With the holidays behind us some pastors will begin to think about moving to other churches. Those with children is school often want to make that move during the summer months so their children can start the new school year out in their new school, so they will begin looking late winter and early spring. Because of the holidays many pastor search teams slowed down or even halted their search until the new year began. That means they are now ready to resume their search.
As a judicatory minister I worked with many search teams over the years. In my first meeting with them I always asked what they wanted in their next pastor. I usually knew the answer because it was pretty much the same regardless of the church. They wanted a pastor who could preach well, would visit the congregation, be involved in the community and grow the church or youth group. That may not have been what the church needed, but it was what most of them wanted. It was also often said, or at least implied, that they would like a younger pastor (with a spouse and children of course) who could bring in new ideas. I KNEW most of them did not want any new ideas being brought into the church. Often, that was why their previous pastor was no longer there, but it was the politically correct thing to say to the denominational representative.
A few times I asked the search team if they believed that younger pastors were the only ones who might have some fresh ideas for ministry. They often seemed confused by the question especially when I told them that some of the sharpest pastors I knew were older ones who had been in the ministry for years. They had been there and done that. Yes, some of them were trapped in the mindset they had been taught in seminary in the 1960s, but some of the younger ones had been taught by the same seminaries and held to that same mindset. At least some of the older ones had been around long enough to know that some things they had been taught no longer worked.
Churches do themselves a disservice when they automatically reject a minister because he or she is older or has even retired. I know some older pastors who retired to get away from the stress of being in a dysfunctional church and couldn't find another place to serve. As one told me, his doctor said he could either retire or die from the stress his church was causing him. After he retired I was able to help him find a smaller church that he served very well as their pastor.
Smaller churches especially need to consider calling older pastors. As many of them are finding out, the pool of candidates is not a large one for them. If they are insistent on finding a young pastor whose wife can play the piano they are likely to be without a pastor for a long time.
Several years ago I was having lunch with one of my pastors when he asked me to guess how old he was. I made my guess and was stunned to learn that he was almost 20 years older than I had thought. He had more energy than some pastors I knew half his age. His mind and wit was keen and his passion for ministry was obvious. He loved his church and served them faithfully for many years after our lunch. I always enjoyed the times we met to talk about ministry
As your church looks at potential candidates do not automatically discard those who you think might be too old. When you meet with them you might be surprised to find they are exactly what your church needs for its next phase of ministry.
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