Today I turned 50. When I was growing up I thought 50 was old, but now I am discovering that’s not so much so. I feel young and youthful on most days though my hair is becoming salted with more and more gray.
By most accounts 50 is middle-aged. Since my AARP card arrived earlier this week, I am sorting out what being middle-aged means. I sat down to begin a column entitled, “Confessions of a Middle-aged Minister” and it is not yet complete. But at the beginning is a list of things that I perceive I probably need to say out loud:
· I have been tremendously blessed. The experiences of my first 50 years have exceeded all my childhood dreams and expectations. I am grateful for opportunities to get a good education, develop friendships and to serve wonderful churches.
· I have been given health sufficient to live out my calling and passion. In my first 50 years I‘ve had chicken pox, a half dozen viruses, one knee surgery and only recently developed a little evaluated blood pressure. Not bad for half a century. I am determined to take the necessary steps to maintain good health for as long as possible.
· I married well. This year Amanda and I celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary (when I turn 100 we will celebrate our 75th anniversary, I am already making plans, since I am closer to 100 than she is, as she constantly reminds me.) Amanda has not only been my best friend and soul mate she has been a patient and appreciated pastor’s wife. She has supported my calling while living out her own. That is a blessing!
· I still love my calling. I sensed God calling me into ministry at the age of 16 and my pastor provided me with opportunities for an early start. My mistakes have been many but the majority of people around me have always been forgiving and encouraging. I am indebted to many mentors, especially the veteran pastors who shared with me wisdom gleaned from the teaching of scripture and the School of Hard Knocks.
· I have been blessed to serve servant-oriented congregations. Here is the secret to my success: the churches I have served have only been as effective as the individual Christians within the congregation. The effectiveness of a church is determined more by the faithfulness of its members than by the leadership of its pastor. To me that’s the key to Acts 6:1-7. Just as God has called me to be a pastor to equip and encourage, God has called the majority of us to be servants who daily do the real work of ministry. As I turn 50 I am more aware than ever that I play a small role in the kingdom, but it is a role that I treasure and embrace.
People have different ideas of what it means to be a pastor. For some the pastor is….
- The guy who holds the church together.
- The boss of the church.
- The holiest man in the church.
- The ultimate spiritual authority
- A religious expert
I reject all of the above. A pastor is an ordinary Christian who is called to use his gifts for encouraging and equipping the saints for ministry. He is not the caretaker of your spiritual life. You are. He is not your ultimate spiritual authority. Jesus is. He is not your primary motivator. The Holy Spirit is.
Like a good traffic cop, your pastor points you in the direction you should be going. Like a good doctor, your pastor advises you on your spiritual health. Like a good coach, your pastor calls the plays that will best utilize talent and giftedness of the congregation as a whole. But you can choose to go a different direction. You can choose to neglect your spiritual health. And you can choose to run a different play than the one that is called, to sit on the sidelines, or to second guess the coach. But in an effective church, faithful workers take the responsibility for the ministry.
Eugene Peterson, in his book Under the Unpredictable Plant, says a pastor is primarily called to be a “soul friend,” who points others toward God and what God wants to do in their life. Then, it’s up to them to sort out God’s will and to follow God’s direction.
As we seize the opportunities and confront the challenges that come our way at
I count it a privilege to serve as your pastor and I look forward to seeing you when we gather for Bible study and worship this Sunday.
