Written by John V. Fesko |
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
If I’m unwilling to do the work, then it’s time to retire. I see too many pastors who want the paycheck, prestige, and honor, but are in cruise-control and are phoning in their sermons and counseling sessions. These are just some of the things I presently take into consideration as I think about what things will lead me to retire.

One of the more difficult questions to answer in a pastor’s life is determining when it’s time to retire from ministry. When should a pastor retire? This is a tough question for several reasons, but mostly because it all depends on a number of circumstances. Thus, there is no one set answer for this question; it ultimately calls for wisdom. I cannot personally answer this question with a great degree of certainty because I am nowhere near ready to retire. So, I can’t speak from personal experience, but I can address the question from Scripture, from observing others who have retired, and my own motivations and desires.
First, what does Scripture have to say about retirement? The short answer is, not much. The Bible does not specify an age for retirement. But one thing the Bible constantly reminds us of is, our union with Christ should ultimately define who we are. Our activities, as I said in last week’s post, should not define who we are. Our vocations and circumstances in life might regularly change but our union with Christ does not. Find your sense of self-worth in Christ, not in what you do. This is the most important scriptural truth we must remember when we begin to think about retirement.
Second, just because you retire does not mean you are no longer able to serve in Christ’s church. I know of many ministers who retire and continue to serve the church through pulpit supply, at presbytery or classis, or even at the synodical or general assembly level. In many respects retired ministers are a great asset to the church. I know of retired ministers, for example, who have served as interim pastors for churches that do not have a minister. In such a capacity, they have been a huge encouragement to a needy congregation. But even then, just because you retire doesn’t mean that you have actively to serve.
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Written by John V. Fesko |
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
If God does truly ordain everything, even when the hairs on our heads fall to the ground (Matt. 10:30), then nothing in our lives happens by chance. God uses crooked sticks to draw straight lines, and in this case, he uses false accusations to conform you to the image of Christ. There may be occasions when you must respond swiftly and firmly when someone falsely accuses you of sin. On other occasions, however, you may have to wait on Providence to resolve the situation.

As a pastor, you hope that people in your church will love, respect, and value your service to the church. This pattern marks, I believe, of the vast majority of the people in the church. At the same time, there will be some who dislike you and your ministry to the point that they will level false accusations against you. What should you do when this happens? And how do you handle this situation in a Christ-like manner?
As you can imagine, handling false accusations calls for wisdom and patience. Far too many people look at sin in rather binary terms: if someone wrongs you the only remedy is immediate restitution. Depending on the nature of the false accusation, wisdom might call for a patient and calm response rather than immediate action, such as church discipline. On one occasion I conducted a pastoral visit with a family and they decided they were going to light into me. The couple was yelling at me at the top of their lungs and accused me and the session of running the Sunday School like a concentration camp. I don’t take kindly to being likened to a Nazi and so I immediately but politely confronted them on the sinful nature of their statements. They were free, I told them, to register their discontentment with my ministry but drew the line at such comparisons. I could have demanded an immediate apology but wanted to give the situation time. Things simmered down and I was able to leave without further incident, but I did not receive an apology. I decided to wait to see what would happen. Blessedly, the next day the couple called me to apologize for the way they treated me, and I was grateful to have things resolved.
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