This ministry project sought to create a welcoming and inclusive faith community where families with neurodivergent children feel safe to worship, learn, and fully participate in congregational life. Recognizing the unique challenges these families often face in faith settings; the initiative began with an initial focus on  developing specialized curriculum.  

The challenge for this was to create a team that wanted to think outside of the  curriculum box. Once this team was assembled and met monthly, the emphasis shifted toward broader congregational inclusivity—ensuring that the entire church community, from leadership to volunteers and families, cultivates an environment of understanding and belonging.  

The team wanted to create intentional training and awareness-building for staff,  volunteers, parents, and youth, equipping them with the knowledge and confidence to  engage with neurodivergent children in meaningful ways. This would include structured  learning opportunities, adaptive worship practices, sensory-friendly spaces, and ongoing dialogue with families to better meet their needs.  

By the end of the grant period, the hope was that this congregation would not only have implemented tangible changes but also fostered a cultural shift where neurodivergent children and their families experience a faith community that truly sees,  welcomes, and supports them.  

And after the grant period was over we received a message from the director:  "The developed training was presented as part of our adult learning by our specialists  during our adult learning hour, as well as by myself at a leadership retreat for the synod. Each was supported by books, toys, and tools and lasted over the allotted time with so many questions and had people of different generations all curious!  So far it has received great feedback with lots of churches asking for it so they can adapt and share it with their congregations to continue to spread inclusivity of people that are neurodivergent- starting with understanding.

A Lutheran church, located in a vibrant suburb Texas, has embraced some new staffing changes in clergy and youth ministry over the past year. While the Sunday School faced challenges, the congregation recognized a wonderful opportunity to foster stronger connections among families through intentional intergenerational ministry. By joining the first Age to Age Cohort, the church identified a heartfelt need to unite families and create a fresh, positive beginning. Building on the remarkable success of their Trunk or Treat and Easter events, the leadership was inspired to try new and innovative approaches.

Within the local school system, families enjoy a special weekend each month with Fridays off, presenting a perfect occasion for coming together. Initially they sought to enhance these weekends by pairing their well-loved congregational breakfast with an engaging intergenerational program. Although collaboration brought some communication challenges, the team remained dedicated to their vision.

Demonstrating creativity and resilience, the leadership team organized a lively congregational movie night featuring the film Moana. With festive leis, decorations, and a welcoming atmosphere, families were encouraged to relax in pajamas, bring favorite stuffed animals, take pictures in a tropical photo booth, and leave with a Family Devotional based on the theme. Following this successful event, the church is preparing to host another movie night this autumn, featuring a theme based on Día de los Muertos and screening the film Coco. They hope to make these gatherings a quarterly tradition, looking forward to Frozen in January (the only cold month in Texas) and Lilo and Stitch 2 in May.

The Age to Age approach empowers ministry leadership within the congregation, building sustainable programs led by a committed team rather than relying solely on current staff. While busy schedules have meant pastors are managing much of the project, the church's perseverance and recent achievements have ignited hope. With staff transitions and sabbaticals behind them, plus the momentum of a successful event and clearly defined goals, this congregation is excited to rebuild its leadership team and move forward with enthusiasm and renewed purpose.

A suburban congregation in an upper middle class northern suburb of Michigan is a dynamic, multi-staff system with an older demographic of members but with an emerging population of younger families. The congregation has a bent toward cross-generational ministry which fueled their grant proposal for 2024-2025.

The original scope of the great was designed to strengthen cross-generational ministry with a focus on fathers. This project builds on the congregation’s strong cross-generational faith practices by expanding engagement with fathers in the spiritual development of their children. The goal is to create opportunities for fathers to connect through worship, service, and faith formation.

Challenges acknowledged in the grant included the pastor’s competing priorities, limiting time and resources, and questions about aligning the project with existing energy in the congregation. Still, the initiative seeks to harness the church’s vitality to integrate fathers more intentionally. At the outset of the grant implementation process, the challenges were manifested into a sluggish start due to limited resource capacity among staff and key leaders, a lack of clear scope and champions in the process, and some staffing turnover.

The congregation was undertaking a significant process-oriented initiative to create a repository of support materials that would define the myriad of ministry processes in the church. They created over 70 different ministry “manuals” with functions, competencies, and support documents. This effort pulled resources, time and energy from the implementation of the scope grant. 

It was becoming clear that the original scope of the grant was not in alignment with the energy and movement of the congregation. It was too narrow. As a result, the Pastor, staff, and informal leadership with support from the Age to Age Specialist, decided to align the grant scope with the existing work that was happening to both document existing ministries but also create a process for people to discern their gifts for ministry. 

