COLUMBIA — In today’s church culture, senior adults can almost be classified as an unreached people group.
Not in the traditional sense of the phrase, but rather in the sense that many churches tend to aim their music, message and ministries toward young adults and young families.
While this strategy can often result in church growth, it can also have the negative side effect of excluding an entire demographic: senior adults.
Last fall, retired Tennessee pastor Mike Dawson felt called to do something about this issue.
“The Lord woke me up in the middle of the night and I sat up in the bed, wide awake ” said Dawson, who retired from full-time ministry in 2005 after 52 years. “I had been praying for several weeks about ‘what’s next’ for me. That night, I felt the Lord directing me toward a new chapter in my ministry. So, I grabbed a legal pad and began jotting down ideas for senior adult revivals.”
In the weeks that followed, Dawson’s vision turned into a reality.
Next month, the inaugural “Redeployed: Senior Adult Revival” will be held at Lindsay Lane Baptist Church in Athens, Ala., and a second revival is scheduled for late summer at First Baptist Church, Livingston.
“The general theme of the revivals is two-fold,” said Dawson, who has served as senior pastor in Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama during his ministry. “First, we want the revival to inspire senior adults to be involved in the life of the church — involved in the praying, witnessing, worshiping, giving and serving. Secondly, we want the senior adults to be inspired to be supportive of their church. We want them to understand that, together, they are a mighty army and they can make a difference.”
Dawson, 86, said he envisions the revival services will generally start on Sunday — often on Sunday night — with the remainder of the services to be held each weekday morning, normally starting around 10 a.m., for the following two or three days. He said each revival will be adjusted to meet the needs and schedule of the host church.
Dawson, who lives in Columbia, served as senior pastor at two Tennessee Baptist churches — Dalewood Baptist in Nashville (1972-78) and First Baptist Church, Columbia (1996-2005). Since his retirement, he has served as transitional interim pastor at 14 churches in Tennessee, helping each of those TBC churches prepare for the arrival of a new pastor.
Dawson said he originally thought he would initiate the first wave of senior adult revivals at some of the churches where he served as senior pastor or transitional interim. But he later decided to utilize a method that he calls “The Junior Hill approach.”
“I have no promotional or marketing plans on my part for the revivals,” said Dawson, who currently serves as pastor emeritus at FBC Columbia. “I am just going to let God open the doors. My great friend Junior Hill (the renowned evangelist who passed away in 2024) never contacted churches about revivals. Instead, he let the Lord guide the churches to reach out to him. And I think that’s a great way to do it.”
Although each revival will be different in terms of schedule, Dawson said his overarching plan is to use the following four-part sermon series:
• The first service will focus on being “redeployed” and will examine the “what’s next” question for senior adults at this stage of their daily walk with the Lord.
• The second service will have an evangelistic emphasis, with senior adults encouraged to bring their lost friends.
• The third service will examine the challenges of dealing with the death of a loved one, with Dawson preaching a message entitled “Good Grief.”
• The final service will focus on “prayer warriors,” with Dawson diving deeper into the idea of keeping a prayer journal — and how to effectively do that.
Dawson said the worship music for the revival services will be chosen with senior adults in mind, with an emphasis on hymns. He said he will connect with the music leader / worship team from each of the host churches prior to the revival.
Danny Sinquefield, Harvest Field One Team Leader for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, said he believes the concept of senior adult revivals is an idea whose time has come.
“Representing one of the largest people groups in our nation, senior adults are a ripe mission field for ministry and spiritual renewal,” said Sinquefield. “They often feel a bit marginalized in this culture, but many are longing for a fresh movement of God in their lives and in the church.
“I am deeply thankful to see this focus of senior adult revival meetings,” Sinquefield said, “and I hope they become a major part of a spiritual awakening in this generation for God’s glory.”
One Tennessee pastor has talked with Dawson about the possibility of hosting a “Redeployed” event that would include inviting senior adults throughout his association to participate in the weekday morning services. This would make it an association-wide senior adult revival.
“I like this idea,” Dawson said.
Since the services are generally slated to be held in the morning, Dawson said it is likely that many churches will incorporate some sort of luncheon into the schedule, but he said those details will be handled by the church leaders at the host site.
Steve Holt, church services director for the TBMB, said he believes the revivals can have an impact that goes well beyond the target audience.
“I’ve had the opportunity to talk with Brother Mike about this ministry, and I believe it can have a positive impact on the lives of senior adults as well as on the overall life of a local congregation,” Holt said. “I would strongly encourage pastors to investigate the possibility of engaging with Mike in this venture.” B&R — Those wanting more information about hosting revivals can contact Dawson by email at [email protected].