In today’s church culture, senior adults can almost be classified as an unreached people group.
Not in the traditional sense of the phrase, but rather in the sense that many churches tend to aim their music, message and ministries toward young adults and young families.
While this strategy can often result in church growth, it can also have the negative side effect of excluding an entire demographic: senior adults.
Taking action
Last fall, retired Tennessee pastor Mike Dawson felt called to do something about this issue.
“The Lord woke me up in the middle of the night and I sat up in the bed, wide awake, ” said Dawson, who retired from full-time ministry in 2005 after 52 years. “I had been praying for several weeks about ‘what’s next’ for me. That night, I felt the Lord directing me toward a new chapter in my ministry. So, I grabbed a legal pad and began jotting down ideas for senior adult revivals.”
In the weeks that followed, Dawson’s vision turned into a reality.
Next month, the inaugural “Redeployed: Senior Adult Revival” will be held at Lindsay Lane Baptist Church in Athens, Alabama, and a second revival is scheduled for late summer at First Baptist Church, Livingston.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by David Dawson and originally published by the Baptist and Reflector.
