Faith Facts

• Nashville churches are pioneering new senior ministries that transform older adults from passive recipients into active servants of God’s kingdom
• The Sunny Day Club at Harpeth Hills Church provides respite care for memory loss patients while giving senior volunteers renewed purpose in ministry
• Churches across denominations are collaborating through the Intentional Older Adult Ministry to share ideas and combat the epidemic of senior loneliness affecting 1 in 3 Americans over 50

NASHVILLE, TENN. — “I’m part of the irrelevance.”

Those words, from an older adult at the Harpeth Hills Church of Christ, stopped Robyn Arab in her tracks. As director of the church’s Resource Center on Aging, Arab had spent years promoting resources and working alongside seniors.

But it surprised her that a church member with a lifetime of faith and service could believe they no longer mattered.

With 57 million baby boomers in the U.S. as of 2024, churches are facing a new challenge: how to keep older adults active and valued in God’s work. “The spirit of God is just as actively at work in someone who’s 80 years old as someone who’s eight years old,” said Jason Thompson, executive minister for the Harpeth Hills church.

Across Nashville, churches are rethinking senior ministry by expanding beyond traditional care. Instead of viewing seniors solely as recipients, congregations are creating programs that enable seniors to serve others, build relationships and rediscover God’s purpose in their lives.

‘They’re just as needed as the youth’

At Harpeth Hills, the Resource Center for Aging has developed programs designed to meet seniors and their families where they are. The center originated in 2007, when former minister James Vandiver wanted to provide a space for seniors that was more meaningful than “loading up the van and seeing the leaves.”

Vandiver brought Arab on board as a contractor in 2011, and 12 years later, Arab took over the center. Today, the program offers a range of unique services, including education, family counseling, frozen meals and respite care.

Among the most attended programs is the Sunny Day Club, a weekly three-hour gathering designed for seniors experiencing the early stages of memory loss, including Alzheimer’s disease and various forms of dementia.

Each Thursday morning, volunteers arrive at the church around 10:30 a.m. for an overview of the day’s activities before participants’ arrival. The schedule includes many activities tailored for people managing memory loss, balancing faith-based elements with physical activities like a ring toss game.

As seniors and their caregivers walk through the door, volunteers greet them with smiles and hugs, reminding them they are not forgotten.

“I see God opening those doors,” Arab said.

“He is helping more people find a purpose and letting them know they’re just as needed as the youth.”

The caregivers who drop off attendees also receive something rare when caring for a loved one — time.

For families, the impact of the Sunny Day Club extends far beyond the handful of hours their loved ones spend at Harpeth Hills. Helper and retired nurse Inez Stubblefield recalled one family member who returned to the gym after months away because of the time the program freed up.

“You can’t imagine what three hours of free time means to their loved ones,” she said.

The church members serving at the Sunny Day Club are often the same people the ministry supports. Through leading devotions or being a “helper” who offers companionship, these volunteers are finding purpose by serving others.

“It’s very rewarding,” said Stubblefield.

“The volunteers that continue to show up — it’s in their heart.”

For Harpeth Hills, the ministry reflects a broader belief that older adults are not simply people to minister to. They are members of the church family who still have gifts to give.

“It’s a genius of a ministry because it’s a win, win, win,” Thompson said.

“The volunteers win. The recipients win. The caregivers win.”

‘There’s something for everybody to do’

At churches across Nashville, senior ministry is becoming about more than meeting basic needs. It is about helping older adults discover that God still has work for them.

Just 15 minutes from Harpeth Hills, Brentwood Hills Church of Christ has embraced an older-adult ministry of its own. Senior adult minister Terry Booker believes that God’s purpose for someone is often rediscovered through service to others, both inside and outside the church.

“Some older adults have always helped others,” he said.

“They’re not willing to be helped. When you ask them to serve you, you’re encouraging them.”

Booker said the goal of the senior ministry isn’t just to keep people busy, but to help them recognize that God is still calling them to serve.

“What we’re trying to find is not what you want your purpose to be,” he said.

“But, what God wants your purpose to be.”

A person’s sense of purpose can become increasingly important, especially later in life. In a 2024 University of Michigan study of Americans aged 50 to 80, 1 in 3 seniors reported feeling lonely.

Churches hope that meaningful opportunities to serve and build community within the church can help counter that isolation while reminding older adults that they remain a key part of the church’s mission alongside the next generation.

“There’s something for everybody to do,” Arab said.

“You can hold a baby, you can serve food, you can direct kids here and there.”

‘Church is a family’

As more congregations look to expand senior ministries, Christian leaders among numerous denominations in Nashville are looking beyond their own walls for fresh ideas.

One example that has spurred conversations among various churches in Music City is the Intentional Older Adult Ministry, a group of Christian leaders who meet monthly to discuss challenges facing senior ministries in the area. The meetings, which Arab used to lead, provide church leaders with a forum to discuss new program ideas and bring in experts to share information that can inform others.

