How to Create a Faith-Based Book Club in Your Assisted Living Community

You can add even more benefits to a reading habit, especially if you want to engage in faith-based reading, with a book club. If there isn’t already a book club near you that meets your needs, you can easily start one in your home neighborhood or in an assisted or independent living community.

Benefits of a Faith-Based Book Club for Older Adults

Some advantages of starting or joining a specifically faith-based book club for seniors include:

• Being challenged to read books you might overlook or never know about otherwise
• Socialization opportunities as you meet to enjoy each other’s company and discuss the books you read
• Getting to hear what other people thought of books, especially if you have questions about what you read and what to dig deeper into the themes or content
• Enjoying time with other readers and getting to gush about favorite parts of a book, characters or stories
• Investing in faith-based books that help you develop a stronger understanding of biblical truths through discussion and fellowship with others

Tips for Starting Your Own Book Club at an Assisted Living Community

If your assisted living community doesn’t already have a faith-based book club or doesn’t have one that concentrates on the types of books you love to read and discuss, you can start a group of your own. Here are some tips for launching a book club in an assisted living location:

• Invite a few friends to join you. Talk to people in your social network to find a few people who are interested in reading books with you. Let them know you want to read books related to faith so they know what to expect in your book club.
• Talk to staff about advertising the club and using common spaces. You can start a book club with only one or two other people, but if you want to grow your group, ask the staff at your assisted living community if you can post a notice about it in a common area or have information added to the activity calendar or community email. Request use of a common space, like a private dining or activity room, for hosting your book club if you have too many people to accommodate in an assisted living apartment.
• Consider whether you can include nonresidents. Ask whether you can invite people who don’t live in the assisted living community. Seniors of faith in the surrounding neighborhood might enjoy meeting with you to discuss books.
• Choose a frequency for reading and discussing books. Many book clubs set a frequency of one book every month or every 2 months. This gives everyone ample time to read the book.
• Select a first book. Consider starting with something interesting but fairly accessible. Try to choose a book that’s available in multiple formats, including e-book and audiobook. Check the local library systems to ensure there are copies on hand for people who don’t want to buy a book.
• Set a time for the first discussion. Schedule your first meeting at least a month after you notify everyone of the book choice.
• Consider offering refreshments or meeting over a meal. Meet in a place where you can enjoy beverages or snacks together as you talk.
• Get input about future books and set a reading schedule for the next few months. When you let people know what the next few books are in advance, they can use library hold systems and other options to ensure they get the book in time.

Five Books to Get You Started

Not sure what book to start with for a faith-based reading club in your assisted living community? Here are a few options to consider.

• Enter Wild by Carlos Whittaker. In this nonfiction book, Carlos Whittaker details his own inspiring journey seeking a closer, more “wild” relationship with God. He provides actionable steps the reader can take to begin a similar journey.
• Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldredge. This easy-to-read book explores the radical nature of Jesus and how that applies to people of faith today.
• Who Made the Moon? A Father Explores How Faith and Science Agree by Sigmund Brouwer. With an eye toward common questions about the intersection of science and faith, Sigmund Brouwer breaks complex theological and scientific thoughts down in a way that’s easy for anyone to explore.
• It’s Not What You Think: Why Christianity Is About So Much More Than Going to Heaven When You Die by Jefferson Bethke. If you’d like to add some low-key theology to your book club, Jefferson Bethke brings it in this short, conversational book that covers Old Testament theology and New Testament beliefs, among other topics.

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis. The entire Narnia series would be a fun fiction read for older adults — even if you’ve already read these books. But The Last Battle is especially fun to discuss, as it’s full of theological ponderings cleverly hidden in the story.