By Filings on
Church & Ministry
Retirement
Pastoral Ministry

“1. Are you physically and emotionally able to continue to lead at a high level?…2. Are you still highly motivated in your place of leadership?… 3. Are you a continuous learner? 4. Are you hanging on primarily for financial reasons?…” - Thom Rainer

Discussion

Thu, 02/27/25

Probably the biggest thing that needs to be emphasized to pastors of any age, but especially older pastors, is "do you have deacons or elders who will tell you hard truths?" I've had pastors in their 70s and up that were still doing a great job, and pastors of other ages who were clearly just going through the motions, and one of the key things that enabled the "going through the motions" group was that they didn't have people who would tell them "you're just doing what you learned 50 years ago in Bible College--times have changed" or "I notice that no matter the text, you invariably go to such and such issues.".

(names withheld to protect the guilty, but those are two big hitters for pastors who really need to hand over the pulpit, IMO)

Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.