The word “Boomer” has become an insult today. Younger people will use it with people of any age.
The term originally came from the people born after World War II. During such economic growth through the 50s, many families had babies, which is called the Baby Boom. My parents were born in 1952 and are part of the Boomer generation.
Yet the Boomers have been associated with old thinking and stupidity, as if their values and perspectives are inherently closed-minded and resistant to the “progress” certain others believe we need, whether technological or social. More than implied, the “Boomer” insult includes believing that the young know better. “Boomers” get dismissed and rejected, whether their ideas or themselves as people.
Generational conflict has always been part of human experience. The modern expression of this has simply taken it to the extreme, a growing development in American culture. The old are ugly, stupid, gross.
As we can expect, God’s people have a different perspective. Every member of the Body of Christ is necessary. None can say they don’t need the other’s spiritual gift and contribution. It seems ironic, but the Church now needs the older saints more than ever. It may not be so ironic if we consider the spiritual enemy who desires division when God commands unity.
The truth remains: the Family of God needs spiritual grandparents more than ever.
God’s Design for Family
God designed the family as a key part of filling the earth with godly, thriving life. The Lord created Adam and Eve, joined them, and told them to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28). Marriage and children had the purpose of reflecting his image, multiplying, and carrying his rule and dominion over the earth. Family was the first institution created before governments or nations, showing family’s foundational nature in society and God’s plan.
God’s idea of family came from his own nature. God is a family within himself—Father, Son, and Spirit. As humanity was made in his image, he instituted family as a way to partner with him and express his holiness.
Even after the sin of humanity in the Garden, God continued to use the family for a redemptive purpose. When giving consequences, the Lord prophesied how his salvation would come from a son born to a woman. He chose Abraham and Sarah, promising a family line through them, one to bless all nations (Genesis 12:3). God’s covenant with Abraham passed down to his children and their descendants. The older generation played a necessary role in this responsibility to pass on the commandments and covenant. The redemptive story would have died out without parents and grandparents raising children in the faith.
God even sent his Son into the world through a family. Jesus was born of a virgin and entered a household with husband and wife, Mary and Joseph, dignifying the earthly family as a model. Matthew and Luke traced Jesus’ genealogy back into Israel’s history to connect him to God’s promises to Eve, Abraham, David, and others. The Lord used family to bring ultimate salvation for individuals and all creation.
Family as a Model for the Church
The Bible traces a different lineage beginning with Jesus. Before Christ, Scripture followed the physical descendants of Adam, Abraham, and David to bring about the promised Messiah. After Jesus, the New Testament doesn’t trace the redemptive story through a physical lineage. Now, it’s spiritual, tied to discipleship. Jesus had twelve disciples. They discipled Barnabas. Barnabas mentored Paul, then Paul mentored Timothy.
The New Testament describes the church as a spiritual family, modeled after the natural one. Just like a family provides belonging, identity, nurture, and more, the church possesses the same qualities for those who follow Christ. Believers are called “brothers and sisters” throughout the New Testament, expressing how the primary connection isn’t physical or cultural but spiritual, rooted in being born again with God as Father. The Lord adopted Christians into his household through the Son (Ephesians 2:19).
The family model makes every generation important in the church. Paul taught older men and women to guide the younger (Titus 2:2-5). He urged Timothy not to let anyone despise his youth and ability to set a faithful example (1 Timothy 4:12). Children, parents, and grandparents have a place in the family of God.
The church, as a spiritual family, reflects God’s character. This family becomes a visible expression of God’s Kingdom on earth, a heavenly community loving one another as a family made up of different races and cultures.
The Role of Older Saints
Older saints have a key role in the church. In the Old Testament, the previous generation had to pass on God’s covenant to the next. The New Testament reveals the process. Through discipleship, mature saints must mentor the new believers in the faith. This process continues in a cycle.
Biblically, the older saints are called to be examples of faith, wisdom, and perseverance. Our modern culture might dismiss the older as stupid or incapable. Yet Scripture consistently dignifies age and experience. Proverbs 16:31 says, “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.” Far from being pushed aside, older saints are central to a healthy church. They need a perspective and context for the younger generation’s faith journey.
In Titus 2:2-5, Paul instructed older men to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, loving, and to have a sound faith. He wrote how older women should live in reverence, avoid slander, and train younger women to love their families while serving God. Paul’s teaching reveals that spiritual maturity has a definite purpose for the community. Older saints are responsible for influencing the character and faith of younger believers, helping them endure.
