A little encouragement for the more senior pastor who’s been doing it right for years …

Nearly all of the attention and encouragement given to pastors in conferences, podcasts, books, videos, or otherwise, is pointed to a stereotype of a younger pastor who is out there trying to change the world.

A person who is often overlooked is that more senior of pastors who has been out there ministering with excellence for at least a couple decades. The kind of pastor I’m talking about is the last guy described here in an insightful little story told by Jonathan Alexander which I shared recently, but this tidbit bears repeating here …

I remember having lunch with John for the first time. John was on our elder leadership team, and I had just arrived as the new Pastor of Community Life. So John and I are at lunch having some light conversation, and he says this to me: “You won’t be really effective until you’re in your 40s.” Mind you, I had just turned 30. And when I left my 20s behind I remember thinking, “Finally, I’m 30 years old … now people will take me seriously.” And here I have John telling me I have 10 more years before I can even be effective.

I’ll confess, I wasn’t too pleased in the moment. But instead of getting up and walking out (and stiffing him with the bill), I listened to what he had to say. He began to explain, “When you’re in your 20s, you’re trying to figure out who you are, what your gifts are, and what you’re good at. Then when you hit your 30s, you know 4-5 things that you’re good at and you hone in on them. And then finally, when you hit your 40s you know the 1 or 2 things that you are great at and you maximize those through your 40s and 50s. Then in your mid to late 50s, in your 60s and beyond, you’re figuring out how to pass those things on to the next generation.”

It’s these guys who have been ministering for so many years they have refined their ministry and they have been pouring into younger leaders for years. They have led their congregations with humility and excellence, and have made a real impact for the kingdom of God. These are the guys who have written the books all the other ministers read to learn from, and whose examples they reference. It’s these more senior leaders I’d like to take notice of and offer some encouragement with a pinch of challenge.

Even though these are the guys who have been blazing the trails, setting the examples, and providing encouragement for all the rest of us, they can use some of their own encouragement. Today’s church in Western culture is ageist, it worships young pastors who preach in skinny jeans and fitted shirts and are members of the same gym you are. Often overlooked are the men who have spent decades in their study and on their knees so they could competently lead all the rest of us. As churches search for “young ministers with young families” who can “attract” young families from the communities, these more senior of pastors can be overlooked and vastly under-valued. Here’s a few words of encouragement for them:

You’re not even close to being done, you’re just hitting your stride!
Now that you’re arriving at a place in your relationship with Jesus that you’re more mature in your faith than most everyone you lead and minister with, it’s not time to back off! Now is the time to bless your congregation, community, and the greater church with the wisdom you’ve gained through a longer, sustained journey of faith. While you encourage and support younger ministers coming up in the church, they’re still trying to figure out life (marriage, parenting, what servant leadership is) and they’re still coming to you for advice because you’ve “been there, done that,” there’s little they’ll experience you haven’t already been through. Reaching this level of maturity doesn’t mean it’s time to step aside, it means it’s time to step up even more! Unleash all that God has been teaching you for the benefit of everyone you serve, and let the church benefit from years of consistent excellence.

It’s time to raise the bar, not pass the baton. Growing wiser in the faith is an opportunity to grow deeper in Jesus. You know from decades of experience that everything you’ve accomplished really was achieved through Christ, and all for His glory. So use that depth you’ve gained to go deeper with Jesus, and then do what you’ve done for all these many years — pass on to everyone else an even deeper experience with the Lord.

Set new goals and blaze new trails. You’ve never been more educated and equipped for ministry than you are now! You’re more capable of peak performance today than you have ever been in your life, so set some new, challenging goals and go blaze some new trails for the kingdom of God! That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to leave where you’re at, but it might. Look at the lives of several characters in the Bible (like Moses) and you’ll see they were most fruitful, and began their greatest adventures in life only after they were more seasoned, more experienced, more prepared … yes, older! Dreaming dreams, setting goals, and pursuing new adventures isn’t just for the young, it’s for the faithful, and that is you!

Do what you’ve always been afraid to do. Chances are, there was something great for God you always wanted to do but felt unequipped, inexperienced, and unsupported to actually do it. Now that you’ve gained some wisdom and experience, you’ve likely gained some courage — now may be the time to do what you thought God always wanted you to do but you were too afraid to do. You’re finally ready!

Stay humble and keep learning. Humility is not the strong suit of the young; many younger ministers have had to learn humility the hard way, as well as the essential need to keep learning and practicing the Christian spiritual disciplines every day of our lives. While you’ve finally come to a real place of “senior leadership,” that doesn’t mean you “have arrived” — there is no such thing as a Christian! We’re never done learning, growing, and doing that with all humility until we’re finally like Jesus, then we will have “arrived.” It’s important to remind senior leaders of this because with wisdom and accomplishment can, ironically, come pride. The wisdom you’ve gained over many years of walking with God is a gift from Him, not any grand accomplishment on your part; it’s important to remember that as you set new goals and blaze new trails with your deeper insight.

One final thing, fall deeper in love with Jesus. At the heart of church leadership is helping people fall in love with Jesus. You’ve been passionate about this because teaching and modeling this has come from your own sincere love for our Lord. But we can never love Him “deep enough.” Now that you understand this better than ever, it’s a great time to pursue Jesus more fully, more deeply, even more passionately.

The church really doesn’t understand the great gift it has in the senior leaders who have been faithful for decades, but know that not only have you made a real difference for the kingdom of God, there’s still much more for you to do. So go do it, for the glory of God … and have some fun along the way!

Scotty