Older pastors

My Area Minister used to tell us pastors that we should be where we want to serve by the time we are 55 because it will be hard to move to another church when we get older. When I replaced him in that role I continued to tell pastors that because it is often true. Despite the problems many churches have in finding new pastors, many of them will not even consider calling an older minister to serve in that role.

While in Wal-Mart a few months ago a couple I know from one of the churches I served as Area Minister asked why I had not gone back into pastoral ministry after retiring as an AM. I jokingly responded that no one wants old ministers. The wife became very upset with my answer. She asked why churches do not tap into the experience older pastors can bring them. I couldn't answer her question and told them the 55 rule mentioned above.

In my judicatory role I worked with dozens of churches searching for pastoral leadership. They were all looking for someone young who could provide them with new ideas for ministry and who would be with them for years to come. I always tried to explain a couple of things to them. One, young pastors often enter the ministry knowing only what they were taught in seminary by professors who probably haven't changed their syllabus in years. Young pastors don't have the experience older pastors can bring to a church, and with that experience comes (usually!) wisdom. There is a lot older pastors can bring to a church that younger pastors cannot.

Please do not think I am anti-young pastors. I've met many younger pastors who are sharp and serving their churches well. I love talking to these individuals because they often have a passion for the ministry and are doing great things. I was just trying to help churches understand they should not discount a possible candidate just because of his or her birth year.

The second myth I addressed with these churches is their hope that a young pastor would be with them for many years. Depending on whose data you use, the average pastor tenure is less than four years. Actually, older pastors may stay longer just because they know their options for finding another church to serve is limited.

Is it possible that an older pastor may stay too long and become ineffective? Yes, there can come a time when an older pastor may not be able to offer needed ministry to a church. If that happens then a conversation may be necessary, but I've seen many pastors serving their churches well into their 70s who provide great ministry to those churches.

Many churches today, especially smaller and even mid-size churches, struggle to find good pastoral leadership. These churches might be wise to not automatically throw away the resumes of those older pastors who still want to serve. It might just be that God has been preparing that person his or her entire lifetime to serve your church now. It would be a shame to let that experience go to waste.