In the spring of 2025, the Roots & Wings: Intergenerational Formation Collaborative grant team conducted a literature review. As part of that literature review, the team identified five characteristics, or “hallmarks,” of intergenerational worship: intentionality, relationality, dignified reciprocity, flexibility, and empowerment.

In this “Hallmarks of Intergenerational Worship” series, I will explore each hallmark in turn with special attention to practical steps for increasing that characteristic in public worship.

Intentionality in the Context of Worship

Many scholars and practitioners use the term “intentional” in defining intergenerationality. For example, in the introduction to “All Ages Becoming,” Valerie Grissom defines intergenerational Christian practices as “intentionally shared rhythms and patterns of participation in Christian community that foster relationships with God among all ages and help us mutually honor God and one another for the sake of becoming more like Christ” (20). Others use the term “purposeful.” For example, GenOn Ministries uses the phrase “planned and purposeful” to describe intergenerational settings (“Six-Step Path for Becoming Intentionally Intergenerational“). While scholars have not yet coalesced around a standard definition of “intergenerational,” most definitions include “intentional,” “purposeful,” or “deliberate.”

Intentionality in intergenerational worship is critical because the way worship is planned, prepared, and implemented always communicates ideas about who is welcome and who can lead. When we are not intentional, our worship can communicate messages that do not align with our theology, what we believe about who is welcome and who can lead.

In “Fashion Me A People: Curriculum in the Church,” Maria Harris writes, “All institutions teach not one but three curricula. The explicit curriculum refers to what is actually presented, consciously and with intention. [. . .] The implicit curriculum, in contrast, refers to the patterns or organizations or procedures that frame the explicit curriculum: things like attitudes or time spent or even the design of a room. [. . .] The null curriculum is a paradox. This is the curriculum that exists because it does not exist; it is what is left out” (68–69).

In the context of intergenerational worship, intentionality means proactively and deliberately exploring the explicit, implicit, and null curriculum of worship as it relates to age. Here are some examples of what each type of curriculum might look like:

Explicit Curriculum

• A pew card that reads “God put the wiggle in children; don’t feel you have to suppress it in God’s house. All are welcome!” explicitly welcomes children to worship (see more in “Pew Cards: 4 Approaches to Communicating ‘Children Welcome’” on Building Faith).
• A vestry training on “Engaging All Ages in Worship” explicitly teaches church leaders how to more fully embrace intergenerational worship.

Implicit Curriculum

• Having all liturgical roles (acolyte, lector, greeter) filled by adults implicitly communicate that worship is for adults and young people are not capable of serving in worship.
• A table near the entrance to the sanctuary with worship materials for children implicitly communicates that children are welcome; it effectively says, “We are expecting children here.”

Null Curriculum

• When sermon images and metaphors are always adult-centric, the null message is that children’s faith life is not relevant or that children are incapable of engaging with a sermon.
• When the perspectives of youth are never sought in worship planning, the null message is that youth have no insight worth hearing.

Tools of Intentionality: Awareness and Discernment

Historically, worship has been planned, prepared, and implemented for middle-aged adults. For example, in many Episcopal churches, the altar rail, where communion is distributed, is elevated and only accessible by walking up a few steps. The worship space was not designed for older adults with walkers or wheelchairs.

The goal of intentionality is to become aware of how worshippers of different ages are able to access, participate in, and lead worship and then to discern how God might be calling your particular community to respond. While awareness is an important tool for intentionality, it is insufficient without discernment. It is not always possible to make all the potentially fruitful changes that awareness might illuminate, but more importantly, it is not always wise. Often attention must be given to building buy-in with the community, teaching about the theology of intergenerational worship, and caring pastorally for those who resist change.

One aware, discerning, intentional church leader can make a difference. But a community of aware, discerning, intentional worshippers can catalyze transformation.

