When I heard the call of God to enter Ministry as a teenager, He asked me to go to a specific Bible School I had never heard of or knew anything about. I immediately enrolled. Looking back over my years of continuous education, I learned much, and continue to learn. Still, the one thing that stands out above all else was how to study the Bible using the rules of Hermeneutics and the fundamental principles of Christianity. At the time I entered Ministry, there were no classes available on how to start/run/operate a church, build and lead a team of people, or to be a great husband and father, so I had a lot of on-the-job training via trial(s) and mostly errors once I entered Ministry.
Two years before God brought the person I would marry into my life, I remember, as if it were yesterday, hearing His voice in my spirit say, "Your ministry is your wife and daughter, and everything else is just work!" Needless to say, that shook me up a bit. What really sealed the deal was when I got married a couple of years later and our first and only child, a girl, was born less than two years after that! I rebelled against His command for a few years afterward until a series of cataclysmic events brought me to my knees in surrender to His plan.
Decades later, after giving my heart to Jesus and falling in love with Him, my church 'work' is now in the rearview mirror as I have reached the age when churches don't feel they need you any longer as paid staff. That has been emotionally hard on me because when I fell in love with Jesus, I also fell in love with His Bride - the Church universal. I DON'T want to stop working in Ministry! Being at an age where church leaders see little to no intrinsic value has been heartbreaking, yet Moses didn't even start his 'ministry' until he was 80 years old!
As an ex-Executive Pastor with 45 years of both business and ministry experience, I thought the wisdom gained over decades would be welcomed with open arms in a new church. Instead, everything I tried to do was resisted. After completing the tasks (including a successful Capital Campaign) I was directed to do, I was given the right boot of Christian fellowship, put out to pasture, and 'transitioned' (church speak for 'fired') to find new opportunities. Could it be because I was seen as an intimidating threat to the younger and inexperienced leadership when I would at times gently question the way/how families in crisis were dealt with, their ever changing plans and methodology for implementing vision and ministry, or was I seen as too old to reach younger families - or was it simply because I just ticked off the young whippersnappers, which sealed my fate?
We have churches with youth becoming youth ministers because it is the 'stepping stone' to 'higher' leadership positions, so they must 'do the time' and pay their dues starting at the bottom and working their way up. Youth are the most vulnerable to the attack of the enemy and need the wisdom and experience of older Christians but are too often led by those still wet behind the ears themselves, fresh out of Bible school with heads full of mush. As a side bar, I have never understood why Junior and Senior High School kids are most often segregated from the primary life, worship, and teaching services of the church and meet separately from their families.
These decisions are often made by the Elders / Presbyters / Deacons / Bishops / Shepherds / Overseers, etc., with significant weight put on the input and recommendations from the Lead Pastor. [Please note that 'church boards' aren't on the list because they don't exist in the Bible, and nothing can be found to support them].
In this message, I will briefly address the position of Pastor and the role of Elders and Senior Citizens in church ministry.
THE POSITION OF PASTOR
My mission statement is "helping prepare the Bride to meet the Groom," and my focus has been on Discipleship training and Evangelism throughout my life. As a teenager, a 74-year-old Saint named Doris took me under her wing and discipled me. She taught me more about God's merciful goodness and love than all my years of formal education.
The Forgotten Role of Pastor
"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour." (Matthew 25:1-13 ESV)
The Greek word for "virgins" is 'parthenos,' meaning a female beyond puberty and unmarried. It has also been translated as 'bridesmaid' because there are two Hebrew words ('amah' and 'shiphchah') that covey the idea of service, handmaid, attendant, maid, or handmaiden in a wedding (See Genesis 16:2, 29:24-29, 30:3,7-18; Exodus 2:5; 21:20,26; Leviticus 25:6; Ezra 2:65; Job 19:15; Nahum 2:7; Isaiah 24:2; Psalm 123:2; Ecclesiastes 2:7).
