INTERGENERATIONAL MINISTRY
In the Presentation and Examination of Candidates for Baptism, the congregation–children, teens, young adults, middle-age adults, retirees and everyone else–is asked: “Will you who witness these vows do all in your power to support these persons in their life in Christ?
We are prompted to respond, hopefully with joy: “We will.”
With those words, we are invited into an intergenerational community of study, prayer, fellowship and service.
With those words, we are invited to wonder: How does our common life reflect this baptismal promise rooted in the scriptural vision of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27)?
Becoming intentionally intergenerational–in worship, formation, service and fellowship–is a process of discernment for each congregation. It invites prayer and conversation about how you define “intergenerational;” where you see opportunities for growth and experimenting; and whether your vision is for “intergenerational” to describe your programs, worship, practices or values (or all four!).
CONTACT
The Rev. Kelly Ryan
Missioner for Discipleship
The Rev. Kelly Ryan
Missioner for Discipleship
984-263-5423
EMAIL
The Rev. Kelly Ryan serves diocesan congregations as the missioner for discipleship. The position was created as part of, and is made possible by, the $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. the diocese received in October 2024 to reconceive the way it supports congregations as they seek to form disciples of all ages. Instead of traditional programming, the project is designed to spark congregational imagination around intergenerational worship and its connection to holistic Christian formation, to support connections among congregations, and to equip and empower congregational leaders to design and lead inclusive, sensory-rich worship rooted in The Episcopal Church’s liturgical traditions.
Kelly previously served at Duke Divinity School as director of the Thriving Congregations Coordination Program and as senior director of Communications and executive editor for Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, as well as a communications coach for Lilly Endowment grantees. For more than two decades, she has served children and their families as a catechist, tutor, mentor and hospital volunteer.
Since ordination as a vocational deacon in 2024, Kelly has served as deacon and children’s minister at St. Joseph’s, Durham. She holds a Master of Divinity, a certificate in Christian Education, and an MA in Christian Practice from Duke Divinity School, as well as a BA in journalism and political science from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.
RESOURCES
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