I don’t think I need to convince this audience that children are not the church of tomorrow but the church of today. But how can one convince their senior or solo pastor of this? Too often, our churches do siloed ministry: children and youth in their corner and the adults in the other. As a result, there is a disconnect between the adults and younger generations of the church. But what if both could learn from each other, intentionally together, during worship?

This is what David M. Csinos, Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax proposes in his book. Born out of a roundtable on intergenerational ministry, this book is meant to fill the gap that exists in so many congregations between preaching and intergenerational ministry.

Csinos remarks,

“The divide between these two camps [preachers and intergenerational ministers] is deep (p. 6).” Therefore, the “primary goal of this book is to help congregations intergenerate their preaching practices – that is, the ways in which they proclaim the gospel within their liturgical lives.”

Offering a solid biblical and theological foundation, Csinos draws from real examples of what preaching intergenerationally can look like.  However, this book is not a quick fix with easy solutions. Ending each chapter with questions for reflection and exercises for future practice, the author encourages readers to dream and envision how intergenerational relationships can be developed in their context.

This book is a great tool to begin reimagining church. It is timely, given that so many churches struggle with finding enough volunteer support for their programs.

All in all, I highly recommend not only to children and youth pastors and workers but especially to give as a Christmas gift from you to your senior or solo pastor. As a bonus, it would make for a great book study to be done together. This book receives my two thumbs up!

Contact Bernice at ReadOn Bookstore to get your copy.

Special Thanks to Marc Potvin, CBOQ Pastoral Leaders Development Associate for providing this review of the book.