‘In order to plan for a better life, we must stop and listen to the voice of God’, says Ilsen Canizares, a Christian doctor specialising in healthy ageing.

Ageism was first described in 1968 by psychologist Rob Butler, who predicted it would become nastier when resources are scarce.

According to the OECD, the median age of the population will increase from 40 years today to 45 years in 2050. “The church must awaken the mission call that the Lord gave the elderly people”, says a Christian leader.

One obvious implication is the age of retirement for ministers, elders, trustees, and others. Should leaders continue to retire at, say, 65, or as in a number of denominations, 70?