One Church Family, Many Generations

Date: 5 October 2025, 9.30 am

Speaker: Dn Lee Pak Choon Sermon Text: 1 Cor 12:12-14 , Deut 6:6-7 , Psalm 78:4-7

CLICK  HERE  to join in our Livestream service on Youtube

5Oct25 Herald.pdf

Download PDF • 4.38MB

---

TRANSCRIPT

Introduction

A blessed Sunday to everyone here and also to those who are listening online.

First, I would like to thank you for giving me this privilege of sharing God’s word with you. I will be speaking on the topic : One Church Family, Many Generations.

Before I start , shall we commit this time to the Lord in prayer.

“ Father, we thank you for this time of worship. As we now come to hear your Word, I pray that you may prepare our hearts to receive your Word gladly . Pray that I may be led by your Spirit to speak with conviction and that your Word may do a transformative work in our lives. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.”

In today’s message, I will be touching on 3 key themes. They are:

1. Intergenerational Church,

2. Generational Discipleship and

3. Legacy multiplication

Intergenerational Church

If you have been to churches in Singapore, you would have observed that there is a cross section of young and old people. In fact, you would have seen more people above the age of 45 in most churches compared to 5 years ago. This is an inevitable pattern for many churches as Singapore is moving towards a aging society.

A study done by a group of Bible schools on the State of the Church in Singapore in 2024 shows that older adult now forms a significant portion of church congregations, reflecting the demographics trend of Singapore. This includes English -speaking and Mandarin-speaking churches, although the latter  has a higher proportion of senior adults. Hermon has a demographic composition of 1/3 Youth and Young Adult, 1/3 adult and 1/3 senior adult. Compared to the aggregate of all congregations in Singapore, our senior adult occupies a large proportion of the church’s demography.

The study also found that even church staff and leadership are also aging, with many pastors and ministry heads nearing retirement age. Succession planning is becoming a critical issue.  We thank God that we have Pastor Luwin as our  younger pastor in line and also a relatively young group of leaders in Session that can take over the leadership in time to come when the older leaders step down.

The study prods us to think on the broader picture, how do we do intergenerational ministry in the church especially with an increasing number of older adults. What are the pitfalls and challenges we need to look into for an intergenerational church to flourish?

Before we delve into the specifics, it is good that we go back to the basics.

Let us start with the purpose of the Church.

The purpose of the church, biblically and historically, is rooted in God’s redemptive plan and expressed through worship, community, and mission. The church exists to honour and glorify God through collective worship, prayer, and service.

As 1 Peter 2:9 puts it, we are called to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvellous light. However, there is more to just worship, prayer and service, the church exists also for fellowship and unity. The church is a spiritual family and is often described in the Bible as the Body of Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 12 : 12 – 20 , the church is symbolized as a body with many members.

Shall we read the verses together so as to get a good understanding of the analogy:

Let us read together:

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.  If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

The Church is a place for all believers to encourage, support and grow together. It is the Body of Christ with many different members; each contributing to the health of the body. It reinforces the fact that everyone regardless of age is a important member of the church and by the analogy of the human body, the Church ought to be holistic in involving everyone in their respective roles for the building up of the Church body. 

However, intergenerational gaps do exist in churches.

You might have heard of the Generations Project. This was a project done by Graceworks Singapore in 2022 to study and propose programmes to bridge the gap between intergenerational divide in Churches. It explores how 5 distinct generations - ranging from the Silent Generation to Gen Z—experience church life, faith, and community. It recognizes that each generation has been shaped by different formative events:

Generations	Birth Years	Key Influences
Silent Generation	1928 -1945	WWII, Great Depression
Baby Boomers structures	1946 -1964	Post War Optimism, Traditional church
Gen X	1965 – 1980	Pre and Post Internet transition
Millennials values	1981 – 1996	Digital Native, global peace, inclusive
Gen Z	1997 – 2012	Always online, social justice, authenticity

Now, can I know by a show of hands, how many of you are in the Gen Z generation?  Do you agree with the key influences in your generation ? I believe so.

And how many of you are in the Baby Boomers generation ? I always wonder why they are called the Baby Boomers. Now you can see .. so many of you were born in that period. Do you all agree with the key influences shaping your values and beliefs in church life and community ? I think we can all agree.

The Generations project involved 131 in-depth interviews across 63 churches and 10 denominations with 3,000 online survey responses. It is not a small survey. The statistics collated based on the large population sample revealed some very interesting findings.

Among the Key Findings are:

1. Empathy Gap

The research revealed that intergenerational tensions aren’t about one group being “right” or “wrong.” Instead, they stem from a lack of understanding and empathy. Miscommunication and assumptions often lead to frustration, especially around service expectations, worship styles, and leadership approaches.

