A number of years ago I was told that I should be in the ministry I wanted by the time I reached 55 because it would be very hard to move to another church once I reached that age. After working with church search committees for the past eight years I understand how true that is. Very few churches will consider a person over the age of 55. In fact, some go so far as to advertise they are looking for a pastor between the ages of 35-55. You can often find that criteria listed on some of the popular ministry search web sites.
Do churches really believe that ministers cannot function past the age of 55? I'm sure some churches would argue they do not want a pastor older than that because he or she might retire when they turn 62. That would still give them seven years which is longer than the average pastoral tenure anyway.
Other churches argue they are looking for a pastor with fresh ideas, but that argument doesn't really fly either. I know a lot of pastors older than 55 with a fresher understanding of ministry than many recent seminary graduates. In case you don't know it, most seminaries do not teach cutting edge ministry styles! Many of their graduates may come out of school able to parse Greek verbs, but they don't have a clue how to do ministry in the real world. It takes time and experience to learn those things, and about the time a minister has sufficient experience to minister in the real world churches no longer are interested in what he or she has to offer. Besides, many churches really are not looking for a minister with innovative ideas anyway, and if one was suggested it would likely be voted down by the congregation.
I know a minister in his mid-70's who was recently called by a church to be their pastor. He is providing them excellent leadership based upon a wealth of knowledge and experience, and he is challenging them in ways they have not been challenged for years by much younger pastors.
If you are part of a church search committee I would encourage you to look beyond the birth date on the resumes you receive. You may find that some of your best candidates have a little maturity, and that is not a bad thing for a minister.
2 comments:
Age and Ministry:
How well said! Age shows more likelihood of experience!
Employers, perhaps in churches too, want someone with experience so they don't hire the very young, and they want long tenure so they don't hire the older folks - that leaves the 30 to 55 yr olds to do it all!
THere is much to be gained from a pastor who has "seen it all" and can minister from a position of experience...Youth CAN exist in Old Age!
Sharon Connor
Mew Brunswick Canada
(I attended your workshop at Nackawic Baptist)
Thanks, Sharon for your comments and for attending the workshop. I had a great time leading the workshops in Canada, and it looks like I'll be back next year to lead another series of workshops.
I like your comment "Youth can exist in old age." In fact, some of the youngest pastors I know have a few birthdays behind them. Yet, the've never lost their passion for the ministry, and they are often the first to seek new ways of introducing people to the Kingdom of God.
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