Practical Steps to Increase Intentionality

Every church context is unique and there is not one “right” way to practice intergenerational worship. The list of ideas below is not prescriptive (nor exhaustive), but meant to inspire your imagination for helping worshippers connect more deeply as fellow members of the body of Christ in a specific worshipping community.

Intentionality in Leadership

• Collaboration: Consider who is responsible for planning the liturgy. Are there ways to open that process to include the collaboration of more generations either occasionally or regularly? For example, in selecting hymns or writing the Prayers of the People.
• Reflection: It is common for church leaders to receive feedback from the most pleased and most unpleased worshippers. But what about everyone else? Look for opportunities to reflect together on the worshipping life of your community. You might use a combination of these questions: What did you notice in worship today? Where are you experiencing God in worship? Is anything distracting you from experiencing God in worship? What are your dreams for this worship service? (Thanks to St. Gregory of Nyssa in San Francisco for the question “What are you noticing?”)
• Embracing Imperfection: When people with a wide range of experience levels collaborate, perfection is nearly impossible. When leaders adopt a posture of grace, others are more willing to step into something new—from acolyting for the first time to baking communion bread.

Intentionality in Liturgy

• Timing: There is no universal rule of thumb in terms of service timing (time of day or duration). The age demographics of each community will likely dictate the time of day that works for most people and the length of service that feels manageable. Another aspect of timing to consider is consistency. People of all ages benefit from knowing about how long something is going to last and having that duration be consistent.
• Inviting All Ages Forward: Many church leaders have a practice of inviting children forward during a particular part of the liturgy, for example, during the eucharistic prayer or a baptism. An even more intergenerational approach is to invite anyone, of any age, who would like to come closer to do so. Using the language “any one of any age is welcome to come forward” invites a wider range of worshippers to engage more fully in the liturgical moment.
• Inviting Movement, as the Spirit Leads: In many churches, I’ve heard the phrase, “standing as you are able.” A phrase such as “adopting a prayerful posture as you feel led” or “standing if the Spirit moves you” offers more agency to worshippers of all ages.

Intentionality in Preaching

• Illustrations: Consider who will connect with the stories, images, and metaphors you use in preaching. If possible, use a few different illustrations that might speak to different generations to explore the same concept.
• Visuals: Objects or pictures offer visual learners of all ages a deeper point of connection to the sermon. Projectors are an easy way to include visuals, but are not necessary. Consider including an image in the bulletin or bringing a simple physical object to hold up while you preach.
• Invite Response: Consider how you might invite responses from the congregation during or after the sermon. This can be as simple as asking a question at the beginning of the sermon (for example, “What is the first prayer you ever learned?”) or more involved, such as inviting people to turn to someone near them and answer a question following the sermon. If you want to go a step further, Living Stories is an example of a homiletical method designed to engage the congregation in communal sermon creation.

Intentionality in Music

• Repetition: Repetition is intergenerational because it offers anyone who cannot read the ability to learn the music over time and participate. Any piece of music with a chorus offers repetition, as does repeating the same piece of music for multiple weeks (for example, a whole liturgical season).

Intentionality in Space & Materials

• Large Print: Offering large print bulletins, prayer books, Bibles, and hymnals supports the participation of anyone with limited eye sight.
• Sound System: The use of a sound system helps everyone hear, from caregivers trying to encourage children to whisper to elders with hearing loss.
• Aisle Depth: In worship spaces with movable chairs, making sure a walker and a wheelchair move comfortably through the aisles supports disabled worshippers as they participate in communion and the Peace.
• Altar Position: Consider the location of the altar. Are the majority of worshippers able to see what is taking place during the Great Thanksgiving? Are wheelchair users able to roll up to the altar for communion? In many churches, the altar is immovable. But in some spaces, it is possible to move a small table closer to the congregation and use it as an altar occasionally or regularly.

Do you have another idea for increasing intentionality in intergenerational worship? Let us know! Reach out to Sarah Bentley Allred, Project Director, Roots & Wings: Intergenerational Formation Collaborative.

Featured image is by Serafin Nunez on Unsplash