Spirituality and aging: How worship communities of older adults sustain their faith in the absence of traditional ordained leadership

ABSTRACT

This article considers how older Christians (aged over 70) exercise worship in an environment of shared ministry. Specifically, the Local Shared Ministry Units (LSMU) model of worship within the Auckland Diocese of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa/New Zealand and Polynesia (Auckland Diocese). A collective case study approach was used, and individual members of four LSMUs were interviewed with the resulting comments treated as a collective case study. The findings indicate these older adults are still seeking faith formation, do not regard themselves as fully formed spiritually, and use personal prayer in particular to enhance and nourish their faith growth.

KEYWORDS:

• Aging
• faith formation
• grounded theory
• religion
• shared ministry
• spiritual well-being
• worship

Notes

^1. As detailed in the Local Shared Ministry Handbook in the Diocese of Auckland, pp. 47–49.

^2. (Rowe & Kahn, 1997).

^3. (Koenig, 1994) Stages discussed are 1. Early Childhood; 2. Middle Childhood; 3. Late Childhood; 4. Adolescence and Young Adulthood; 5. Adulthood and Later Life.