About CASA
A History of the Christian Association Serving Adult Ministries Network
In 1983, three Southern California churches (Emmanuel Faith Community Church, Escondido, CA; First Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton, CA; and Calvary Church of Santa Anna, CA) established the CASA Network ministry to serve their 50+ members through cooperative efforts.
The first jointly sponsored one day event was called Jamboree (now Life Celebration). The response to this first event led to a three day retreat held at a Christian Conference center. A committee representing various churches met the next year to discover how to meet the growing needs of the Christian adult senior community and to discuss incorporating. They determined that the name of the new organization would be called CASA, Christian Association of Senior Adults. In those early days the ministry centered in Southern California.
Long before others understood the implications of the age wave that was breaking on America, CASA Network began leading the way in ministry to mid and post career age men and women. In 1993 the CASA Board of Directors caught the vision to broaden its ministry to a national and international outreach, find a home office, appoint an executive director and share their vision and what had been learned in serving their constituencies with the Church at large.
In the fall of 1994, CASA launched two quarterly publications – The Energizer for senior adults and Energizing Leaders for leaders of Adults 50+ in the local church. With the explosion of the Boomer generation, a third quarterly publication was launched in 2001 for this population, called Legacy Living. For a time, CASA engaged in a website partnership with Christianity Today at www.buildingadultministries.com where many resources, ideas and dialog are posted.
From 1993 through 1998 regional leadership training conferences were offered to pastors and lay leaders of adult 50+ ministries in a number of states and Canada. In 1998, the first National Leadership Training Conference was held in Irvine, CA and brought together over 300 pastors and lay leaders from 26 states and Canada.
A further development in the growth of CASA’s ministry was the establishment of a website (www.goCASA.org) that included a ‘members only’ area for pastors and lay leaders, providing helpful and informative archived resources developed over a period of years. The monthly audio resource, Conversations with Leaders, became an additional resource in which interviews with professional leaders and experienced pastors in adult 50+ ministry inform members about the issues, challenges and trends in this ministry. Serving leaders across the country, the CASA has offered 50+ leadership workshops in Huntsville, AL; Brandon, Fl.; Seattle, WA; Phoenix, AZ and in British Columbia. Today CASA Network serves leaders in all 50 states and internationally.
Dr. Howard Hendricks, Dallas TX, stated: “The CASA Network provides practical resources and training for pastors and lay leaders in ministry to adults 50+ which seminaries at present are not able to provide. One of the great contributions, to me, of the CASA Network is their educational input into churches. I see a direct proportion between churches that are related to the CASA Network and the churches that are developing a strong senior adult program. Just get connected with the CASA Network and you will have some equipment, methods, and suggestions to help.”
In 2005, discussion of a merger began between CASA and Significant Living (SL). In time, the leadership and boards of directors of these three important ministry organizations made a decision to merge together. Significant Living and CASA began the merger process in early autumn 2005. Later that year, Total Living Network, (TLN) a large Christian Media ministry based in the Chicago area, was approached with the idea of merging with SL and CASA.
On January 1, 2006, Significant Living, CASA and Total Living Network became a three-in-one ministry under the umbrella of Total Living International. The names of each of the ministries were retained and were viewed as sister ministries focused on reaching the midlife and beyond population.
Eventually it was determined that CASA could better serve the Church as an independent interdenominational agency and in October 2009, with mutual blessing and agreement, CASA separated from TLN and resumed its status as an independent nonprofit Christian organization. Originally called Christian Association of Senior Adults, the name was changed to the CASA (Christian Association Serving Adults) Network in 2009, reflecting the importance of ministry to and through people in midlife as well as those entering their retirement years and to foster ministry between the generations. The idea of “Network” expresses a dedication to building networks of pastors and other 50+ ministry leaders in churches and parachurch organizations who will motivate and educate Christ followers at midlife and beyond through training, support and friendships to become influencers of spiritual and social change among the generations (Matthew 28:19).
Today, the CASA Network (www.goCASA.org) is a premier training and equipping source for the Church’s ministry to midlife and beyond age men and women, conducting leadership conferences, training events, workshop, and Life Celebration events (at which more than 100 Christian leaders have been honored with the Heritage of Faithfulness Award). Augmented by internet and print media, the CASA Network brings together an array of leaders within the field of 50+ ministry to inspire and equip the Church for ministry to and through adults in life’s second half.
Only God knows how many lives have been touched, how many churches have been changed, how many leaders have been trained because of the vision and leadership of the CASA Network. Welcome to the CASA Network family of leaders!