Boomers and Beyond Conference

This week I attended the Second 1/2 for Him conference in Minneapolis. It was a one-day gathering at Bethel University. Most of the people attending give leadership to Older Adult Ministries of Baptist General Conference Churches all over the country, but it was open to anybody who was interested in attending. The name of the conference was Boomers and Beyond. Richard and Leona Bergstrom planned and hosted the gathering. They have been asked by the Baptist General Conference to give leadership national leadership over this ministry for the whole area of 50 plus ministry, which they put under the label, Second 1/2 for Him.

The conference was very well planned with plenary sessions led by the Bergstroms and by Jay Kessler. The plenary sessions were very motivational. The Bergstroms shared their passion for effective ministries to and through people in the second half of life, and they introduced an excellent video that their son produced for them that contrasts the traditional view of retirement with the new paradigm for retirement aged people to invest the second half of their lives in significant ways like mentoring, missions, service, etc. It was very well done. The title of the video is Musical Chairs. They are arranging for the video to be purchased through their website in the near future www.bgcworld.org/cservice/2ndhalf/2ndhalf.htm.

Jay Kessler did a great job of affirming the importance of the need for churches to have strong ministries to those in the second half of life. Having spent the bulk of his ministry years investing in youth that date back to his years as the President of Youth for Christ and his more recent years of involvement with Taylor University, he is well aware of how the church rose up to the challenge of creating vibrant youth ministries in the 1950's and 60's. Prior to that time there were few churches in America that had a youth pastor, whereas now, the vast majority of churches with more than 100 members have a fulltime youth minister. Dr. Kessler mentioned in reference to this incredible youth movement in our churches that now we need to see a similar movement of ministries to and through older adults in our churches today. The staggering numbers of older adults in America demand it.

Interestingly enough, the youth ministries of the '50's and '60's targeted the baby boomers, the same cohort that is storming the gates of older adulthood today. Those same young people that created the need for the church to rise up and do something for them are again challenging the church with an appropriate response by their sheer numbers. Boomers have forced change in American culture through every phase of their lives. It should be no surprise that they are changing the way Americans grow old. The question for the church is, will it be there for this massive wave that is running through our culture. Will it invent new ways of reaching the unchurched older Americans? Will it also reinvent itself in ways that are more engaging for this cohort of people between the ages of 50 and 65 who aren't planning on doing this stage of life in the same way their parents did it?

The seminars were both varied and practical, and the speakers at the ones I attended were all excellent. It was really cool how Bethel University partnered with this conference. I attended a "Special Interest Forum" that was led by Harley Schreck, who is a professor of Anthropology and Gerontology at the University. I also attended a seminar led byJoann Wessman and Nancy Olen called, "Touching the Whole Person: Developing Health Ministries". What struck me about all three of these faculty members was that they have incredible passion in their areas of focus, and all three are very involved in living out what they study and teach in their churches and in their communities. They exuded a great combination of scholarship, professionalism, passion for what they do, and incredible compassion for people which they live out in their daily lives with the students they teach and in the churches where they serve.

As a couple, Dick and Leona Bergstrom are the very kind leaders that will change the face of ministry to Americans in the Second 1/2 of life. They are not only a great team, but they bring great, much needed optimism to the work that they do. They know this area of ministry perhaps more thoroughly than any couple I have yet to meet, and they have compiled a list of great resources and made them available to all who want and need them. If you are serious about doing ministry to older adults and doing it well, you must check out their website. It is full of great stuff and the best resources you can find.