Unfortunately, modern ministry often segregates generations into programs. Intergenerational fellowship expresses the family of God more than a program can, mirroring the fullness of the Kingdom of God. Psalm 71:18 reminds God’s people to “declare God’s power to the next generation.” Younger Christians bring energy, zeal, and fresh perspectives on the ancient Gospel. Older saints bring wisdom, stability, trust, and prayer. The church needs both to work together.
Therefore, the church suffers when generations are isolated. In honoring and activating the older saints, the church obeys God’s design and strengthens discipleship. The older generation shares stories, testimonies, and more with the younger Christians.
For my personal testimony, my church had a wealth of older saints when I was a teen. Fortunately, our smaller fellowship provided numerous opportunities for me to have relationships with these amazing men and women of God. I learned the treasures of faith. On a personal level, since my family lived far from my own grandparents, a handful of older women and men acted like my spiritual grandparents. This was invaluable to me.
The younger generation needs older saints more than ever.
How Younger Generations Need Older Saints
Our culture values youth and independence. Many young people grow up without the guidance and stability of any older generation, especially spiritual grandparents. Society often separates people by generation, putting the young in schools and the elderly in a retirement community. They rarely have natural spaces to interact and learn from one another. This segregation robs both groups of the blessings God designed. Unfortunately, the church follows the cultural segregation in ministry programs. However, we’re called to be different, a real family where every generation interacts, learns, and grows together in Christ.
Younger people, especially, need mentorship and engagement with older generations. Kids are even more isolated today on their phones or in their homes on screens. Culture keeps changing, children are faced with the horrors and crises of life on social media, and questioning basic identity has skyrocketed. This leaves children feeling lost in the chaos, resulting in a sharp rise in anxiety and depression in the last decade or more.
The church can provide stabilizing forces with older saints. They have years of walking with God. The older generation provides perspective and wisdom through compassion and love, in ways books and podcasts can’t. Today’s younger Christians need older men and women who will walk alongside them, listen, and empower them to thrive in their faith calling.
Many young people struggle with discouragement and doubt. When an older believer shares their God story, how the Lord provided through trials, it gives hope to the next generation, strengthening their faith. Psalm 145:4 says, “One generation shall commend your words to another, and declare your mighty acts.” Spiritual grandparents remind us how God carries his people through every season and will for all his people.
Our culture might dismiss the wisdom of age, but the church must resist the worldly mindset. Younger believers thrive when engaged in a community where older saints invest in them, pray for them, and affirm their spiritual gifts and purpose. Just like natural grandparents bring a foundation of joy and love to a family, spiritual grandparents bring a treasure to God’s family. The younger generation needs the presence of older saints to mentor and encourage them to follow and trust Christ in every season.
What Are Some Practical Ways Older Saints Can Get Involved?
Older saints must also take up the call. Our culture also leads the elderly to “retire” from work. But there’s no retirement in the Kingdom of God. We need these older saints more than ever.
Another issue with older saints happens when they want some aspects of the church to stay the same, to have the same traditions they grew up with (songs, liturgy, practices, etc.). We should honor older hymns and expressions, but we can’t be limited to them. The younger generation needs to process and express the same Gospel and Bible in new ways, as the older generation did decades before. Activating older saints isn’t about ensuring they’re comfortable in previous traditions.
The treasure of older saints comes from what only they have—years of walking with God to give others amazing perspectives and testimonies of God’s grace. The church and the surrounding community need their wisdom, steadfastness, compassion, and presence. Getting involved doesn’t necessarily require a formal program. Many times, as with my own testimony, the most effective opportunities are relational and organic, built on personal and consistent connection.
Older saints can start by investing in relationships with younger believers. An invitation to share a meal, pray together, or study Scripture can open doors for healthy engagement. Pairing older and younger members for discipleship and prayer helps both sides grow. Programs like intergenerational small groups or “adopt-a-student” ministries in college towns can help bridge the generational gaps and become life-changing relationships for everyone involved. Churches should encourage intentional spaces where generations mix rather than segregating by age.
Elderly Christians also have opportunities beyond the church walls to serve the community. Many local schools welcome or ask for volunteers to read with children or mentor teens. Retired believers can become grandparents in neighborhoods that desperately need them. Community centers and foster care support groups need stable adults who can invest time and encouragement. Again, this can happen casually, too. Attending sports games or serving at a food pantry can open doors for relationships and encouragement.
Being available and relational reflects Christ’s ministry. He often changed lives by sitting around tables, visiting homes, and intentionally engaging in everyday interactions. Older saints can imitate Jesus by being interested in the younger generation, listening, and showing steady faith in common places. Programs can provide opportunities, but the biggest impact comes when love is acted out naturally.
Older saints have so much to give; we need them more than ever. May we partner with them to see their gifts transform our lost younger generation.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Kobus Louw
