The Kingdom in Nursing Homes

Over the next twenty years the population of nursing home residents ages 65 and over will nearly double. Aging Baby Boomers will further increase the strain on already crowded and understaffed care facilities. Sadly, many of the more that 72 million nursing home residents by the year 2030 will be very lonely and isolated--as are nursing home residents today. In fact, many of these residents will be disconnected from family, the church, and the Good News of Jesus Christ. Too many live that way right now.

What if local churches decided to do something about this? What if local churches resolved to make every area nursing home a satellite church?

The idea may not strike people as edgy and daring. It may not make missional headlines at the next church planting conference. You may not be able to publish a book, get your nose pierced, or celebrate your outreach with a new tattoo. But reaching the lost who are closer to heaven--actuarially speaking--than anyone else is not only worthy, it’s essential.

The weaknesses of this idea are: it is too easy, too inexpensive, and immediately implementable.

Yes, I said weaknesses. We Christians usually like things more complicated and expensive. That way, we don’t have to do anything right away. We can think, ponder, meet, talk, plan, and delay getting our hands dirty.

Meanwhile, the harvest is waiting. Here’s all you have to do:

1. Find one or two people (or families) with a heart for the elderly.

2. Ask them to lead the way by approaching an activities director at a nursing home and asking if a church group can come by weekly to visit with, get to know, worship with, and help residents.

3. Build a team--not just with church members, but with non-churched neighbors and friends who are yearning to make a difference in the world but don’t know how.

4. Start small and visit at least every week. Be dependable.

5. Make relationships, show love, discover needs, offer prayers, sing songs, read the Bible, have a snack, do a craft, play a game, hold a hand, keep it simple, and let it grow. You can even count the attendance in your weekly worship tally.

One woman told me about a group that visited her facility each week. “That’s my church,” she said.

What are you waiting for? Start your satellite. Then start the next one. You’ll have places where individuals and families can make Christ’s difference. You’ll be reaching into the community. You’ll be bringing salvation to lost and distant souls. You’ll be serving the least of these. You’ll be in the thick of real Kingdom work. And you won’t even have to build a building or make a budget.

For an older church like the LCMS, this is one way the church can reach out to the millions of people who need Jesus right now!