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Articles

3 ways to serve the elderly

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January 14, 2015

I attended a funeral for my great aunt this past summer.  She celebrated her ninety-eighth birthday right before she passed. Sitting there listening to one person after another share the story of how she impacted their life, I was surprised to see so many from her church in attendance.

Though she had been a member of a little Baptist church on the east side of Baltimore for decades, it had been many years since she was able to leave home for a service. I wondered how some of the younger church members even knew her. Yet, as I heard testimony after testimony of what my great aunt meant to them, I realized that the reason they knew her so well was because they had worshipped with her in her home.

According to the CDC, the elderly population in our nation is expected to increase over the next decade. “Two factors—longer life spans and aging baby boomers—will combine to double the population of Americans aged 65 years or older during the next 25 years to about 72 million. By 2030, older adults will account for roughly 20 [percent] of the U.S. population.”

These population statistics have an impact on the Church as well. As the number of persons 65 years and older grows, the Church needs to be prepared to serve the increasing needs of its elderly members. In a mobile society that is no longer family centric, many of the elderly live far away from their children and support systems. This means that the Church has an important role in caring for the varying needs of the elderly, including, not only spiritual concerns, but health and mobility issues, emotional needs, and other practical concerns of daily life.

In a culture that values youth and vitality, the Church can reflect this priority as well. To be honest, the elderly are often unnoticed and overlooked. Those who are less active and mobile won’t be included in church functions. Those who struggle with chronic illnesses may be unnoticed when they miss church.  But the truth is, no matter a person’s age, each member of the Church is a part of Christ’s Body, and as such, all serve an important function (1 Cor. 12:27). Each member needs to hear the word preached, participate in the Lord’s Supper, use their gifts and receive help and encouragement from others in the Body.

This article seeks to address the question, how can we, as the Church, prepare for the needs of a growing elderly population? What are some of those needs? And what are some practical ways we can address those needs?

1. Engaging: While those who are elderly may not be able to serve in the same way that they once did, it doesn’t mean that they can’t be useful to the Body. We need to think of creative ways to engage our aging church members. Perhaps they can no longer sing in the church choir or teach preschoolers but maybe they can pass out bulletins or greet visitors. They can also be an active participant in praying for the needs of church members. Even those who are homebound can be given a weekly list of prayer concerns to pray through at home. Some might also be able to serve the church by writing welcome notes to mail to new visitors or birthday cards to send to children in the church.

We can also draw from the years of wisdom our elderly brothers and sisters have gained in their life. We can seek their wisdom in matters related to the church, the ministry, and Christian living. In my own church, we have a number of retired pastors in our membership who use their wisdom and experience in leading small groups and Bible studies. And in the case of my great aunt, even the homebound can be an encouragement to others. As members in her church came to visit her, they were encouraged by her faith and joy, even as she struggled with chronic health problems.

2. Connecting: Depression is a serious concern for the elderly, particularly for those with chronic health conditions, those with limited mobility, and those who can no longer live at home. Loneliness, isolation, and feelings of uselessness can make the days long and hard for them. In a conversation with a homebound brother in Christ, he shared how hard it was to be unable to get around. “I’m just waiting to die,” he said.

As the Church, we need to be present, active, and connected in the lives our elderly church members.  Often, as people age and face chronic illnesses, they can’t leave home. This means that we need to reach out to them and visit them in their homes. Elders can bring them communion, provide them copies of sermons to listen to and sing hymns with them. Youth groups can come and help with needs around their home. Other volunteers can take them to doctor’s appointments or run errands for them.

3. Encouraging: As a person ages, the realities of death are more present than ever before. Pastors, elders, and other church leaders need to be intentional in ministering to the spiritual needs of the elderly, particularly when it comes to the topic of death and eternity. We need to reach out to them and have gospel conversations about the glories that lie ahead for them.  No matter how long someone has been a believer, there can still be an element of fear and uncertainty about the future. Knowing that your body is failing and that you can do nothing to stop it is humbling. We need to pray with and for our elderly brothers and sisters—that they would remain steadfast in their faith and that the gospel would encourage them.

As the Baby Boomer generation ages, more of our population will face the challenges that come with getting older. The Church needs to be prepared to minister to and serve these challenges. We need to engage, connect and encourage our aging brothers and sisters in Christ until they cross the finish line and see their Savior face to face.

