Jump directly to the Content

RIDING THE WAVE OF SILVER & GRAY

How churches can reach and retain the increasing number of seniors.

While media and marketers were trumpeting the baby-boom generation, an entire wave of Americans moved into their 50s, 60s, and 70s. Today social scientists (and astute church leaders) are coming to see the vastness and significance of this overlooked and rapidly growing generation. For example, did you know that:

-There are more Americans 65 years of age and older than the entire population of Canada.

-The over-55 population is multiplying three times faster than the population at large.

-Since 1982, the number of persons in the U.S. over age 65 has exceeded those under the age of 18 years.

-Life expectancy will increase from 75 years to 80 years within the decade.

-The U.S. is moving from a youth-oriented culture to a nation of middle-aged and older adults.

-The 65-years-plus group represents 12 percent of the national population. (In churches, this group represents 20 percent.)

America, and the entire Western World, has found itself in the midst of what sociologists are calling an age wave. ...

March
Support Our Work

Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month

Homepage Subscription Panel

Read These Next

Related
Should We Fret the Back Door?
Should We Fret the Back Door?
Why the departure of church members hurts me so.
From the Magazine
The Evil Ideas Behind October 7
The Evil Ideas Behind October 7
The Hamas attacks in Israel have a grotesque ideological history and deserve unflinching moral judgment.
Editor's Pick
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
Understanding God and our world needs more than bare reason and experience.
close