About Senior Adult Ministry
As a church family, we welcome people of all ages in fellowship through Christ—from birth to the crossing from this side of life and into eternity.
Those 60+ have as much place and importance in God’s kingdom as those younger. Jesus’ command to make disciples extends even to the senior adult.
As part of our vision to see everyone connected to a community life group, we encourage every senior adult to be involved with a neighborhood group or Bible study.
Every generation has unique needs, so we seek to care for senior adults in the uniqueness of their generation, while encouraging multi-generational interaction in broader fellowship, worship, and ministry.
Senior Adults in Discipleship
Each week a group of senior adults gather on Wednesday afternoons, from 2:30-4:00pm at Century Baptist Church.
- We fellowship, pray, and study the Bible together. This group came out of the traditional mid-week prayer meeting.
- Prayer is encouraged both in the group, and in smaller, less intimidating groups around the room. While we have a prayer list we follow, we also have people from other ministries within the church family and from outside the church, come and share so we can pray for them.
- Bible study is more dialogue, more of a Sunday school format rather than a sermon. We generally move through a book of the Bible, and encourage comments and note-taking. Special note is taken how the passage of scripture we study moves us into following Jesus more closely.
- No offerings are taken, but we do from time to time select a mission project and move it along.
- And of course, there is coffee!
From time to time, we will also promote senior adult ministry gatherings hosted by other evangelical churches in the area, as part of a broader idea of senior adults worshiping and growing together in Christ.
Senior Adults in Celebration
Once a month we celebrate together the birthdays, anniversaries, and memorable milestones of one another’s lives together. Some of us are also involved with sending cards to people whose birthdays or anniversaries are approaching.
Senior Adults in Mission
Mission radiating from the lives of senior adults can come in several ways. Anyone of whatever age who is involved in a community life group or ministry team, lends his or her hands and abilities to a mission endeavor that group may adopt. We encourage that kind of serve together.
We also encourage ministry across generations within the context of Century Baptist. As other age-related ministry to younger populations needs help, we can be part of care, prayer, and discipleship with those who are younger, both individually and within the context of children’s and youth ministry. We as older people can encourage younger adults and parents, not ceasing to pray for them (1 Samuel 12:23), and actively modeling Christ in their presence, cheering them on.
Many senior adults can no longer get out and about, and they sometimes rely on others for transportation, help them shop, or look forward to a visit from a Shut-Ins Team member.
We also take opportunity to go beyond ourselves into the Bismarck-Mandan communities.