While it’s clearly biblical to consider the whole body of believers within the church as our extended family, many times we seem to be missing a real sense of family roles within the church. Most times we are content to think of God as our Father and everyone else as our brother or sister. But the church’s identity as the family of God goes beyond the understanding that all Christians are siblings.
The Bible shows us that there are other ways that we must relate to each other within the church. In 1 Timothy 5:1, 2, Paul writes: “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.” Paul tells us that there are generational roles within the family of Christ.
These roles are more than positions of authority; they are a matter of mutual respect and healthy growth within the family of God. While we might blame the generation gaps for the perennial conflicts within the church over issues such as worship preferences and the adoption of various forms of technology, the differences in age and spiritual maturity among God’s children should lead us toward growth, rather than division.
The familial roles within the church help us to grow as a church. Younger generations are going to become the leaders of the church; so they must look to the older generations, who must model Christ-like servant-leadership. Young men and women are facing the attacks of culture that older Christians have already faced, and the older generations must help the younger ones survive. Our culture continually devalues the aged, but younger Christians must take a stand to protect older Christians and care for them. Ultimately all Christians must love each other as family, guiding, protecting, and encouraging each other as we grow together.