Christina Fox

Christina Fox is a counselor, writer, retreat speaker, and author of several books including A Heart Set Free: A Journey to Hope through the Psalms of Lament, A Holy Fear, and Tell God How You Feel.  Read More

Article 12: The Future of AI

We affirm that AI will continue to be developed in ways that we cannot currently imagine or understand, including AI that will far surpass many human abilities. God alone has the power to create life, and no future advancements in AI will usurp Him as the Creator of life. The church has a unique role in proclaiming human dignity for all and calling for the humane use of AI in all aspects of society.

We deny that AI will make us more or less human, or that AI will ever obtain a coequal level of worth, dignity, or value to image-bearers. Future advancements in AI will not ultimately fulfill our longings for a perfect world. While we are not able to comprehend or know the future, we do not fear what is to come because we know that God is omniscient and that nothing we create will be able to thwart His redemptive plan for creation or to supplant humanity as His image-bearers.

Genesis 1; Isaiah 42:8; Romans 1:20-21; 5:2; Ephesians 1:4-6; 2 Timothy 1:7-9; Revelation 5:9-10

Article 11: Public Policy

We affirm that the fundamental purposes of government are to protect human beings from harm, punish those who do evil, uphold civil liberties, and to commend those who do good. The public has a role in shaping and crafting policies concerning the use of AI in society, and these decisions should not be left to those who develop these technologies or to governments to set norms.

We deny that AI should be used by governments, corporations, or any entity to infringe upon God-given human rights. AI, even in a highly advanced state, should never be delegated the governing authority that has been granted by an all-sovereign God to human beings alone. 

Romans 13:1-7; Acts 10:35; 1 Peter 2:13-14

Article 10: War

We affirm that the use of AI in warfare should be governed by love of neighbor and the principles of just war. The use of AI may mitigate the loss of human life, provide greater protection of non-combatants, and inform better policymaking. Any lethal action conducted or substantially enabled by AI must employ 5 human oversight or review. All defense-related AI applications, such as underlying data and decision-making processes, must be subject to continual review by legitimate authorities. When these systems are deployed, human agents bear full moral responsibility for any actions taken by the system.

We deny that human agency or moral culpability in war can be delegated to AI. No nation or group has the right to use AI to carry out genocide, terrorism, torture, or other war crimes.

Genesis 4:10; Isaiah 1:16-17; Psalm 37:28; Matthew 5:44; 22:37-39; Romans 13:4

Article 9: Security

We affirm that AI has legitimate applications in policing, intelligence, surveillance, investigation, and other uses supporting the government’s responsibility to respect human rights, to protect and preserve human life, and to pursue justice in a flourishing society.

We deny that AI should be employed for safety and security applications in ways that seek to dehumanize, depersonalize, or harm our fellow human beings. We condemn the use of AI to suppress free expression or other basic human rights granted by God to all human beings.

Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-14

Article 8: Data & Privacy

We affirm that privacy and personal property are intertwined individual rights and choices that should not be violated by governments, corporations, nation-states, and other groups, even in the pursuit of the common good. While God knows all things, it is neither wise nor obligatory to have every detail of one’s life open to society.

We deny the manipulative and coercive uses of data and AI in ways that are inconsistent with the love of God and love of neighbor. Data collection practices should conform to ethical guidelines that uphold the dignity of all people. We further deny that consent, even informed consent, although requisite, is the only necessary ethical standard for the collection, manipulation, or exploitation of personal data—individually or in the aggregate. AI should not be employed in ways that distort truth through the use of generative applications. Data should not be mishandled, misused, or abused for sinful purposes to reinforce bias, strengthen the powerful, or demean the weak.

Exodus 20:15, Psalm 147:5; Isaiah 40:13-14; Matthew 10:16 Galatians 6:2; Hebrews 4:12-13; 1 John 1:7 

Article 7: Work

We affirm that work is part of God’s plan for human beings participating in the cultivation and stewardship of creation. The divine pattern is one of labor and rest in healthy proportion to each other. Our view of work should not be confined to commercial activity; it must also include the many ways that human beings serve each other through their efforts. AI can be used in ways that aid our work or allow us to make fuller use of our gifts. The church has a Spirit-empowered responsibility to help care for those who lose jobs and to encourage individuals, communities, employers, and governments to find ways to invest in the development of human beings and continue making vocational contributions to our lives together.

We deny that human worth and dignity is reducible to an individual’s economic contributions to society alone. Humanity should not use AI and other technological innovations as a reason to move toward lives of pure leisure even if greater social wealth creates such possibilities.