2. Different Expectations of Church Life

Boomers often value duty and long-term service, sometimes struggling to understand why younger members step back during parenting seasons.

Gen X may feel unsupported or judged for prioritizing family over ministry.

Millennials and Gen Z tend to seek authenticity, inclusive leadership, and purpose-driven engagement—but may be perceived as lacking perseverance.

3. Leadership Style Conflicts

Younger generations prefer collaborative, empathetic leadership over hierarchical models. This shift can cause friction in churches where older structures remain dominant.

In summary, the Project identifies the challenges to intergenerational unity because of cultural differences - differing worldview, communication styles and expectations and emotional gap - the lack of understanding between age group.

What are the implications for the Church ?

Let  us examine what does the Bible teach about the Intergenerational Church.

In 1 Corinthians 12 : 12 – 14 , Paul uses the metaphor of the human body to describe the Church. Just as the human body has many parts that function together, so does the church. Believers are all part of one spiritual body, regardless of age, background or role.

The other scriptural example is found in Romans 12 : 4 -5 :

• Romans 12:4-5: “ For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”

  
  

Essentially, the idea of God’s instruction is that He designs the church for diversity—not uniformity—and for unity—not division. Age is one such dimension, just as valid and vital as any other.

Let ‘s us look into another biblical example.

Acts 2:42-47: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

The early church, across age and economic lines, devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. All the believers were one in heart and mind.

These scriptural references show us that unity across generations is central to our witness. When the world sees diverse ages and backgrounds loving and serving one another, they can witness the love of Christ in the Church.

Having unity in diversity does not mean that we have to agree with one another in all things. But we should foster empathy across generations and promote peace and unity. Our guiding principle is that we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts to build one another up. It is the Spirit’s work in making all believers, regardless of age and background, into one holy family.

Vision for a Strong Intergenerational Church

The Generations Project calls churches to:

• Foster empathy across age groups through dialogue and shared experiences.

• Design ministries that include all generations

• Reframe leadership and service to be more inclusive and flexible.

• Celebrate generational diversity as a strength.

 

Core Values to Cultivate:

In order to build a strong , intergenerational Church, we need to embrace certain core values. They are:

• Honor: Valuing both the wisdom of elders and the vitality of youth

• Hospitality: Creating space for every voice in the church community

• Humility: Listening to learn from one another.

In this regard, I would like to commend you to read this week’s Herald article by Deacon Jeremiah Chan on listening to Godly counsel.

He wrote ( quote ) :” As an intergenerational church, one of Hermon’s unique gifts is that we have different perspectives shaped by different seasons of life. Godly counsel, when practiced well, can turn those differences into strengths instead of tension. Older members bring lived experiences, testimonies of God’s faithfulness and perspective on enduring faith while younger members bring passion, fresh creativity and bold faith. When young and old listen to each other under God’s Word, wisdom can grow both sides.” (Unquote)

Let us take heed from Paul’s instruction in Galatians 6:10 –  “ So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith “

Practical Steps Toward Intergenerational Integration

• Shared Ministry Opportunities: Intergenerational worship teams, service projects, prayer groups. In these areas, I think Hermon has done a good job of involving different generations in the ministries. We see the young adults involved in the praise and music ministry of worship while the senior deacons and elders do the worship leading and pastoral prayer.  In our church camp, we also saw the intergenerational engagement in organizing camp events. These are good opportunities for intergenerational integration into the Church life together.

  
  

• Storytelling and Testimonies: Use of testimonies from different generations to inspire and connect. On the 1^st week of every month, we have testimony sharing from members. We have started with the Seniors and the Baby Boomers generation. We thank them for their testimonies that inspire and challenge our faith. There are a lot of things we can learn from them in terms of perseverance and faithfulness. Going forward, we would like to hear testimonies from the Gen X , Millenium and Gen Z generations. We can all learn from one another and encourage one another to grow in faith.

  
  

• Collaborative Teaching: Youth helping with teaching tech in Bible studies; elders teaching life lessons. Pastor Daniel shared about the powerful influence of the social media in the Henderson 2.0 vision, and I think this is an area where we can utilise it for the benefit of intergenerational learning and teaching. The youths who are savvy with Tech can teach the seniors how to use Zoom  meeting, broadcast live stream , use Generative AI to make powerpoint presentation and so on. The older members can use these tools for teaching Bible studies.  They can also teach  life skills to the younger members such as financial literacy, health talks and even counselling from their acquired skills and experiences.

