This article is part of the Fractured Canadian Relationships series
Do you currently have a genuine, mutual friendship with someone two or more generations apart from you? If not, have you ever been blessed with such a friendship?
These are days of distraction, deflection, deception and division; it feels like we’re divided by design. I think many of us sense relational disconnect in church and in society in general. It’s a struggle to name a cause but we feel fragmented relationally.
For about a year I have thought long and hard, reading deeply to imagine: What might an alternative church community beyond an institutional church framework in a post-Christian Canada look like? I have some thoughts but perhaps more questions than answers.
In this first post of my “Pastor From the Pasture” blog, we begin to explore. I say “we” because I am not an island to myself. I need other faithful followers of Jesus who are not currently connected to a local church community to help me move from imagination to implementation. That’s the aim of this blog, to put thoughts to text.
I’m not telling you something you don’t already know. Canadian society is deeply structured around age and stage. Participation around all ages is the exception rather than the norm. To highlight this, I suggest several areas where fragmentation is firmly entrenched:
1. Education System
Schools: Students are strictly grouped by age, from Junior kindergarten to high school. (I was “Larry the Custodian Guy” for 15 years for the Thames Valley District School Board)
Post-secondary institutions: Universities and colleges cater primarily to young adults, with minimal integration of older learners in standard programs. (I was 35 when I started a degree program as a Mature Student in Bible College.)
Extracurriculars: Sports teams, clubs, and academic programs are divided by age, limiting all age learning.
2. Workplace & Professional Life
Retirement expectations: Older adults often exit the workforce at 65, further separating them from younger workers. (I retired from Pastoral Ministry and as a School Custodian at 60 in 2021 and my wife Lorna retired from 40 years R.N nursing at 61)
Hiring biases: For a variety of reasons employers often want younger employees rather than older workers. I get a sense from a few automotive shops that I’ve spoken with, I don’t know how often businesses have a succession strategy where older workers mentor and train younger workers. I know of some that do.
Professional networking: Career development events and mentoring opportunities are typically around age and stage rather than including all adult ages.
3. Church & Religious Communities
Sunday school, children’s church/ministry, youth groups: Programs often isolate children and teens from adults.
Young adult ministries: These tend to focus on peer-group (college/university) interaction rather than apprenticing across all adult ages.
Seniors’ ministries: Often separate older members rather than integrating them into the broader church community.
4. Housing & Living Arrangement
Retirement homes & long-term care: Older adults are relocated away from family and community life. (My mom experiences advanced dementia. Her needs are best met in a long-term care residence)
Suburban development: Neighborhoods are often designed for young families, while seniors move into age-restricted housing.
University residences: These are primarily designed for young adults, although I expect some mature students live on campus, it would be interesting to learn of their experiences.
5. Social Services & Government Policies
Youth and senior benefits: Programs such as Canada Child Benefit (CCB) and Old Age Security (OAS) create clear life-stage distinctions.
Health care services: Pediatric, adult, and geriatric care are largely siloed, limiting across generational support. (As an R.N of 40 years, my wife Lorna can certainly speak more to this)
6. Media & Entertainment
TV & film content: Marketed toward specific age demographics, reinforcing generational divides. (I’m more a classic TV/movie kind of guy although I watch some newer stuff too)
Gaming culture: Video game industries often separate young and old players rather than fostering intergenerational engagement. Yet I am not a gamer so those in the gaming community can speak with much greater authority on this.
7. Recreation & Leisure
Sports leagues: Divided by age brackets, limiting play across generations. (Although young kids and teens could run circles around an old guy like me. They’d be carrying me off the soccer field in short order)
Travel & tourism: Many experiences cater specifically to either young adventurers or retirees rather than mixed-age groups.
You may very well add other areas where you’ve observed rigid age segregation. What if the solution isn’t better programming but something older – something deeper and more engaging?
In followup posts we will consider loneliness in fractured relationship across all generations.