Charles Mueller on John 20

Dr. Charles Mueller has a helpful article in this months issue of Just Watching, a newsletter published by Wheat Ridge Ministries. It’s worth your time as Charlie reflects on a lifetime of ministry, challenges and fine insights relating to the Lutheran church. Here is an excerpt from the article,

Developing better ministry choices reminds me of what shopping in my Grandpa Mueller’s turn-of-the-20th-century Oklahoma general store was like. What folks needed or wanted might have been in there somewhere, but finding it called for digging through dozens of bins, baskets and barrels – with a sharp eye. If they couldn’t find exactly what they were after, those pioneer farmers would then try to figure out how they might adapt what they did find. Then, as now, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Robust parishes, pastors and leaders are creative adapters. They are skilled at making do with what they have or making what they have do.

Dr. Mueller has been involved in Older Adult Ministry for many years. We hope you will enjoy him as much as we do.

Peace

Why Case Study Matters

I talk to pastors and church leaders everyday about the differences between Scientific Random Sample and Case Study data. The Senior Ministry Inventory is a Case Study research tool, so in talking about the benefits to this survey I naturally talk about Case Study and some of the problems with using Scientific Random Sample research.

The following two pie charts exemplify the ministry advantage of Case Study research. Each pie chart illustrates how a specific congregation responded to question #114 in the Senior Ministry Inventory which asks: “Which statement below best describes your understanding of eternal salvation?” These two congregations were of similar size; they had a similar number of older-adults complete the Inventory; they were geographically close; and they were both members of the same national denomination. Only case-study research will provide an accurate profile and description of congregational needs… and congregation profiles vary greatly.

Case Study Congregation #1

Case Study Congregation #2

Imagine preaching to each of these congregations. Only Case Study research can provide an objective assessment of needs and gifts at a particular place.

Purpose of Older Adults

One purpose for older Christians is to train the church to honor and fear God.

Throughout the Bible, the role of older men and women of faith, both in Israel and the Church, was essential to the community’s understanding and rootedness in God. Older saints were not merely purveyors of good advice because they had been around the block more than once, they were the ones who trained the community how to enter the presence of God.

Listen to Leviticus 19:32, “You shall rise up before the grayheaded, and honor the face of an aged, and you shall revere your God: I am the Lord.” Our posture in the presence of age is connected with our honor of God’s nature.

Customs of respect and deference to older people are rooted in God and the fear of God. And the loss of these manners of respect from baby-boomers and teenagers is directly related to their small view of God and the contemporary foreignness of the idea of the fear of God. If God has become a buddy, you can hardly expect people to stand when an old man enters the room.
John Piper, Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church

I see this as a major category for older adults in the church, what are other ways that God uses “grey hair” for His purpose?