There was a custom among the Jews to have a loyal friend and personal companion (best man) to help the Groom, called the "friend of the Bridegroom" (Heb: 'shoshbin'). The Bride had companions called bridesmaids who were unmarried virgins to help her prepare for the Groom (see Judges 14:20). Being one of the bridesmaids was a great honor. John the Baptist was called "a friend of the Bridegroom" because he prepared the way for the Messiah [Jesus] (John 3:29-30).
Before the Wedding, the Bride would be helped by the Bridesmaids staying with her to get bathed, purified, perfumed, richly clothed, adorned with many jewels, and covered with a veil as she waited for the Groom. When the Groom appeared with his friends, the Bridesmaids would leave the Bride and go out to meet him with torches.
In the Old Testament, God pictures Himself as the "husband" of Israel (Isaiah 54:4-6 ESV; 62:4-5; Hosea 2:19). In the New Testament, Jesus is shown as the Groom of the Church (John 3:27–30; Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:19–20). The universal Church comprises men and women and is described in Scripture as the Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25–32). However, it is interesting to note that a typical bridesmaid helps prepare the Bride to meet the Groom and infers the Parable could be about those in Pastoral Ministry with the warnings also applying to them. Hence, the sobering reality is they are responsible for helping prepare the Church (Bride) when Jesus returns at an unknown hour.
The soon return of Jesus is a powerful motivator to personal holiness and diligence, which each generation finds in the possibility of His return at any time. The Church has known for 2,000+ years that Jesus is coming again. Jesus never told us when the day of His return would be. The only sure way to be ready on that day is to be prepared every day (Luke 12:10; 21:34-36; 1 Thessalonians 5:6; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 3:3).
The Mistress of Ministry
I love the Bride of Christ because I am in love with Jesus. However, my love for the Church isn't even remotely close to my love for my wife, who is first in my life, then my child and extended family. There were times in Ministry that I had to be reminded of God's command to me. More often than not, the time it takes to do the business of Ministry is a relentless and ravenous beast. I have seen far too many Pastors allow their Ministry to take precedence over their wives as the Church became their mistress, which caused extreme emotional and psychological harm to their wife, most often resulting in a mental and or physical breakdown.
It is God's responsibility to 'build His church' and not the Pastor (Matthew 16:18). It will survive without them, but their family may not if they neglect them.
THE ROLE OF ELDERS
For brevity, I will use the word 'Elder' to encompass the numerous terms used in the Bible to describe the role of overseers in the Church.
While president of LifeWay Books, Thom Rainer shared the results of a survey he did with the deacons of his Church. He asked what they expected from him as their Pastor.
The eye-opening results were:
- Prayer at the Church: 14 hours
- Sermon preparation: 18 hours
- Outreach and Evangelism: 10 hours
- Counseling: 10 hours
- Hospital and home visits: 15 hours
- Administrative functions: 18 hours
- Community involvement: 5 hours
- Denominational involvement: 5 hours
- Church meetings: 5 hours
- Worship services/preaching: 4 hours
- Other: 10 hours
All of those hours total 114 hours a week!!! The only way that can possibly be done is to delegate tasks to other staff members, including the Elders. Nightly 'On-Call' availability should be rotated amongst the Pastoral staff and not left to the Lead Pastor. If there is no pastoral 'staff,' the Elders should rotate being "On-Call." The Elders should be utilized for pulpit ministry when the Lead Pastor is away, along with teaching and counseling.
I have seen far too many 'green' Pastors with no business or leadership experience surround themselves with "Elders" who are the same age or younger than they are and have zero ministry experience, let alone life experience, but are the 'movers and shakers,'' big' tithers, financially successful, or business owners.
