It is no secret that the elderly are being marginalized in churches today. At the risk of oversimplifying, there seems to be at least one obvious reason. Seniors are historically slow to embrace change, while the present culture is characterized by rapid change. While it may not be that simple, I’m convinced that it isn’t much more complicated.

In a biblical church, members are to subject themselves to each other, but with a special emphasis given to the younger submitting to the elder (I Peter 5:5). In a cultural church, the seniors are expected to submit to the preferences of the younger. They are obstacles to many changes that younger pastors want to make, so they have to be shifted to the fringes of the very church they helped build and which would not likely exist if it were not for them.

Then, there are those seniors who marginalize themselves with a critical attitude and a resistance to change based on nothing more than personal convenience and outright stubbornness. For instance, there’s something wrong in the heart when a senior equates a change of classroom with an overhaul of worship styles.

In order to sort this out, we can learn from a young man who faced a helpful scenario in Scripture. Elihu was the young man who stood in the shadows listening to Job and his three friends trying to make sense of Job’s troubles (Job 32). He was a respectful young man and waited until his four elders went silent. Only then did he express his own thoughts. He gave some insights that merit serious consideration today.

Age and experience are expected to produce wisdom.
Elihu knew that days and years should have a voice because they produce wisdom that is unattainable without experience (v. 7). Theories can be less valuable than experience because they are unproven. Experience sheds an objective light on its subject. A multitude of years provides an invaluable perspective because inadequate theories or opinions are discarded as they are exposed. History is a form of experience and helps us avoid repeating mistakes.

Seniors should demonstrate increased wisdom due to their years.
They have lived longer than most and can see beyond trends and fads. They’ve been around long enough to see the reaping of seeds sown. They’ve heard the promised claims of the latest changes and have lived long enough to see whether those claims panned out. Their experience becomes wisdom when they view it with a critical eye and measure it against biblical truth. Seniors become less helpful when they don’t use their experience to make wise observations about what has been and how it affects what will be. Many seniors lack the biblical discernment to truly see what has happened and thus waste their experience on shallow insights that ultimately help no one. It is becoming more common for a senior to embrace some changes as blindly as the younger members. A wise observation that could produce a needed pause is often forfeited when the older members simply jump into the flow of culture along with others.

A church should expect to benefit from the wisdom of its seniors.
Because a church is built on timeless truth, the experience of seniors can prove invaluable, as their long view minimizes the smoke from the latest fads. Trends are one of the strongest weapons against timelessness, and seniors will have seen their share of trends come and go. Their observations can help clarify if a church might be trusting in pragmatism more than faithfulness. Some people attempt to be always abounding by doing novel things all the time. Others do it biblically according to I Corinthians 15:58—by being steadfast and unmovable. When a senior feels like “here we go again,” maybe we should sense a warning flag and do some research.

Seniors are more valuable when their experience is more critical than their spirit.
Seniors can be a valuable asset when they look at their past experiences critically and allow them to become wise observations. On the other hand, seniors can also simply be critical. If they don’t keep their spirit in check and their walk with the Lord fresh, they can become some of the biggest complainers in the church. The point is not that older members should make themselves obstacles to church changes and declare their stubbornness a virtue. They still have to submit to the spiritual leadership over them. Yet, if they have a wise observation from past experience, it needs to be heard, although it is vitally important that it be presented graciously and after much prayer and thought.

To Elihu’s credit, he waited to form an opinion until he heard from those older than he. He had an honest fear about stating his views before he heard from those older and wiser. Pastors and church leaders need to do the same. They need to hear from those who have more days and years than themselves, especially when considering changes from long-standing practices that made a church what it is. Yet, Elihu had to conclude that great men are not always wise (v. 9). He was disappointed in their response. He was correct that he who has God’s view is the one who has the most beneficial things to say (v. 8).

Seniors, use your experience, your walk with God, and your Bible to bring you to wise observations that your church might need. Younger, seek out the counsel of those older members to help you make the best decisions possible. Seniors, you lose credibility when you sound like whiney complainers. Younger, you show your foolishness when you ignore those who have wise observations with good spirits. Let’s be solid senior churches that are wise, not whiney.