The New Inactives – Seniors

I have heard that a number of the older ladies will refuse calling in primary because they have already done their “time”.

In some ways church participation can be like a job. We should not be surprised when people choose to retire. 😆

It appears that Senior couples/members who have raised family are enjoying hiatus’ from local church.

…But then, who will be our leaders?

I think there are many members of the Church from all demographics going inactive. I always supposed those who had been committed to the gospel their whole lives, would remain active according to their health. Or at least more likely to remain active.

It makes sense to me on many levels. I just hadn’t thought about it in a large scale way. We have one ward (I am sure it will be split soon) that is full of long timers. Nicest people, but they have done their bit. Even the Bishop takes quite a few weeks off. Can’t blame them. Even from a TBM perspective, we really only do live once. If your passel of kids are having baptisms, births, graduations, moves, birthdays and whatnot I would be on the road to those things in a heart beat. You can warm a bench in any old chapel.

Travel is much more accessible in this era than it has been before why not take advantage. Especially in the off season. No kids or school options to bind you down. A mission is not a tour. Just sayin’.

Retiree’s. I so don’t blame them either. Sacrament is the only ordinance. If ordinances are still important, feel free drop by. Shake a few hands. Get on home. You’ve filled your dance card with years of moving people, cleaning their homes, attending scout and girls camp, and made casseroles for more funerals than you can count.

I am just curious as it grows, which it will, how will the Top Team step in.

President Oaks and his wife have been making the rounds to YA stakes, “answering random (selected before we got here) questions.” The main point is begging the YA’s not to marry out the church. I have this on absolute authority, my daughter attended one a few weeks ago in her area. A couple weeks later a former roommate shared a near verbatim experience pitched to another YA group by the same team.

It’s all on the shoulders of those dang middle aged families. Or maybe the Top Team will seek out the members outside of the Good Ol USofA.

Time will tell.

Church can make for a grueling experience. Of all people I’d imagine that seniors are burnt out.

It’s one thing to wear yourself out in the service of others but church demands often feel like work we do because we’re following the formula or something we do out of tradition; this is the church program, gotta do the church program, and it makes for unfulfilling service.

More middle aged families would take extended breaks, go visit buddies in Florida for two straight months or whatever, but they don’t have the financial freedom to do so, they’re tethered to their job, which tethers them to home, which tethers them to a calling they may not enjoy. If you don’t enjoy your calling church becomes an absolute chore. Something that eats your life force rather than recharging it.

Maybe when it comes to retirement church is like an extra long snow day. You know what I mean, a snow day closes church, everyone in the family is happy because no one really wanted to go to church anyway and snow becomes the, “Hey, I’d like to go to church but… the snow. ” and everyone enjoys a guilt free Sunday off.

Hey, I’d like to attend church but I’m in Florida for two months. Have fun with the hamster wheel.

The wheel will still be here when you get back.

I just remembered, we’re going to be in Florida visiting buddies for six months.

Seniors. Living the dream.

The large group of baby boomers (I’m one) are reaching retirement age. So the numbers of 54 to 70 years old people is at an all-time high, and any inactivity by this cohort will be exaggerated by the high numbers, but as a percentage I don’t think there is any more of a problems with the boomers than any other group.

I am in the bracket, too. And completely plan to enjoy retirement, however that works. I too feel like I gave my part. What I am finding is the leadership up and up doesn’t really have a game plan for this. The Senior Couple Mission thing has sort of died off. And with all the FC’s going around your pool to draw from is much smaller.

While the top tier is busy shoring up the Youngin’s – the Senior’s are happily off to the sunset. Not much anyone can do.

It happens here and I get it. I have watched (and been a part of) our aging ward. I live in an area where people leave. Rarely does a child hang around. They go off to college (BYU or not), find a job elsewhere and get married and live there. That leaves us parents traveling to see them and our grandkids (of which I have none so far). That’s just one reason. I see others who are just tired, and as someone pointed out don’t have the kids around anymore to “motivate” them. I myself see little point in church anymore – I have proven I don’t need it. And quite frankly I don;t think the leadership knows what to do about it even if they do recognize it as an issue (and I think there is at least some recognition of it).

I guess to clarify. In my ward there are two (maybe three) kinds of seniors. There are the ones who travel, etc., and there are ones who just stop coming for the most part and become Christmas and Mother’s Day members. I’ve known a couple of them – formerly very active – who just announce they are retiring from church and just stop coming. That said we do have a third kind who continue in activity and are there almost every Sunday sometimes with hefty callings. I don’t consider the first group inactive, although it does limit what callings they might have. There is a guy who spends the entire summer on an island and otherwise travels frequently who was very offended a couple years back when he was released as HPGL – but he wasn’t really doing the job, his assistants were and they weren’t very good at it. Active? I think so, even though he attends another church on the island. Able to hold a hefty calling? Nope – but he also seems to prefer it that way (hence being offended was a bit out of character). The second group I might consider inactive, but I have trouble with what inactive actually means because I believe one can “live the gospel” without coming to church.