The Old Testament
The word 'Elder' in the Old Testament (Heb: 'zaqen') is an elderly person who is also an authority or a person with governing and judicial rights. They were to be sought after in Hebrew families and were probably the heads of family groups. God commanded Moses to gather the Elders of Israel to give them His message, so he kept in contact and gave them delegated authority to judge in certain minor cases, and they served as local magistrates to enforce the law and bring judgment (Exodus 3:16, 18:13-27; Numbers 11:16,24; Deuteronomy 19:12; 21:1,19; 22:15; 25:7; 27:1; Leviticus 4:13; Josh 20:4). They played an essential role in both the election of, and advising, the King (1 Kings 12:1).
The New Testament
The Bible tells us that the oversight of the local Church is to be a team effort. There is no distinction between professional 'clergy' and those who are not. Every Born-Again Christian is a royal priest and is called to be a minister. The New Testament uses three different Greek words to describe the same position; "presbýtero's" (elder), "episkopos" (overseer or bishop), and "poimen" (Pastor or shepherd).
The Greek word 'presbýteros' is translated as 'Elder' in the New Testament and is used adjectivally to denote seniority. It refers to older (age) men because of their presumed superiority in knowledge and experience. But the term 'Elder' is expressive of respect and reverence in general (Matthew 15:2, 16:21, 21:23, 26:3,47,57, 27:1,3,12,20,41, 28:2; Luke 7:3,15:25; Acts 4:5,8,23, 6:12; Romans 9:1).
An 'Elder' is a person with one wife and obedient children who is appointed to hold office to direct affairs of the Church and to exercise spiritual and general oversight, but not directly over the people of the Church (Acts 14:23; 20:17; Titus 1:5,7; 1 Peter 5:1-5). As noted, the office of an 'Elder' is referred to in Scripture using the words 'Overseer' or 'Bishop' (Gk: 'episkopos'), which emphasizes what the 'Elder' does.
The Elders must exude the fruit of the Spirit as examples to the Church of faithful submission and obedience to God and how to walk in humility. They are empowered by the Holy Spirit to rule, watch over, care for, equip, admonish, and guide the Church by teaching and preaching the Word; calling out those who contradict the teaching, and visiting the sick to preserve and nurture life within the local church (Gk: 'ekklesia') community (Galatians 5.16-25; Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 12:54-56; 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12; 1 Timothy 1:3; 3:2-3,6; 6:4-5; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Titus 1:5,9; James 5:13-14).
"So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock." (1 Peter 5:1-3 ESV)
THE OTHER ELDERS - Senior Christians in Church Ministry
I think that because I was mentored as a teenager by someone 55 years older than me, and who exponentially expanded my understanding of God's forgiveness, love, and goodness, made me highly aware of the spiritual value of senior citizens.
Growing up, I had great and loving relationships with my grandparents, so I have always valued and never marginalized my elders. My experience has been that they tend to love more deeply, listen, and speak more empathetically.
Seniors in the Church often feel their 'time' has passed them by, and their lives are now nothing more than watching and waiting for the day they graduate from this world. These feelings are exasperated as newer churches focus on young families and tend to make 'senior' adults feel less valuable.
Today, Seniors (Boomers) have lived through the tumultuous Vietnam War era and took the advice of Timothy O'Leary and "turned on, tuned in, and dropped out." They are the Woodstock, clothing optional free-love generation, and their disillusionment with life, politics, and the status quo was the catalyst for the Jesus movement, where millions upon millions found the life-changing love of Jesus. Their experiences are vital to the health and ministry of the Church. They hate the term 'senior adult ministry' because they don't want to be forced into a specific identity. A thriving ministry recognizes their intrinsic value and allows them to reproduce themselves through mentoring discipleship in the lives of younger church members. Church leadership should promote and celebrate them by being focused on intergenerational ministry.
The average age of a church congregation is within ten years on either side of the lead Pastor's age. Some Church leaders believe the myth that hiring a young Lead Pastor will make their Church younger, so they hire a young person tasked with reaching younger families without impacting the current multigenerational congregation significantly.
