When Kris Bjorke talks about her work, her eyes light up. As director of Capital’s Age to Age Grant, she spends her days connecting people, church leaders, specialists, and volunteers with the resources and relationships they need to nurture children through worship and prayer.
Funded by a Lilly Endowment grant, Age to Age was first imagined by former campus pastor Drew Tucker as a way to strengthen children’s ministry. Today, under Bjorke’s leadership, it has grown into a national program that brings together congregations eager to reimagine how they walk alongside children and families in faith.
“We invite eight congregations at a time into a cohort,” Bjorke explained. “Each church brings an idea, what we call an innovation project, and we pair them with a coach and a specialist. No one does this work in isolation.”
The projects that emerge are as unique as the congregations themselves. One church in St. Louis created a three-tiered disability ministry, pairing children with buddies so parents could worship while their children participated in Sunday school, and later offering respite nights for families. In California, a small congregation with an aging membership discovered ways to bridge communication with a vibrant K–8 school down the street. Another Columbus church focused on building its volunteer base, recognizing that one leader alone cannot sustain a children’s program.
Design thinking, a human-centered, empathetic process, shapes the entire journey. Bjorke describes it as a tool for helping congregations think creatively and practically at the same time.
“Sometimes the answer isn’t hiring a new person or starting a brand-new program,” she said. “It’s about asking good questions, listening deeply, and finding ways to connect the gifts you already have.”
For Joshua Mitchell, Youth Ministry lead at Mount Olivet Baptist Church in Columbus, Age to Age came at just the right time. He had a vision for expanding the youth ministry but needed guidance to bring it to life. With encouragement from his pastor, Rev. Dr. Eugene Gibson Jr., Mitchell joined the first cohort.
His project focused on relaunching the church nursery and creating grade-specific programs for elementary, middle, and high school students. With the support of his Age to Age coach and peers, Mitchell began to see his ideas take shape.
“Insight and strategy were the two resources I was seeking from the Age to Age experience. I had a vision for the youth ministry and written and imagined plans, but needed strategic insight on executing them, and even after the completion of the program, I am still receiving this insight,” he said.
“My practice of asking for help is the most tangible and practical skill my experience in the Age to Age program has sharpened. My relationships will surely continue, and the Holy Spirit will emphasize what He has spoken to me through my cohort members. For example, I learned about the ‘stickiness of compassion’ from Pete Erickson, a Bible teacher and minister, in a cohort meeting in April. He challenged our group to imagine Jesus grabbing our hands, our dirty, sticky hands with fingernails that still need clipped, and flattening His hand while it was still attached to ours, as if the nature of our hands did not change His connection to it. Now, looking at Jesus' hand, we would find that His hand is dirty too, not because He muddied it with His own sin, but because He resonates with the struggle of living in a place marred by it.”
The work has already borne fruit. During a youth retreat in June, Mitchell watched a fourth grader step forward in faith. While attending a baseball game, she noticed a man sitting outside who was homeless. Without prompting, she led her cousins in prayer for him.
“To see a child lead her peers in prayer of her own volition was a blessing,” Mitchell recalled. “It was evidence of God’s attentiveness to my prayers in real time.”
For Bjorke, stories like these capture the heart of Age to Age.
“We don’t need to have all the answers,” she reflected. “What matters is building connections, sharing wisdom, and creating spaces where children can encounter God’s love in real and tangible ways.”
With its second cohort now underway, Age to Age continues to help churches nurture children, empower leaders, and discover fresh expressions of ministry, one relationship at a time.
To learn more about Age to Age at Capital, visit https://www.agetoage.capital/.
