October 2, 2026
VALDOSTA, Ga. – Senior adults may be the greatest untapped resource in the church today. According to Steven Mintz, professor of history at the University of Texas, the 19th-century attitudes toward the elderly shifted from respect for their wisdom and experience to disrespect and hostility.
There is nothing necessarily wrong with “thinking young” when it comes to the programming and organizational structure of the church, but senior adults should not be seen as a depreciating asset. If they are given the chance to live rich and useful lives, they will contribute significantly to the church and the Kingdom of God.
Billy Graham, who lived to be 99 years old stated, “Old age may have its limitations and challenges, but in spite of them, our latter years can be some of the most rewarding and productive years of our lives.”
Believing in the potential of the seniors of Northside Baptist Church, Pastor Robby Foster called Randy Mullinax, age 67, to become his part-time senior adult pastor. Foster believed that Mullinax could transfer his winsome personality, vibrant enthusiasm, and evangelistic spirit to the seniors at the Valdosta church and create an archetype ministry that would become a model for other churches.
On the way home after meeting with the Northside pastor, Mullinax prayed for wisdom and guidance and a theme for the ministry developed in his mind: “Live Strong, Finish Strong,” based on the life of Caleb in Joshua 14:6-12. He explained, “We also have a subtitle that has emerged that we jokingly call ‘Not your mama’s senior adult ministry.’
“We threw out most of the old senior adult paradigms. We don’t think old, act old, or consider ourselves old. We highly value our senior adults, but we don’t molly-coddle or babysit them. Each one of our folks are loved, encouraged, prayed for, and involved.”
Mullinax continued, “Northside’s staff works in harmony; and everything flows together. We want every member involved in some kind of ministry. The projects for our senior adults are not defined by their age. They serve in every facet of ministry from children through adults. They have gained the reputation of being the “fun crowd” that other ministries invite to join in their projects. Like everyone in our church family, our senior adults are not only equipped to share the gospel, but they are also given multiple opportunities to bear witness of their faith.”
Northside’s worship, averaging 1,000 in attendance, is multi-generational with senior adults (age 60+) comprising between 25-30 percent of the congregation. Mullinax avowed, “Our church family is not divided by age groups. We celebrate in our worship with all our hearts from the youngest to the oldest. The fact that our senior adults join in wholeheartedly with all the other ages means we worship with one voice and one heart.”
Sunday evening worship at Northside is flourishing with as many as half of the Sunday morning congregation returning to focus on the Word and worship. Mullinax added, “Robby Foster is a preacher’s preacher. He has been at Northside now for ten years; and just when you think the preaching and worship cannot get better, it does. The effectiveness and impact of our worship services has created growth in every area of our church life.”
Recently, Mullinax started a Wednesday morning Bible study for senior adults who are reluctant to drive at night. The study has been averaging over 30 and it continues to grow. The Wednesday morning Bible study has recently been opened to those involved in other ministries on Wednesday evening so they can participate in a Bible study as well.
The driving force behind all that God is doing at Northside comes from their “Prayer Force” ministry. The amazing success of the church’s recent “Raising the Standard” Bible Conference has impacted every age group in the church and has spilled over to the locations where Pastor Foster and Senior Adult Pastor Mullinax have recently preached in revivals.
Senior adults love excursions and Mullinax has taken his seniors to the award-winning holiday “Night of Lights” display in St. Augustine, Fla., and the Ark Encounter/Creation Museum in Williamsburg, Ky. He confessed when he took that first trip with 52 folks, he was super anxious, but with the help of his wife, Jeanne, and the gracious spirit of his seniors it was a fabulous experience. He reported, “They laughed and never complained. They were exceptionally kind to people at every stop. The employees at each restaurant and hotel pled with us to return. I have never been so overwhelmed with the loving appreciation they showed Jeanne and me during and after the week.”
To bless the senior adults, Pastor Foster led the church to renovate one of the wings of Northside’s facility to provide a place for Bible study and fellowship. That special place is now referred to as “The Senior Suite”. The transformation of the facility provides a café area, a gathering room, and classrooms; and the senior adults love showing it off to guests.
When Pastor Robby Foster called Randy Mullinax to serve as the senior adult pastor, he also got a man who loves to cook. Randy and Jeanne prepare the meals with a constantly growing number of volunteers. In March they prepared Brunswick stew, calm chowder, sweet chili, with a variety of side dishes. Smoked pork chops with sides have also recently been on the menu.
Northside plans monthly events for seniors called “I Heart Northside Gatherings”. One month the gathering is for lunch and the next month the gathering is for dinner. The attendance for the monthly lunches has grown from 80 to 100 and the dinners have grown from 100 to 120. Each January there is a Sunday lunch and ministry launch that attracted 220 seniors this year, up from 190 the previous year.
Mullinax concluded, “The senior adults I get to serve are phenomenal! They have “can do” attitudes. They are exceptional! We try to treat every person and approach every aspect of our ministry with a younger mindset. One of the greatest compliments I continually receive from first-time event attendees is “These people don’t act old.’ We laugh and celebrate a lot, not because we try to make them happy, but because they are happy.
“We do things big and with high quality standards. We don’t settle for mediocre. We don’t do things just to say we did them. We live with passion and purpose. Excitement is contagious and we are excited!
The Georgia Baptist Mission Board has invited Randy Mullinax to provide a 30-40 minute video about his Senior Adult Ministry for the upcoming SPARK event.
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