What happens when the generations truly live faith together? Drawing from lived experience, theology, and current research, this book invites the church into a deeper, more integrated life of formation—engaging mind, heart, and embodied practice.

What if the way we have structured church life has unintentionally limited faith formation? The Intergenerational Journey: Head, Heart, Hands invites readers to reconsider how spiritual growth takes shape—not through information alone, but through shared life across generations.

Drawing on lived experience, theological reflection, and insights from current intergenerational research, this book explores how deep, lasting formation engages the whole person. When mind, heart, and embodied practice come together across generations, faith moves beyond ideas into something lived and sustained.

Readers will find a compelling vision of the church as a community where every generation belongs and contributes. Along the way, they will gain a clearer understanding of why intergenerational life matters, how it fosters belonging and resilience, and what it looks like in practice. With contributions from leading voices in the field, The Intergenerational Journey offers thoughtful grounding and tangible pathways for ministry.

More than a model to implement, this is an invitation to a richer way of being the church—one shaped by relationships, shared practices, and the quiet, steady work of God over time.

Holly Catterton Allen (PhD, Talbot School of Theology) is the founder of InterGenerate and was its first director. She recently retired as professor of Christian Ministries at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. In retirement, she continues to write about intergenerational ministry, to speak at conferences and in churches, and to teach graduate courses on children’s spiritual formation and intergenerational ministry around the world. Holly’s recent books include Intergenerational Christian Formation: Bringing the Whole Church Together in Ministry, Community, and Worship, 2nd edition (InterVarsity Academic, 2023) and Forming Resilient Children: The Role of Spiritual Formation for Healthy Development (InterVarsity Academic, 2021). 

Christina Embree (DMin, Wesley Seminary) is the founder and director of ReFocus Ministry and serves as Minister of Generational Discipleship for the Great Lakes Conference of the Brethren in Christ and NextGen pastor at Open Door Church in Lexington, Kentucky. She holds a Doctor of Ministry in spiritual formation with a focus on age segregation and intergenerational ministry and a Master of Ministry in children, youth, and family ministry. Christina coaches churches across denominations and speaks and writes on generational discipleship, intergenerational ministry, and family ministry. 

ISBN: 9781684261147

Pages: 224

Dimensions (inches): 6 x 9

Weight (pounds): .5