Age to Age - Cohort 2

Inspiring a new era of ministry where congregations answer Jesus’ call to welcome and nurture every child. Creating spaces of belonging and joy, through worship, prayer, and faith formation—sparking transformation, that radiates through families, generations and the community.

Cultivate a Connected Community
Build deep, trusting connections among cohort members, fostering a supportive, collegial environment where everyone feels valued and celebrated.

Equip for Effective Leadership
Help participants identify their unique leadership strengths and team gifts while addressing potential gaps, encouraging self-care and resilience for long-term impact.

Clarify the Vision and Purpose of the Grant
Provide an understanding of the grant’s mission, including design thinking, project goals, and the strategic roles.

Empower Strategic Team Formation
Guide each congregation in forming and empowering effective ministry teams, including identifying champions and clarifying roles prior to and during the July event.

Inspire Confidence and Action Bias
Support cohort leaders in creating actionable plans for their ministries, ensuring they leave with a clear covenant for next steps and the confidence to advocate for the Age to Age Initiative.

Springhill United Methodist Church

Lillington, NC

This congregation's team is comprised of all women who are in or connected to education in their community, making an education-based IMP a primary value. Their IMP focuses on a pilot project of assisting families from the nearby elementary school with an after-school program. The program will enlist congregational volunteers to work with school students from families with limited resources to help them enroll in after-school programs. The church-based program will focus on building relationships with students through board-game play with snack-style fellowship.

Grace Lutheran Church

Evanston, IL

This congregation has been focusing on three value identifiers that are most observed in their community:

Beloved Community
Compassionate Community
Inclusive Community

Some of the experiments they are working on include:

using Paraclete materials
integrating an accompaniment/mentoring culture
growing worship leadership among young people

Hope Lutheran Church

Bozeman, MT

This mid-sized congreagation is experiencing an influx of young families in their community of faith. The Age to Age Team is focusing on the intentional gathering of families to support parents as the primary faith formers in the lives of their children. They have commited to quarterly gatherings over a meal to grow community, educate and enrich the role of the parent/guardian, and create bench strength of adult leaders.

Pilgrim Lutheran Church

Carmel, IN

This congregation's purpose surrounding their IMP involves supporting families during worship by keeping children welcome in the sanctuary and offering an excellent (optional) nursery environment for infants and toddlers. They are hopeful in refreshing their infrastructure, increase the level of leadership, and tighten up their safety and liability processes.

Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church

Batesburg-Leesville, SC

One of the primary goals of this congregation was to increase Biblical literacy for their children. They have changed to a one-room model for their children's programming, incorporating more active learning elements such as singing, crafts, and creative snacks. Feedback that the congregation received prior to beginning their IMP was that parents would like help in reducing the Sunday morning chaos, and by the children's programming time involving snacks, parents and guardians are feeling less stress and chaos on Sunday mornings.

Epiphany Lutheran Church

Pickerington, OH

This congregation has been working with their older youth to explore the students' relationship between music and faith with the focus on inviting the group to choose both secular and religious songs for their time together and then share what they find meaningful in those songs. They are sharing this project with the wider church by interviewing other members about songs they find meaningful as well. The interviews will be recorded, editied, and shared with the congregation. Additionally, a new intergenerational prayer partners project has been initiated. This project has been high-impact and helped to develop new relationships between youth, worship leaders, and other members of the congregation. Adding the prayer partners will bring further depth to these relationships.

Gloria Dei Lutheran Church

Crestview Hills, KY

This congregation's IMP is focused on creating an intentional cross-generational mentorship program.

Grace Lutheran Church

Andover, MN

This team worked on implementing an intentional ministry for 4th and 5th graders intentionally involving high school studnet leaders and listening to the 4th and 5th graders for what helps them learn, grow, and engage. The team is intentional about how curriculum is used and adjusted to meet Studio 45 where they are at and meets them in real life. The project leader has shifted throughout his time in the cohort from a mindset of a staff who has to get all the things done to a ministry partner who walk with and alongside the leaders and team while also knowing when to lead from front or from the margins.