Aging: Growing Old in Church

by Will Willimon, Jason Byassee (Editor)

Overview

★ Publishers Weekly starred review

Seasoned pastor and church leader Will Willimon excels at creating thought-provoking, accessible books for working pastors and seminarians. In Aging, he takes a theologically rich look at numerous aspects of growing old.

Drawing on Scripture, literature, current research, and his experiences as an aging adult, Willimon reflects on aging as a spiritual journey. He explores the challenging realties as well as the rewarding joys of growing old and shows pastors how to help their congregants grow old gracefully
and in good Christian hope. Willimon also offers practical advice on helping church members as they encounter retirement, aging, caring for the aging, loss, bereavement, and finding faith in the last quarter of life. This eloquent, delightfully Christian perspective on aging will be of interest to all who care for aging souls—not only pastors but also chaplains and other ministers in hospitals, hospices, and extended care facilities.

About the Series
Pastors are called to help people navigate the profound mysteries of being human, from birth to death and everything in between. This series, edited by leading pastoral theologian Jason Byassee, provides pastors and pastors-in-training with rich theological reflection on the various seasons that make up a human life, helping them minister with greater wisdom and joy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781540960818
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/21/2020
Series:	Pastoring for Life: Theological Wisdom for Ministering Well
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	444,866
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Will Willimon (STD, Emory University), considered by many as one of America's most influential preachers, is a retired United Methodist bishop. He is professor of the practice of Christian ministry at Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina, where he previously served as dean of the chapel for twenty years. Willimon's numerous books have sold over one million copies. He is also editor-at-large of the Christian Century.

Table of Contents

Contents
Series Preface
Introduction
1. Aging with Scripture
2. The Storm of Aging
3. Retiring with God
4. Successful Aging
5. With God in the Last Quarter of Life
6. Growing Old in Church
7. Ending in God
Index

Editorial Reviews

★ 11/04/2019

Willimon (Accidental Preacher), bishop emeritus in the United Methodist Church and professor at Duke Divinity School, encourages aging Americans to “think like Christians about elderhood” in this bracing sermon of a book. The twilight years of one’s life is a time of inevitable diminishments but also of unprecedented opportunities to serve God and others in the last period of life, which lasts longer than it did two generations ago, he notes. Retirement is a whole new life, Willimon argues, one for which the church can and should help its people prepare, especially given that church congregations “are graying even faster than the general American population.” Willimon contends that, for many, old age will mean having to accept growing dependence—but being a burden is “part of the price we pay for loving and being loved,” he provocatively writes. Besides his thoughtful theology, Willimon offers practical suggestions for what Christian churches can do for aging people and their caregivers, and prompts the aging with ways they can serve. Older Christians, those who attend to the elderly, and congregations in general will find this to be a valuable pastoral resource. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly