You’ll also want to make provision for people with sight and hearing loss.

What do we need to consider when sharing the good news of the gospel with older people?

What is the purpose of our ministry amongst seniors? Is it simply to reduce loneliness and isolation or improve health and wellbeing? These are good, but surely as the church we also want to point people towards life in all its fullness that Jesus promises us. In which case, we need to be intentional about giving older people the opportunity to explore Christian truth.

We need to bear in mind that when we talk about “older people” we are not talking about one homogenous group, but rather several distinct generations who are likely to have been influenced by the prevailing worldview of their generation.  In the book I explore several tools that have been developed to share the gospel, but we need to make sure that whatever tool we use, it is culturally relevant to the generation we are seeking to reach.

For people wishing to start up their own initiatives to reach out to the older members of their church community, what three pieces of advice would you give to begin with?

In a nutshell: look, listen and love. Intentionally look at who the older people are within your community and what is already on offer for them. Look at where the gaps are, and for examples of good practice elsewhere, and then at who you could potentially collaborate with. Whilst you are looking, make sure that you are also listening, particularly to older people themselves, and also to professionals within your community who may have a wider perspective on local needs. We also need to be listening to the whispers of the Holy Spirit as he guides you. Finally, everything we do needs to be saturated in and motivated by God’s love, as we allow the love that God has poured into our hearts to overflow into the lives of others. 

 

A Great Place to Grow Old: Re-imagining ministry among older people by Tina English is available now in paperback for £12.99.