In his book, Do More Better: A Practical Guide to Productivity, (a book I recommend), Tim Challies uses the statement "A home for everything, and like goes with like." As I have sorted and grouped my information and tasks to be more productive, it struck me that the local church in North America has employed this same strategy when it comes to ministry.
Ministry Strategy of Like Goes with Like
If you grew up attending a Protestant church as I did, or even if you are newer to engaging in a local church, no doubt you have experienced a very similar ministry structure. Most churches have chosen to organize themselves by age and affinity. Like goes with like.
We have kids ministry, youth ministry, college ministry, young adult ministry, singles ministry, 30s+ ministry, senior adult ministry, etc. There are groups for parents with young kids, parents with teenagers, empty-nesters, women's ministry, men's ministry, and so forth.
When you look at the programming budget of most churches, the funds are distributed among these ministries. Our staff structures are built around these groupings as well.
So, is this a good thing or a bad thing for our churches and our people? I think the answer is yes. Let me explain.
Benefits of Grouping People for Ministry
There is no doubt that there are benefits to grouping like people together. In the younger stages, churches are able to tailor their teaching to the learning levels and capabilities of the younger generation. Kids undoubtedly benefit from learning and being challenged at an age-appropriate level to help them understand, grasp, and grow.
We are able to relate much better to people that are in the same stage of life as we are. It allows us to better understand one another, care for each other, and practically challenge each other. When men gather together, they can discuss things and gain solid biblical guidance on issues that only apply to them in their role as men, husbands, and fathers. The same is true for women with their roles.
Often we like to gravitate toward those that are similar to us to form a community. It is easier. It is what we are used to. These are all good things and the driving force behind why we see our churches organized in this way.
Challenges of Grouping People for Ministry
Sounds like a good case has been made to engage in church ministry with this grouping strategy. Are there any downsides? I think there are three main ones.
Intergenerational Ministry Suffers
Age-based programming creates hurdles that are often never cleared when it comes to generations mixing together. There is so much wisdom to be gained and to be shared when multiple generations interact. We have a lot of this built into our kids and youth ministries, but we don't when it comes to adult ministries. Young moms can learn so much through relationships and spiritual mentoring from older moms. Young professionals can benefit from spiritual mentoring relationships with those that are multiple steps ahead of them in their careers and families.
Ministry Silos Form
An age-based ministry can lead to a silo effect. Similar to the first point, when we separate ourselves from those that are not like ourselves, we tend to think only about our own needs, desires, and what makes sense to us. We can easily make assumptions about other groups when, in reality, we don't understand them and don't seek to understand them.
This can lead to friction and competition. We believe so much in the area that we are engaged in that we fight for resources, time, and publicity for what we are doing even if it is at the expense of another area of ministry. Instead of functioning as one faith family, one body, we become a bunch of groups lumped together under the same name with noncohesive visions, agendas, and cultures.
Tensions about Financial Stewardship
If we engage in age-based ministry, it can take a toll on the financial stewardship of the church. Each ministry seeks to be funded to do all of the things that they want to do as a group. Multiple large-group gatherings, events, mission endeavors, staffing, etc. lead to each ministry needing an excessive amount of funding.
Instead of the church acting as one body that rallies around the same things together, we have multiple groups within the congregation that are acting as sole congregations.
Even if the church has the financial capacity to fund each of these ministries and their endeavors, is this really the best stewardship of the financial blessing that God has given to us to further the ministry of the gospel?
Engage with the Whole Body of Christ
As you can see, there are things that ought to be considered when it comes to how we structure ourselves as a church. I'm not advocating for the abandonment of all age-based ministries or groups, but I do think we need to take some things into consideration rather than acting as if the Bible has directed us to function as such. I think there are strategic times and ways to be grouped by age or affinity, but I also think we need to hold on to this model loosely. I believe there are times where the cost outweighs the benefit.
My challenge is simple: next time you are looking for a group to build community within the church, think about trying to be a part of the body as a whole and surround yourself with those you might not normally engage with. My guess is that you will be blessed in a way that you did not expect. Not only that, but it could be a needed adjustment and blessing for the entire church.