West End Assembly of God (WEAG) in Richmond, Virginia, has a rich history spanning fifty years. WEAG is characterized by an increasingly diverse body of multiple generations, cultures, and ethnicities. However, since 2004, WEAG has been in plateau and has experienced subsequent decline. The church of 1,600 needed an intergenerational leadership team to effectively lead a five-generation church into the next phase of growth and change. Through a thorough study of intergenerational leadership teams, this project revealed that healthy and scriptural churches remain intergenerational while aging churches that refuse to empower young people to lead will lose younger generations and speed decline.

Because churches like WEAG struggle with cultural change, this project also addresses the roadblocks to retaining and developing younger generations into leaders ready to propel the church into the future. Through three events—Collide, an intergenerational symposium; a pastoral retreat; and a Lost Generation Forum—this project dissects issues regarding generational preferences, conflicts, and leadership decisions, while affirming that intergenerational churches are built through mentorship and shared leadership responsibilities. Through intentional relationships, teaching, and reorganization, WEAG has changed its leadership structure to elevate young leaders and establish lasting transformation. This project models for churches everywhere the importance of elder leaders creating a culture of intergenerational, servant leadership while providing a pathway to reach future generations.