Genesis 1:27; 2:5; 2:15; Isaiah 65:21-24; Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 4:11-16

Article 6: Sexuality

We affirm the goodness of God’s design for human sexuality which prescribes the sexual union to be an exclusive relationship between a man and a woman in the lifelong covenant of marriage.

We deny that the pursuit of sexual pleasure is a justification for the development or use of AI, and we condemn the objectification of humans that results from employing AI for sexual purposes. AI should not intrude upon or substitute for the biblical expression of sexuality between a husband and wife according to God’s design for human marriage.

Genesis 1:26-29; 2:18-25; Matthew 5:27-30; 1 Thess 4:3-4

Article 5: Bias

We affirm that, as a tool created by humans, AI will be inherently subject to bias and that these biases must be accounted for, minimized, or removed through continual human oversight and discretion. AI should be designed and used in such ways that treat all human beings as having equal worth and dignity. AI should be utilized as a tool to identify and eliminate bias inherent in human decision-making.

We deny that AI should be designed or used in ways that violate the fundamental principle of human dignity for all people. Neither should AI be used in ways that reinforce or further any ideology or agenda, seeking to subjugate human autonomy under the power of the state.

Micah 6:8; John 13:34; Galatians 3:28-29; 5:13-14; Philippians 2:3-4; Romans 12:10

Article 4: Medicine

We affirm that AI-related advances in medical technologies are expressions of God’s common grace through and for people created in His image and that these advances will increase our capacity to provide enhanced medical diagnostics and therapeutic interventions as we seek to care for all people. These advances should be guided by basic principles of medical ethics, including beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice, which are all consistent with the biblical principle of loving our neighbor.

We deny that death and disease—effects of the Fall—can ultimately be eradicated apart from Jesus Christ. Utilitarian applications regarding healthcare distribution should not override the dignity of human life. Fur- 3 thermore, we reject the materialist and consequentialist worldview that understands medical applications of AI as a means of improving, changing, or completing human beings.

Matthew 5:45; John 11:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:55-57; Galatians 6:2; Philippians 2:4

Article 3: Relationship of AI & Humanity

We affirm the use of AI to inform and aid human reasoning and moral decision-making because it is a tool that excels at processing data and making determinations, which often mimics or exceeds human ability. While AI excels in data-based computation, technology is incapable of possessing the capacity for moral agency or responsibility.

We deny that humans can or should cede our moral accountability or responsibilities to any form of AI that will ever be created. Only humanity will be judged by God on the basis of our actions and that of the tools we create. While technology can be created with a moral use in view, it is not a moral agent. Humans alone bear the responsibility for moral decision making.

Romans 2:6-8; Galatians 5:19-21; 2 Peter 1:5-8; 1 John 2:1

Article 2: AI as Technology

We affirm that the development of AI is a demonstration of the unique creative abilities of human beings. When AI is employed in accordance with God’s moral will, it is an example of man’s obedience to the divine command to steward creation and to honor Him. We believe in innovation for the glory of God, the sake of human flourishing, and the love of neighbor. While we acknowledge the reality of the Fall and its consequences on human nature and human innovation, technology can be used in society to uphold human dignity. As a part of our God-given creative nature, human beings should develop and harness technology in ways that lead to greater flourishing and the alleviation of human suffering.

We deny that the use of AI is morally neutral. It is not worthy of man’s hope, worship, or love. Since the Lord Jesus alone can atone for sin and reconcile humanity to its Creator, technology such as AI cannot fulfill humanity’s ultimate needs. We further deny the goodness and benefit of any application of AI that devalues or degrades the dignity and worth of another human being. 

Genesis 2:25; Exodus 20:3; 31:1-11; Proverbs 16:4; Matthew 22:37-40; Romans 3:23

Article 1: Image of God

We affirm that God created each human being in His image with intrinsic and equal worth, dignity, and moral agency, distinct from all creation, and that humanity’s creativity is intended to reflect God’s creative pattern.

We deny that any part of creation, including any form of technology, should ever be used to usurp or subvert the dominion and stewardship which has been entrusted solely to humanity by God; nor should technology be assigned a level of human identity, worth, dignity, or moral agency.

Genesis 1:26-28; 5:1-2; Isaiah 43:6-7; Jeremiah 1:5; John 13:34; Colossians 1:16; 3:10; Ephesians 4:24