The scope of the grant changed to develop a system of discernment, spiritual gifts discovery and finding the right fit for members looking to engage in the ministries they were documenting in their support materials. The staff quickly pivoted to develop a beta version of their own spiritual gifts inventory, put energy into planning opportunities for discernment and aligning the church database to become a search function for the gifts of the people. 

The successes in this grant process are not necessarily the type of fruit this church thought it would bear. The real success was the collaborative work of the Age to Age team, staff and key leaders  to adapt, realign and commit to a process that was deeply connected to the aspirational sense of the kind of church it was looking to be. 

Located in a suburban Columbus neighborhood, this congregation’s grant focuses on strengthening its Wednesday evening family ministry. Led by a part-time lay Children, Youth and Family Ministry Director, the initiative aims to expand participation and support parents while children attend age-divided choir programs. The evening includes playtime, a multigenerational meal, a brief worship service ("Five at the Font"), and choir rehearsals, during which parents can connect or have personal time.

Challenges include leadership transitions and difficulties in engaging volunteers. While initial conversations identified the need for a leadership team to support the ministry development, progress stalled due to inconsistent communication and scheduling obstacles. 

This congregation hoped to grow and enhance its Wednesday evening children and family ministry. The intention was to incorporate additional members in this ministry. The evening program begins with welcome activities followed by dinner for all ages, a devotional worship service, and choir practices for various age groups of young people and youth. 

Several growth edges were discovered through the congregation’s participation in the grant program. The congregation learned that one part-time staff person needs additional leadership assistance to grow and enhance this ministry. Additionally, the Director realized that the ongoing effects of a recent pastoral leader change, following a long-term pastorate and a series of intentional pastoral leaders, had affected the congregation’s ability to envision and lead this ministry in new ways.

The Director decided that to grow this ministry, they needed to create a Wednesday Evening Family Ministry leadership team. The formation of a leadership team proved challenging for the Director, given their part-time status, while working to maintain the ministry and fulfill youth and family ministry responsibilities, as the congregation was also adjusting to new pastoral leadership. At the close of Cohort 1, the Director was able to celebrate the continuation of this ministry and a dedicated team of volunteers who work each week to provide dinner and collaborate with other staff and members to unify the worship service, creating a time for parents to engage with one another during the children's and youth choir rehearsals. 

This congregation has a school incorporating preschool through eighth grade.  The team was assembled with primarily teachers and staff. This team’s  presenting goal was a desire to share ministry between the school and church. After a whole day of design thinking with the grant director and  specialist it became clear that the actual issue was a major communication  gap. The Vicar took this on as her project for her year and was the champion  for the team and team coach. With every monthly meeting the team came  together to identify the gaps and challenges, created a survey to understand  their users (congregants, school parents) and found someone to coordinate  communication between the church and the school. The collaboration with  events from either school or church has grown stronger and there is a  renewed energy on campus.  

This site shows the importance of having a team of leaders (whether staff or  lay) that are clear in their role and willing and able to implement any  changes.  

Team member quote: ‘This process has led to the fulfillment of two major  goals here: to tighten the relationship between this congregation and its  schools, and to improve our methods for communicating across the various  ministry expressions in this place. In both of these regards, the Age to Age  process has brought improvement and greater satisfaction to our leaders, colleagues, constituents and ourselves. Thanks be to God!’

A multi-site faith community in suburban Missouri is taking bold steps toward inclusivity through the development of a comprehensive disabilities ministry. Their vision is clear: to create a faith environment where all children, including those with special needs, can fully participate in worship, learning, and community life.Their leadership team has leaned into the process through site visits, monthly Zoom calls with the Cohort, coaching sessions, and specialist connections. These supports have helped them clarify direction and move steadily toward implementation.

A Leadership Team for Disability Ministry has formed and is guiding a three-phase implementation strategy that ensures sustainable growth:

1. Initial Engagement – Building awareness, forming the leadership team, and piloting a buddy system for children and families.

2. Congregational Integration – Expanding training and resources, ensuring staff, volunteers, and leaders are equipped to walk alongside those with disabilities.

3. Sustained Implementation – Embedding disability ministry practices into the fabric of congregational life, supported by ongoing coaching and specialist input.

