By Richard Gentzler

Even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come. (Psalm 71:18).

Older adulthood has the potential to become the best stage of life, an age of liberation when adults combine newfound freedoms with prolonged health. It can be a time when individuals make their most important contributions to life, faith, society and the world. As in all stages of personal and spiritual development, aging encompasses special tasks. One such task is the desire to give back and to help benefit succeeding generations (Erik Erikson suggested this developmental stage as “Generativity versus Stagnation”).

As I reflect on this desire of the psalmist to proclaim God’s might (e.g., love, power, faith, and grace) to succeeding generations, I can only imagine what such a vision would look like if congregations were truly intentional in helping older adults find meaning and worth in the later years.

If, in fact, as we age we have the opportunity to grow in wisdom, to gain experience, and to deepen our faith, to what end or purpose does all this have? Is it beneficial for Christians to watch 48 hours of television each week or to play 18 holes of golf, five days a week? There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with watching television or playing golf, but if people are living longer and healthier than previous generations, what purpose does living longer have for individuals and for our world?

Perhaps it’s time for congregations to invite “primetimers” to really put faith into practice by creating intentional opportunities for older adults to live out their Christian discipleship in service to others. An example of this ministry might be in the form of what I envision as “Sage Corps”: Spiritually Active Generative Elders. More than a fellowship group or an “eatin’ and meetin'” program, Sage Corps would model Christian “elderhood” in our world today. Rather than thinking of old age as a vast wasteland, Sage Corps members would seek to serve Christ in all things and with all people.

What would it mean for the revitalization of our churches if we started a “Sage Corps” among older adults? If we United Methodists were to mobilize our older men and older women, organize them to confront the ills of our society, send them out in pairs like the original disciples, we could change the face of this land. Our times demand just such a ministry.

As an intentional ministry, Sage Corps could tap into the existing programs of United Methodist Women and/or United Methodist Men, or it could be a wholly new ministry with older adults reaching out to all generations. It would engage evangelism and nurture teams, and older adults would be equipped and empowered for mission, service, and outreach.

In order to bring about such a corps of people in service to Christ and the church, there need to be guiding principles.

These principles would include:

Name: The Sage Corps name is a deliberate attempt to avoid names associated with age and to honor the sturdy, widely possessed, unintimidating assets present in many older adults: wisdom and experience. An acronym for SAGE can mean:

S-spiritually A-active G-generative E-elders.

Impact: Sage Corps would engage real problems of major significance in our communities and in the world. Older adults, growing in faith and spiritual maturity, would be involved in advocacy for all God’s children at every age and stage of life. Older adults, invited to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ, would be empowered for making a difference in the lives of individuals, communities, and the world.

Commitment: Joining the Sage Corps would require a major commitment for older adults for a defined period of time. For some people, the commitment would be to become involved in community service projects for a lengthy period of time. For others, the commitment might be for a shorter duration and in various parts of the world. Many older adults are involved in wonderful mission work around the world and in various regions of the country. Often, however, mission and service opportunities can also be met in an individual’s local community.

Deployment: Sage Corps members would be deployed in sufficient concentration to be a presence wherever they are serving, whether locally, regionally, or throughout the world. Teams would be created for mutual support, encouragement, and experience.

Leadership: Sage Corps members would provide initiative, creativity, and leadership. Leadership would be named by the church council and selected by the members. Leadership needs would be dependent upon the specific mission and service involvement and the duration of the specific ministry.

Spiritual Growth and Learning: Members of Sage Corps would practice spiritual disciplines (e.g., prayer, Bible study, worship, Communion, fasting) and be engaged in acquiring new experiences and gaining new knowledge. 

Diversity: Sage Corps would be open to everyone over a certain age (50? 55? 65? 70?). Some might question the wisdom of using chronological age as a basis for membership in the Sage Corps movement. Perhaps one reason for doing so is to provide an opportunity for people at midlife and older to be intentional in ministry and service.

Recognizing that many older adults are already involved as Christian disciples helping to meet the needs of children, youth and adults in their communities and throughout the world, Sage Corps can be a creative way of putting faith into practice in an intentional, comprehensive ministry. Sage Corps can be a critical venture for revitalizing congregations and communities. Primetimers, a program of the General Board of Global Ministries, is a wonderful effort for older adults to be involved in a short-term mission/learning experience. Sage Corps can be adapted and designed to meet the needs of various levels of skills and abilities of older adults on the local level, as well as encouraging their participation in such endeavors as Primetimers.

Again, I ask the question, what is the purpose of living longer if it is not to fulfill the purpose of God? Sage Corps is a way of inviting older adults to engage in spiritual growth and for organizing older adults to be in service to the needs of others. Sage Corps is an intentional ministry that engages older adults in Christian discipleship. Through this model of Christian elderhood, older adults have an opportunity for finding meaning and purpose in the later years. They will experience the reality of the psalmist’s yearning by “proclaiming God’s might to all the generations.”

Let me know what you think. Do you already have such a ministry in your congregation, perhaps by another name? If so, what is your ministry? If not, is there a way you can create a Sage Corps experience in your congregation? If so, what would it look like?