One of the great things about our church is that our congregation has wide a range of age groups. Right now there are about 200 young people in our Single’s house churches. And throughout our 175 other house churches, we also have singles, recently married couples, and middle-aged people. Lastly, there are about 150 elderly people who are 65 years or older. Our church is truly diverse in age.
The spirit of house church mostly comes from choice and delegation. Accordingly, it is totally up to an individual which house church he or she wants to belong to. Singles who belong to Single’s house churches are good example. They are there because they want to, not because our church assigns them against their wishes. Therefore, if they want, they can attend any other house church. This is because a person more willingly attends and more actively participates in a house church that he or she chooses. Accordingly, with the exception of Single’s house church and Sunday house church (for elders who are 70 and up), the most desirable House church is one that includes multiple generations.
My first House church was like that when I first attended our church. My family was in its 30s, another family was in its 40s, our Shepherd’s family was in its 50s, and the other family was in its 60s. We really were like a family then. In fact, our harmony was so great that whenever new VIPs were invited, they could comfortably settle down quickly.
In our church there are more and more elderly members who have experienced house church since their younger days. I hope they, rather than gathering with similar aged people, mingle with younger people and play the role of father or grandfather so that more people can experience that kind of multi-generation house church that I had. To make it possible, however, the elderly first need to decide whether or not to serve the younger people. This is the only way to make it work. If the elderly attend house church expecting to be respected and served, the younger generation will not respond to their wishes, and the elderly will not like it. The elderly would be truly welcomed if they set a role model by listening to younger people, encouraging them with their wisdom and serving them with their relative affluence.
On the other hand, there are some elderly people who could not do so even if they wished to. For example, some elderly people who are 65 years old or more simply cannot sit and talk until very late into the night like younger people. There are also some elderly people who can not drive at night. These people should not risk their health; they are encouraged to form a house church with similar people and meet during the daytime. This uniqueness can attract VIPs with similar problems, and I believe many elderly VIPs can be saved through this kind of house church.
Accordingly, I hope more elderly people decide to serve as Shepherds for these daytime house churches. Please let me know if you wish to serve. If we have Shepherd ready, I think that there are many elderly people who will want to join the house church.
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