At the heart of this ministry is a “buddy” system, in which trained volunteers provide one-to-one support for children requiring additional assistance during Sunday School and other faith formation activities. This personalized approach ensures that every child receives the attention they need to engage meaningfully in their spiritual development while feeling a deep sense of belonging. Already, two families who had not been able to attend worship for years are now present again, thanks to this innovative support.

To guide this effort, the congregation and Age to Age has partnered with Stephen “Doc” Hunsley, director of SOAR Special Needs, a nationally recognized ministry that equips churches to become more inclusive. With his leadership, the team is implementing best practices for the buddy system and creating a structured training program for staff, volunteers, and congregants. This training is designed to build confidence, reduce barriers, and establish a culture of inclusion across all sites.

Their greatest challenge moving forward is having enough bandwidth through volunteers to meet personalized needs as the ministry expands. Further, they want this initiative to serve as a model for other congregations seeking to embrace and celebrate the gifts of all children, ensuring that families with special needs feel truly welcomed on their faith journey.

At the outset of their participation in the Age to Age Cohort, this urban Episcopal congregation named a bold and hopeful goal: to develop intentional lay-led faith formation ministry. This vision emerged from a recognition that while clergy leadership is vital, a sustainable and thriving ministry for children and youth requires a broad foundation of lay involvement. The congregation, known for its diverse and multigenerational membership, has long valued worship and faith formation as central practices for nurturing confident, faith-filled young people.

Working collaboratively with the Rector, the Priest for Children and Youth, and a dedicated team of volunteers, the congregation began to reimagine what it might look like to empower lay leaders to take the lead in shaping the faith journeys of children. Together, they designed a model for intentional lay leadership that prioritized training, mentorship, and shared responsibility. This shift not only built capacity within the congregation but also fostered a deeper sense of ownership among lay leaders, ensuring that faith formation was not dependent on a single staff person but instead woven into the fabric of congregational life.

In addition to leadership development, the project stretched the imagination of the community around where and how faith formation happens. The team explored creative uses of their physical space, adapting classrooms and common areas to be flexible, engaging, and welcoming for children and youth. They also leaned into the concept of “portable formation,” experimenting with resources and practices that could be taken into homes, shared during commutes, or used in small, informal gatherings. This emphasis allowed faith formation to spill beyond the church walls, becoming a part of the everyday rhythm of family life and offering multiple entry points for engagement.

As the grant period came to its natural conclusion, so too did the tenure of the Priest for Children and Youth. Yet, because of the intentional work accomplished during the cohort, the congregation was not left in a place of uncertainty. Instead, a strong and capable lay team had been raised up, equipped, and inspired to carry the ministry forward. The group now continues with a renewed sense of purpose, committed to providing vibrant, lay-led ministry that strengthens intergenerational engagement, deepens spiritual growth, and nurtures the next generation in the faith.

This congregation’s journey demonstrates the power of equipping lay leaders and the resilience of a community willing to innovate. Their work not only ensured continuity during a time of transition but also set a precedent for a sustainable, collaborative model of ministry that will bear fruit for years to come.

In the heart of the city stands a Baptist congregation with roots stretching back to 1907. Nestled in one of Ohio’s largest urban centers, this predominantly African American church has long carried a legacy of faith woven together with the pursuit of social justice. Generations have gathered here to worship, to learn, and to work for the good of their neighbors.

Yet alongside its strengths, the congregation has also faced a familiar challenge: sustaining enough volunteers to carry forward its children’s ministry. Many of the children arrive each week with grandparents who lovingly provide stability, but who cannot always carry the demands of regular volunteering. For years, the faithful rhythm of children’s programming—one hour of Sunday School each week and a one-and-a-half-hour children’s church twice a month—was largely shouldered by the young, part-time children and youth Minister.

Recognizing the weight of this responsibility, Age to Age came alongside to support the congregation. Together with the Minister, they partnered with a local pastor connected to a parachurch organization, someone seasoned in children and youth ministry, who agreed to mentor him and serve as a Specialist. That partnership began to spark fresh imagination.

Rather than viewing volunteering only as long-term commitments, the Minister  began experimenting with new ways of inviting people in—small, manageable opportunities to serve. A parent might help one Sunday. A young adult could lead a game or share a testimony another time. Slowly, more and more people said yes. These new volunteers not only lifted the burden from one minister’s shoulders, but also discovered that their contributions mattered.

Out of this movement grew something even more significant: a discipleship pathway for volunteers themselves. As people stepped into service, they were also nurtured in their own faith journeys. What began as a response to a shortage has become a new way of being church together—where children and adults alike are discovering the joy of sharing in ministry, one step at a time.