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How often do you spend time with someone of a different generation who isn’t part of your immediate family? If your answer is, ‘not very often’, you’re not alone. One 2023 study found that 80% of young adults’ ‘non-kin ties’ were with people within five years of their own age. Our lack of intergenerational relationships can lead to a lack of understanding and increase generational divides in our minds and communities.
Churches across the UK see intergenerational worship gatherings every Sunday – where children and adults of every age come together to worship, pray and share fellowship. Even if teaching is delivered separately so that people can learn at age-appropriate levels, the act of coming together as God’s family is a precious and important thing. It both encourages us to see God’s face in people who are different to us, and demonstrates that intergenerational connections are not just possible, but beneficial. When we meet together, serve together and engage in mission together, we are proclaiming our unitedness in and through Christ to those within the church and those outside it.
But just because it’s good, doesn’t mean it’s easy! Bringing people of different ages together for worship and for serving can create apprehension and even tension. Or it can result in more division or in a growing ‘us’ and ‘them’ attitude rather than in a single, united church family.
Cliff College’s Postgraduate Certificate with a focus on Intergenerational Ministry and Mission is designed for those facing these challenges, and for those wanting to explore what intergenerational ministry and mission might look like in their context. This year-long, part-time course will help you develop your understanding and practice and give you the knowledge and practical skills you need to serve God better in the ministry to which you’ve been called.
Find out more about this programme on our website, or contact enquiries@cliffcollege.ac.uk for more information.
