Today, many churches and their related agencies and ministries are shrinking. Often a large portion of those who remain are older adults. Celebrating the Graying Church suggests that this is an opportunity for a new and different kind of ministry—a ministry to, with, and from older adults who may have wisdom to pass on to the legacy of the future generations. This book offers opportunities, ideas, and guidance for this new vision and practice of ministry, while also describing how aging adults in ministry can support each other and their faith communities.

The book is a celebration of the 200th anniversary of Clayton Baptist Church, Clayton, Georgia, which was founded on August 14, 1819. The church is older than its county. The Cherokee populated this area of Northeast Georgia, the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The first pastor was a missionary to the tribe. The church epitomizes the faith of our fathers, living still. This publication is our humble effort to record the struggles and victories in the founding and growth of our church and to preserve the heart, soul, and mind of a determined and courageous people whose abiding faith in an eternal world to come enabled them to build a beloved church that would promote taking the good news to the uttermost parts of the world. Today, we can almost hear the encouraging whispers of our forefathers, who are part of our forever family.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1876.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1882.