Suzi Farrant;Darren Philip

Being an Intergenerational Church

Title page

Copyright infomation

Acknowledgements

Foreword: Hope for the Church

Introduction: Preparing to Set Out

Part 1: Intentionality: From ‘Adults’ and ‘Children’ to Intergenerational Church-community

1. Church-community

2. Humility

3. Hospitality

Part 2: Mutuality: From ‘Teachers’ and ‘Learners’ to Intergenerational Disciples

4. Place-sharing and the Place of Power

5. Participation

6. Discipleship

Part 3: Core Church Activities: From ‘Worship’ and ‘Learning’ to Intergenerational Life Together

7. Life Together

8. Joy

9. Worship

Part 4: Living it Out: From ‘Tradition’ Versus ‘Innovation’ to Intergenerational Transformation

10. Transformation

11. Discernment

12. Testimony

Epilogue

Bibliography

There is a growing realisation across mainstream churches that age-segregated models of connecting with children, young people and families are not working. Drawing on their extensive experience, Suzi Farrant and Darren Philip set out a vision for bringing the generations back together to become the intergenerational church we are designed to be. In conversation with the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, they develop a theological rationale for intentional intergenerational relationships of mutuality lived out within the core activities of the church. Through an exploration of the Christian practices of humility, hospitality, participation, discipleship, joy, worship, discernment and testimony, they call the church to re-discover its DNA as an all-age community of transformation.

• Theological and practical engagement with a key emerging concept in many denominations. • Published in time for two major conferences on Intergenerational church in the spring of 2023. • Endorsements by Steve Aisthorpe and other church leaders.

There is a growing realisation across the mainstream church that our recent practice in connecting with children, young people and families no longer works in the 21st century. Many churches and church leaders are searching for new ways to engage younger generations. The aim is to create an 'intergenerational church' and in practice this occurs when a congregation intentionally combines the generations together in mutual serving, sharing, or learning within the core activities of the church in order to live out being the body of Christ to each other and the greater community. Both authors are involved in the national work of the Church of Scotland and our thinking is integral to the new strategic work being done focussing on under 40s which has the vision of leading the CofS to being an intergenerational church. This book will be a fundamental building block of that work, enabling the wider church to grapple with the theology of intergenerational church, giving a firm foundation for the rest of the work to be built upon. They have both recently completed MA theses on the topic and have found the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer to offer significant theological insight. The authors' hope for this book is that it will help call the church back to a more ancient way of being by establishing a theological rationale for rediscovering intergenerational community and setting out some practical steps towards that future.

There is a growing realisation across the mainstream church that our recent practice in connecting with children and young people no longer works in the 21st century. This book calls the church back to a more ancient way of being - intergenerational community - and sets out some practical steps towards that future.

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