The Bible says that "Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness (Proverbs 16:31). Younger people, including leadership, in the Church are to "submit yourselves to your elders (1 Peter 5:5 NIV). They are to "Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord (Leviticus 19:32 NIV). They are not to "rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father" (1 Timothy 5:1 NIV).
Far too many churches do not value older people in their congregation and have a culture focused on young families and children, which is good in one sense. However, the wisdom, experience, understanding, and needs of the 'older folks' are often ignored, and they are marginalized by leadership by segregating the congregation through ministry 'groups' and 'bingo night' type events for the '55 and older' crowd. Sadly, minimal resources are provided for ministry to older people. The truth is that their spiritual and emotional needs are often unfulfilled. Senior Citizens are today's Church, not yesterday's. Everyone ages, and the young wet-behind-the-ears 'know it alls' will one day (sooner than later) become an old geezer. Church leadership must recognize they are a vital and needed gift of God rather than a burden. The fact is that they are the fastest-growing population in the Church today.
Mentoring Discipleship*
I acknowledge that some senior adults will say they are too old and have done their part in the Church and society, so they want younger people to take over and get involved. However, most of them today want to be actively engaged in Ministry because their approach to aging is radically different from the preceding generations. They have no desire to spend their retirement years sitting in a rocking chair, playing Bingo, lawn bowling, pickle ball, or shuffleboard, etc. Their desire and willingness to change the world for the better is the same as when they were young. They do not want to get old and are doing everything possible to stay healthy and look young. Many want to continue working, not just for the income, but to make a difference in society and the Church.
The Bible is clear that mature Christians are not to be respected because they are 'old' but because they have an essential place in the life of the local Church. They have wisdom gained through life experience and a legacy of faith and timeless truth that can be passed on (Job 12:12; Psalm 37:25; 71:17-18; Proverbs 23:22-23; Titus 2:1-7). Through Discipleship they can teach the younger people about respect and honor, and they can reproduce themselves in the lives of younger people to encourage and strengthen their walk of faith (Leviticus 19:32; Proverbs 16:31; 20:29; 1 Timothy 5:1-2). In turn, the younger people can disciple the older people to help them understand how to navigate the changing tides of the current generation.
Senior adults today are the 'Encore' generation and are not the Church of yesterday. Until the day they graduate from this world when God calls them home, they are today's Church. As time progresses, each generation will one day become the senior adults in the Church. They are not a burden. They are a gift from God, and the Church needs them, and they need the Church, so they must be valued, respected, and loved by leadership. The best way is through Mentoring Discipleship.
Mentoring is a relational experience where one empowers another by sharing what God taught them. It is a biblical concept. The Apostle Paul thanked God for Timothy and prayed for him daily. He longed to be with him to show he knew about his life and speak into it.
Gamaliel and Barnabas were also mentors to Timothy and Titus. There were numerous other "partners in the Gospel" who were co-mentors. Paul grew from a mutual sense of responsibility with the people around him. He needed each one, and each needed him (See 2 Timothy 1:1-8).
The Bible repeatedly encourages us to follow the examples of others.
"Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you." (Philippians 3:17 NIV)
"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." (1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV)
Every Christian, including Pastors and Elders, needs to form personal friendships with those who share their commitments and values and have the willingness to be with those who will walk alongside them, speak the truth even when it hurts, and keep them honest in their relationships with God and other people, no matter what the age difference. Mentoring Discipleship is not about growing a group/ministry but strengthening and encouraging others by lifting them up and coming alongside them when life's challenges can be overwhelming.
Jesus commanded us to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation" (Mark 16:15 NIV). That is best accomplished by the Pastors, Elders, Seniors AND young people in the Church helping prepare the 'Bride to meet the Groom' by actively training and equipping the congregation and releasing them to learn by trial and error. The Church must allow everyone, young and old, to grow, function, and express their spiritual gifts. Training is more than teaching people and involves being willing to invest time in a relationship to see them succeed by trial and error.
*See SC message - "Mentoring Discipleship - How To Develop Fully Devoted Followers of Jesus"
