Aging Out

July 6, 2026

By Amy Wilson

“Aging Out” is a term that means many different things throughout our world. We can age out of public school, no longer able to attend despite our academic achievements. We can age out of being able to live on a college campus. We can age out of being able to join the military. We can age out of some sports activities. Typically, it is because all of these activities have an age limit that says we are now too old to do these particular activities within the limits established. One common program that involves aging out is the foster care system, commonly found in America, but also in countries such as Canada, Australia, and various European and Asian countries. The purpose of foster care is to provide a temporary environment of care until a child can be reunited with their current parent(s) or other relatives. IF it is deemed that a child is unable to reunite with their parent(s) and no other relative is alive or able to care for the child, at that point, a child should be legally placed into the adoption system. However, foster care, like all other structures in society, is messy and takes a great deal of time. Some children sadly stay within these programs until they “age out” (dependent upon a country’s definition of becoming an adult). The latest statistic in the US is that 23,000 children age out each year.

Ideally, a program would be in place with the foster agency to help these young adults find employment and housing, and develop life skills such as budgeting, cooking, planning, and time management. While some programs do have assistance in place, this does not always occur because systems, life, and people are messy. We all live in a fallen world, and even if all necessary services are offered, a young adult may be emotionally struggling and not accept the help. We know that the church is called to step into the gap, to care for the least of these. Where do we, as the church, find the resources to know where to begin? Thankfully, Christian organizations such as Christian Alliance for Orphans and Lifeline have risen to the challenge to help!

The Christian Alliance for Orphans has designed holistic life-transition programs that provide the church with training to step into the gap for these young adults. They provide information on life skills training, spiritual care and mentoring, transitional housing, career development, and support networks. They provide contact information for individuals under each of these categories to assist you and your church in getting set up well. Descriptions of programs already in place are also provided so you can choose a model that best matches you and your needs. The multitude of experienced individuals provides you with a great, trusted resource to help you get started. You can learn more about CAFO and these programs here.

Another wonderful organization focused on the needs of orphans and foster children is Lifeline. They have specific information on church foster care ministries so that the church can be best equipped to help these at-risk and in-crisis families. Lifeline also provides information and help on how churches can encourage internships via church members. Additionally, they have a program entitled Heritage Builders, which works through the local churches to serve youth who are nearing the point of aging out of the system. A 30-45-minute Zoom meeting that Lifeline offers regularly can help you and your church start the journey.

As with all statistics, it is hard to get a definitive number due to many factors. However, the latest estimates are that there are over 400,000 children in the US alone currently in the foster system and that 23,000 of these youth will age out of this program this year. What is waiting for these young adults on the other side? Will they be able to receive the support they need to become independent and productive citizens of society? More importantly, despite their pasts, will they have anyone to share the love of the One true Father who loves them unconditionally and wants the best for them? There are approximately 332,000 evangelical churches in the United States. Surely, with a 1:14 ratio, we can encourage our own church to take on at least one aging-out youth, where we all come together to meet the identified needs above to show this one that God loves them. We may never know how this one, like so many others before, may have a positive impact on our hurting world!

Amy is the Director of Education for Crisis Care Training International and has been a member of the team since 2013.