  
  

•  Discipleship & Mentorship:  Mixing older and younger members in spiritual discipleship, development and life mentoring.  Although not exactly in pairs, the New Leader Equipping program (NLE in short) involves  the older leaders to teach and help the potential younger leaders to phase into ministry or Session leadership through a series of leadership modules. I understand that in the last batch of the NLE, one of the senior deacons has followed through with a younger leader on a 1 on 1 discipleship program.  That is very commendable. Today, our mainstream discipleship program is the CG ministry. We hope that in time to come, more 3-2-1 or 1 on 1 discipleship can also flourish in Hermon.

Generational Discipleship - Passing on the Faith

One of the great assets of intergenerational church is the opportunity for generational discipleship. Imagine the passing on of the faith in Hermon from one generation to the next so that our future generation can commend that indeed, Hermon has remained faithful to God throughout all generations.

There are biblical foundations to the generational discipleship principle.  In 2 Timothy 1 : 5 , Paul commended Timothy, a young pastor for his faith that was passed on from generations to generations.

He says : “ I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.”

Likewise , he urged Timothy to carry on the passing of the faith to future generations . In 2 Timothy 2: 2, he says :

and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. 

Here, we can see a ministry of discipleship across the generations ; first from Timothy’s grandmother Lois , then to his mother Eunice, and  to Timothy and Timothy to other faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

I am glad to say Hermon is adopting this ministry of discipleship through our own families, CG , small group and 1-1 discipleship.

The Old Testament also points to parents teaching children "when you walk by the way," as a continuous way of life, not a program (Deuteronomy 6:4-7). Likewise, we also see the generational discipleship in the examples of Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha and Ruth and Naomi.

• Moses and Joshua: Moses not only led but prepared Joshua to succeed him, affirming, mentoring, and walking alongside him. Joshua’s leadership flourished because of Moses’ intentional discipleship ( Deuteronomy 31:7–8 )

  
  

• Elijah and Elisha: Elijah’s spiritual authority was transferred to Elisha not by accident but through deliberate nurture and discipleship. ( 1 Kings 19 : 19 – 21 & 2 Kings 2:13–15  )

  
  

• Ruth and Naomi – we see faith shared across age and culture (Ruth 1:16–18). It is such a beautiful thing to hear Ruth, the Moabite speak to Naomi a Israelite, “ Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”  Faith transcends age and culture. For her faithfulness, Ruth was included in the lineage of King David and ultimately our Lord Jesus.

  
  

Throughout the Bible, faith is transmitted across generations by intentional relationships. The pattern is clear: God’s plan for spiritual continuity and vitality depends on intergenerational transmission.

Legacy Multiplication

What legacy do we want to leave behind to our children ?

At the last Comms Day Session, I was struck by what Pastor Daniel said about leaving a legacy behind for his children. He was talking about the vision of Henderson 2.0 : the potential of the Great Southern Waterfront and Bukit Merah Zone development and the great opportunity of ministry that God may lead Hermon into given our church is situated right in the middle of these two upcoming developments.  But he mentioned that perhaps he ( and I think a number of us too ) may not be around to witness the Henderson 2.0 vision: that of a strong, vibrant, gospel-centred church in Henderson in the midst of a cosmopolitan township. Nonetheless, he is sure that his daughters will see it . That is the legacy that he wants to leave to his children.

What Pastor Daniel said echoes the heartbeat of the psalmist in  Psalm 78:4–7 . Let me read it to us all:

Psalm 78 says : “We will not hide them from their children,  but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. 5 He established a testimony in Jacob  and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers  to teach to their children, 6 that the next generation might know them,  the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, 7 so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments”

Psalm 78:4–7 warns us not to hide God’s deeds but to tell them to the next generation. When families tell stories of God’s faithfulness, when inter-generational teams serve the community in Henderson, revival ensues.

Our present obedience becomes tomorrow’s inheritance. In one sense, we are builders. Our founding fathers have laid the foundation of Hermon. We continue to layer the bricks and build up the church. Each of us plays our role in shaping the church’s direction, culture and witness so that it leaves a lasting legacy to the next generation.

As I conclude, let’s commit to sharing stories, discipling and mentoring across age groups, honouring one another, and multiplying our legacy through every generation.

May God help us in building a one Church Family, many generations.

Thank You. Reflection Questions: 

1. Are we building a church that feels like home to every age? What practical ways can we do to involve everyone in service and ministry so as to build up the church family in Hermon?

   
   

2. Do you see generational discipleship as important for the church? What steps do you want to take to pass on the faith to the next generation?

   
   

3. What legacy are you leaving behind for your children?  How would you want to be remembered by your children and grandchildren?