Embracing Intergenerational Worship in our Church Services
When our church began exploring intergenerational ministry, we started with a monthly practice of hosting an intergenerational service. These services welcome all ages to engage in active worship, learning, and connection. As we planned, we thoughtfully considered several key elements:
- Connection: How does this service deepen relationships with one another and with God?
- Participation: How does this service encourage active involvement, empowering everyone to take ownership of their faith journey?
- Storytelling: How does this service draw us into the living story of God’s Word?
- Faith Foundations: How does this service engage with core faith topics that resonate across generations?
- Faith Formation: How does this service inspire, equip, or challenge us to live as disciples of Christ beyond church?
Creating Consistent Service Elements
While the theme and activities varied each month, some elements remained consistent. We gathered around tables to foster connections and encourage learning through shared conversation. Tables allowed everyone to contribute and grow together.
Each intergenerational service also included a potluck, providing a tangible way to participate in God’s gift of hospitality. Sharing a meal created extra time to enjoy one another’s company and deepen relationships. Singing, storytelling, learning, and prayer were always part of the service, though each time they took on fresh, creative expressions.
Focusing on Jesus’ Parables
In 2024, our theme centred on Jesus’ parables, practicing skills needed to listen to Jesus, understand His teachings, and apply them to daily life. One story we explored was the parable of the Good Shepherd. As we prepared, we debated different teaching approaches. Should we focus on the role of a shepherd, helping us understand the title and relate to Jesus in a new way? Or should we explore the nature of sheep, reflecting on our own need for a shepherd? Each approach opened unique possibilities for planning.
We ultimately decided to explore the theme of shepherding throughout the Bible. This theme runs from Old Testament figures who were literal shepherds to the imagery of Israel as sheep in need of guidance. Jesus’ declaration of Himself as the Good Shepherd directly connects to these earlier stories.
By teaching the parable in the context of the grand biblical narrative, we helped the congregation see it not as a standalone story but as part of a larger story that reveals God’s character and relationship with humanity.
Creative Planning and Hands-On Activities for Intergenerational Participation
Once the main focus was established, the creative planning began for our intergenerational church service. The challenge: teach the grand biblical narrative in a way that invites participation, fosters connection, stays true to the story, and encourages growth and heartfelt responses.
Our service began with a hands-on collaborative art challenge. Each table received a small kit of art supplies and a single sheet of instructions to create an artistic masterpiece in just 10 minutes. The task: depict a person from the Bible. What the groups didn’t know was that each person would later connect to the theme of shepherding.
The atmosphere was joyous and participatory with older folks helping younger ones, laughter echoing as creations turned out as planned (or hilariously not). It was a delightful and engaging start to the service, setting a tone of connection, creativity, and community.
At the ten-minute mark, whether complete or not, we photographed each masterpiece and added them to a slideshow. While the images were compiled, we sang songs about God as our shepherd. If you’re wondering whether we included the kids’ classic “I Just Want to Be a Sheep,” the answer is obviously yes!
Storytelling Through Art
The slideshow integrated the congregation’s artwork into a presentation guiding us through the biblical narrative of shepherding. These creations became a vital part of storytelling, helping the congregation connect with one another while entering the story of God’s Word.
As each slide appeared, both children and adults engaged with the images. The playful, imaginative creations provided refreshing pauses between teaching segments, making it easier to absorb the connections between biblical characters and the theme of shepherding.
By the end of the service, participants left with new insights into familiar stories and a deeper appreciation of shepherding woven throughout Scripture.
Reflection and Group Response
After the slideshow, we held a time of open reflection. We asked: If we already knew Jesus’ parable, how does seeing it through the lens of the grand narrative change our understanding? Did we learn anything new? Do we view Jesus’ words in a fresh light?
Next, we engaged in a group response activity using Psalm 23. Each table reflected on one line from the psalm and rewrote it in their own words in light of what they had learned. One representative from each table shared their rewritten lines, which we read together as a collective prayer to close the service.
Sharing Resources and Inspiration
It is always a joy to see a carefully planned service come alive in meaningful ways. Planning intergenerational church services has been a learning process for us and the process was quite time consuming in the beginning. I know how helpful its been to find read-to-use materials available and I was excited about the opportunity to package this service up for others to use. If you want to host your own “Good Shepherd” service, I’ve compiled a comprehensive service-building kit that is easy to customize for your congregation. If you use this resource or are hosting intergenerational services in your own church, I’d love to hear about!
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