Soul Sustenance - Church Together: An Essential Guide to All-Age Ministry

Many congregations share a common challenge: despite gathering under one roof. Children, youth, adults, and older members often experience church separately. As a result, generations can feel disconnected from one another, and opportunities for meaningful relationships, discipleship, and belonging are lost. To help church leaders address this growing challenge, Chalice Press is pleased to announce the release of Church Together: An Essential Guide to All-Age Ministry by Traci Smith and David M. Csinos. Designed for pastors, ministry leaders, and congregations seeking deeper connection, Church Together provides a practical roadmap for creating communities where people of every age worship, learn, serve, and grow together. Rather than offering abstract theories, the book delivers dozens of proven ideas that leaders can implement immediately to foster stronger relationships across generations. "Faith communities are being transformed by intentionally embracing all ages together and weaving intergenerational approaches into everything they do," writes ministry leader John Roberto in the book's foreword. Smith and Csinos begin by helping readers understand why intergenerational ministry matters. Grounded in nine core principles that include relationship, community, diversity, creativity, participation, and discipleship, the book demonstrates how churches can move beyond age-segregated programs and create spaces where every person has something to contribute and something to learn. The authors then provide a step-by-step collection of practical tools and activities that make implementation achievable. From worship experiences such as Liturgy Leader Grab Bags, Brick Prayers, and Noisy Offerings to community-building practices like Grace Gardens, Stones of Kindness, and Silly Sock Exchanges, the guide functions as an idea factory for leaders seeking fresh ways to engage every generation. Whether a congregation is experiencing stagnant growth, declining participation, or simply a desire for deeper connection, *Church Together* offers a clear path forward: bring generations together, and the entire community becomes stronger. Traci Smith is the program director of Family Faith Every Day, a Chalice Media Group initiative that helps parents and caregivers incorporate faith practices into everyday family life, and the author of the Faithful Families series of books. David M. Csinos is Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and founder of Faith Forward. He writes and speaks globally on faith formation, intergenerational ministry, preaching, and innovation in children’s and youth ministry. Church Together: An Essential Guide to All-Age Ministry is published by Chalice Press, the leading progressive Christian publisher of books that challenge and inspire communities of faith, and the publishing house of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

About Chalice Press

Chalice Press is an imprint of Chalice Media Group, which works to grow and equip a community that is vibrant and energizing, a worldwide force for justice, peace, inclusion, and multi-faith cooperation.