“So people hear the information and can then take it to their congregation as needed. Presbyterians typically attend, Baptist people are there, Methodists,” Booker said.

“We do have some government people from here attend, on occasion, and both profit and nonprofit organizations.”

These exchanges of ideas and information have also allowed churches to see how ideas developed in one congregation can inspire new ministry in another.

At Brentwood Baptist Church, Ben Davis is adapting one of the church’s most familiar ministries for everyone, from the youngest to the oldest: Adult Vacation Bible School.

“We’re just taking a concept that’s made for kids, and now we’re going to have it for senior adults,” Davis said.

“It’s still Vacation Bible School. It’s just Vacation Bible School for seniors.”

With all of the hallmarks of the summer staple, including snacks, songs of praise and fun activities, efforts like a VBS for adults continue to bear fruit for church leaders across Nashville.

The success of programs within Middle Tennessee reflects a belief that older adults remain a generation called to serve God.

“I believe church is a family,” Booker said.

“The church believes that we are a family, so we need to step up and help them.”

Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Faith Facts

• Christian schoolchildren in Sri Lanka, particularly those from evangelical families, face systematic bullying and discrimination from peers and teachers
• A study by the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka documents the targeting of children whose parents serve as pastors in non-traditional churches
• The persecution highlights the ongoing challenges faced by religious minorities in the predominantly Buddhist nation

Christian families in Sri Lanka are sounding the alarm over a disturbing trend that has placed their children directly in harm’s way. A comprehensive study conducted by the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) reveals that Christian schoolchildren—especially those whose parents serve as pastors in evangelical and non-traditional churches—are being systematically targeted for their faith.

The persecution these young believers face comes from multiple directions. Both fellow students and teachers have reportedly singled out Christian children for bullying and discriminatory treatment, creating hostile learning environments that challenge their ability to practice their faith freely.

This troubling situation underscores the broader religious freedom crisis facing Christian minorities in Sri Lanka, a nation where Buddhism holds a privileged position. The targeting of children represents a particularly concerning dimension of religious persecution, as these young people are among the most vulnerable members of the Christian community.

The NCEASL study sheds light on the daily struggles these families endure simply for maintaining their Christian witness in a society that increasingly marginalizes their beliefs. Parents who have answered the call to pastoral ministry find that their commitment to spreading the Gospel comes at a cost—one their children bear in the classroom.

For American Christians observing from abroad, this serves as a sobering reminder that religious freedom remains under assault in many parts of the world. The courage displayed by these Sri Lankan families in maintaining their faith despite persecution reflects the enduring strength of the global Christian community and the ongoing need for prayer and advocacy on behalf of persecuted believers.

This situation calls for increased attention from international religious freedom advocates and prayer from the global Church. These children and their families need the support of believers worldwide as they stand firm in their faith against adversity.

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Faith Facts

• A Pakistani court granted custody of a 13-year-old Christian girl to the Muslim man accused of kidnapping, forcibly converting, and marrying her
• The ruling represents another case of Pakistan’s failure to protect its religious minorities despite constitutional guarantees
• Christian families in Pakistan continue to face threats of forced conversion and abduction, particularly targeting young girls

A devastating court decision in Pakistan has shocked the international Christian community and human rights advocates worldwide. On Saturday, a Pakistani court delivered a ruling that defies both morality and justice, granting custody of a 13-year-old Christian girl to the very man accused of abducting her, forcibly converting her to Islam, and coercing her into marriage.

The case represents yet another example of the persecution Christians face in Pakistan, where religious minorities live under constant threat. Despite Pakistan’s constitution theoretically guaranteeing religious freedom, the reality on the ground tells a far different story — one of systemic discrimination and violence against Christians and other minority faiths.

This young girl’s nightmare began when she was allegedly kidnapped from her family. According to reports, her abductor then forced her to convert to Islam and marry him against her will. Rather than rescuing this child from her captor and returning her to her family, the court sided with the accused kidnapper.

The ruling highlights the dangerous intersection of religious persecution and child abuse that Christian families in Pakistan navigate daily. Young Christian girls are particularly vulnerable to abduction schemes where predators exploit legal loopholes and systemic bias against religious minorities.

Pakistan ranks among the most dangerous countries in the world for Christians. Each year, hundreds of Christian girls are reportedly kidnapped, forcibly converted, and married to Muslim men. Many of these cases receive little attention from authorities, and when they do reach the courts, justice is rarely served.

The international community must take notice of this travesty. American Christians should pray for this young girl and her family, and advocate for policies that hold nations accountable for protecting religious minorities. Religious freedom is not merely a Western value — it is a fundamental human right that transcends borders and cultures.

This case also serves as a sobering reminder of the freedoms Americans often take for granted. While we face our own challenges to religious liberty, the persecution Christians endure in countries like Pakistan puts our struggles in perspective and calls us to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Christ worldwide.

Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.