The Age Lens: How Beliefs About Older People in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod Affect Our Ministry to Both Young and Old

Abstract

According to the 2024 WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) Statistical Summary & Analysis, young adult members are becoming less common in WELS congregations. This trend has been made known to the Synod and its congregations since at least 2003. How has knowledge of this trend affected the way people in the WELS think of older people and ministry to them? Do people in the WELS have an accurate conception of their older fellow believers and their spiritual needs? This paper seeks to identify beliefs among people in the WELS about older people, evaluate them, and explore how WELS churches can navigate them while effectively ministering to both younger and older people. This paper will consider the opinions of WELS ministers, WELS members, statistical analyses, and published authors who have written about these issues.