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Commentary
AGING WELL: Older adult classes: What’s in a name? Missy Buchanan, Mar 23, 2010
Missy Buchanan
By Missy Buchanan Special Contributor
Does the name of your senior adult group repel or attract aging boomers?
Naming something or someone is hard work. Long before parents hold their newborn for the first time, they have searched their imaginations and baby-name books for the perfect name. Similarly, businesses spend enormous resources to find product names that will connect with consumers.
Recently I collected the names of United Methodist senior-adult ministry groups that I discovered online or in conversation. In a matter of days, I had compiled more than 250 names.
I discovered that churches often use well-worn acronyms like OWLS (Older, Wiser, Livelier Seniors), FUN (Fellowship Under Ninety), SAM (Senior Adult Ministry) and JOY (Just Older Youth).
Other churches create their own acronyms: YES (Young Energetic Seniors), M&Ms (Mature and Mobile), PALS (People with Active Lifestyles), DOWGs (Dining Out Wednesday Group), 55 and 3 F’s (Fun, Fellowship, Food) and OASIS (Older Adults Sharing in Service).
Young at Heart, Keenagers and PrimeTimers were the most common of all the names. There was also a saintly faction: Silver Saints, Seasoned Saints, Sassy Saints and Creaky Saints.
There were memorable names: Amazing Grays, Sunrays, Golden Classics, Hilltoppers, Double Nickels, Pairs and Spares, Merrigolds and Gateswingers. The one name that made me LOL (Laugh Out Loud) was the Holy Casserolers.
Most of the senior-adult programs focus on fellowship. Usually these older-adult groups meet monthly for a potluck dinner and a program. They take day trips and occasional overnight getaways. Some also offer book clubs, senior choirs and wellness programs.
As I read through the list of names, I couldn’t help but appreciate the clever mindset of those who had birthed the names. They were not afraid to poke a little fun at aging stereotypes. In fact, many of the names indicate a healthy state of mind about growing old.
At the same time, I had to ask myself a hard question. Would the name attract or repel potential members today, especially aging boomers born between 1946 and 1964?
A name that is lighthearted and funny to a group of 80-year-old church members might be over-the-top cutesy or corny to aging boomers. It’s not a matter of right or wrong; it’s just recognizing that all older adults are not the same.
The United Methodist Church is on the threshold of a new era in older-adult ministry. Here’s the rub. What has worked in the past may not work in the future.
Aging boomers are a different generation than their older peers. Boomers are more sensitive to negative stereotyping of aging and bristle at anything that sounds or looks old. Most likely, they prefer gourmet take-out to potluck dinners.
So what does this influx of new older adults mean to the church? As the largest generation in our country’s history, it means a lot. The church must recognize that aging boomers are hesitant to join the ranks of traditional older-adult ministries. Like it or not, perception is key.
Today’s one-size-fits-all program for older adults will not work effectively tomorrow. Local congregations must start now to develop balanced older-adult programs that reflect a diversity of ages, stages and interests.
Don’t get me wrong now. I’m still laughing about the Holy Casserolers. I’m pretty sure I’d have a great time at their lunch table.
Even so, the church must rethink the broader scope of older-adult ministries and the perceptions of aging boomers before the age wave sweeps us out to sea.
Ms. Buchanan, a member of FUMC Rockwall, Texas, is the author of the new release Talking with God in Old Age: Meditations and Psalms (Upper Room Books).
Missy Buchanan
