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When I was a newly minted pastor's wife I was puzzled by what appeared to be an unexplainable correlation between long-time members' retirement from their jobs and their retirement from church involvement. Now that I am on the cusp of fitting into the "senior citizen" category, I have discovered at least one reason why retirees sometimes seem to diminish their ministry within the church: lack of accessibility to the sanctuary.

When senior citizens have difficulty participating in sanctuary worship services, the entire ministry of the church can suffer. Ministry comes out of worship, and when mobility and other health issues hinder attendance at worship services, the invaluable spiritual gifts, experience, and wisdom of seniors in the church's ministry can be lost as a result. As the body ages, pain, mobility, and health issues sometimes make just getting up in the morning a chore. If seniors who are struggling to function on a day-to-day basis run into access issues in the church, they can become easily discouraged in their attendance and involvement.

Private clubs and religious organizations are exempt from the Americans with Disabilities Act's (ADA's) Title III requirements for public accommodations. ADA laws apply to churches when they have fifteen or more employees and one of them has a disability. The laws also apply if a portion of the facility is rented to outside groups. But a church sensitive to the needs of its members will provide accommodations for seniors and the disabled regardless of ADA law exemptions.

Seniors' greatest frustrations with sanctuaries, arenas, and other facilities that accommodate large crowds are related to a lack of accessible seating, the need to negotiate stairs, and just walking from the entrance to the seating, says Joan S. Hansen, director of the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Orange County, Florida. Even if a multi-level facility has an elevator available, "Just getting to the elevator is quite a walk for a frail individual," Hansen says.

By 2011, when Baby Boomers begin retiring, 25 percent of an average church's members will be senior citizens. Regardless of the age of the facility, some simple changes can have a profound impact on accessibility. An accessibility audit of the sanctuary (included on page 34) is a valuable tool for helping churches plan for, and adapt to, the changing demographics of their community.

The Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Clermont, Florida, implemented some unique solutions for its congregation, 75 percent of whom are senior citizens. The church is located in Lake County, near Orlando. Twenty-seven percent of the county's 300,000 citizens are seniors. The city of Clermont has an estimated population of 12,972 and more than five "55-plus" senior communities.

The population increases in winter with the arrival of the snowbirds, seniors who live up north during the summer, then live in Florida during the winter. During the summer, attendance at the church averages 130 people, but with the arrival of the snowbirds, attendance increases to about 230.

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