Telling the stories of God's glorious deeds to the next generation : how a spiritual legacy workshop impacts Christian older adults

Turnage, Elizabeth Reynolds

Mobius Work

Telling the stories of God's glorious deeds to the next generation : how a spiritual legacy workshop impacts Christian older adults

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1 online resource (x, 151 leaves)

Includes abstract

D. Min. Covenant Theological Seminary; 2025

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 143-151)

Título

Telling the stories of God's glorious deeds to the next generation : how a spiritual legacy workshop impacts Christian older adults

Última modificación

10/02/2025

Creador

Turnage, Elizabeth Reynolds

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore how Christian older adults who have participated in a spiritual legacy workshop describe the meaning of difficult life events. While life story work has been studied among older adults, little study has been done with Christian older adults (COAs) on spiritual legacy work (SLW) based on the metanarrative of Scripture. This study utilized a qualitative design using semi-structured interviews with seven COAs who participated in a SLW structured on the metanarrative of Scripture. The interviews focused on gaining data using four research questions: 1. What motivates Christian older adults to participate in a spiritual legacy workshop? 2. How do COAs tell the stories of difficult life events? 3. How do COAs describe changes in how they think about difficult life events as a result of participation in a spiritual legacy workshop? And 4. To what extent are COAs motivated to tell the stories of their difficult life events to show God’s glorious deeds in their lives to the next generation? The literature review focused on three areas key to understanding the developmental challenges COAs face and the impact of life story work on those challenges: 1) what developmental psychology teaches about the challenges older adults face and the tasks they must complete to age successfully; 2) what narrative gerontology teaches about the challenges older adults face and how storytelling affects older adults’ sense of life purpose; and 3) what Psalm 78 says about the lifelong calling to tell the stories of God’s glorious deeds to the next generation. This study concluded that the SLW helped COAs recognize God’s faithfulness in difficult events. Interviewees reported a change in thinking about difficult events and a renewed sense of meaning and purpose in those events. Some planned to use the technique of writing difficult stories when they encountered challenges in the future, while others felt hope for future difficulties because of God’s faithfulness in the past. All participants expressed a desire to share stories of God’s goodness to the next generation. This study concluded that churches should consider offering a SLW to COAs as a method of spiritual care as well as a tool for equipping COAs for ministry.

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