Age-Friendly Congregation Certificate team members Rev. Dr. Richard Gentzler, left, and UTC’s Kristi Wick and Stephanie Blaine.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga College of Nursing is partnering with ENCORE Ministry Foundation to launch a new Age-Friendly Congregation Certificate program designed to help faith communities and individuals better support older adults through intentional, practical action.
The eight-module program, believed to be the first of its kind nationally, offers a structured, nondenominational approach to helping congregations better support older adults. Open to congregations and individuals across the United States and beyond, the program is free through grant funding and delivered in a self-paced, online format with optional in-person sessions.
Developed by UTC faculty in collaboration with ENCORE Ministry Foundation, the certificate program equips participants with tools to reframe aging, improve accessibility, strengthen intergenerational connection, and support physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Congregations that complete the program earn an Age-Friendly Congregation designation, while individuals may earn recognition as Age-Friendly Congregation Champions.
“The Age-Friendly Congregation Certificate program gives individuals and congregations a practical way to become more intentional about supporting older adults,” said Dr. Kristi Wick, UC Foundation associate professor and Vicky B. Gregg Chair of Gerontology in the UTC College of Nursing. “It is a first-of-its-kind program built around learning modules that help congregations turn that commitment into action.”
The program reflects years of age-friendly work led by the UTC College of Nursing and supported through a Tennessee Department of Health grant now in its fifth year.
Wick said the certificate represents a sustainable way to extend that work well beyond the life of the grant.
“We brought together what we’ve learned over the past several years—along with the questions congregations are asking and the support they’ve told us they need—to create something sustainable,” Wick said. “This program gives people continued access to those resources well beyond the life of the grant.”
Participants move beyond coursework to implementation. Congregations develop and carry out an action plan, complete a project, and document their experience through a photo story, recorded testimony or written narrative.
Upon completion, congregations receive formal designation—and digital and physical recognition—to support and expand their work.
Rev. Dr. Richard Gentzler, older adult ministry director for ENCORE Ministry Foundation, said the program responds to demographic shifts that faith communities can no longer ignore.
“The reality is that we’re an aging society and we need to really be thinking about the needs of older persons,” Gentzler said. “People are living longer. We’re all going to be older adults at some point if we’re not already.”
Gentzler explained that faith communities occupy a unique space within the broader age-friendly ecosystem because they are already places of trust, connection and shared purpose. At the same time, he said, congregations often overlook practical barriers that affect older adults, such as scheduling evening Bible studies during winter months when traveling after dark can limit participation.
He said many congregations want to respond to the needs of older adults but lack the training to know where to begin.
The Age-Friendly Congregation Certificate program addresses those needs through its eight modules:
- creating Age-Friendly Congregations
- healthy aging and resilience
- spirituality and aging
- supporting older adult well-being
- social inclusion and intergenerational connection
- ministry models and program design
- advocacy and safety
- sustainable action planning
“What we’re trying to do with the age-friendly congregation is make this a really useful, helpful tool for faith leaders and laypersons engaged in this particular ministry within their local congregations,” he said.
Enrollment is open until capacity is reached. Information and registration details are available at utc.edu/engaging.
