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Never again will one of Israel’s infants live just a few days or an
old man die before his time. Indeed, no one will die before the age of one hundred;
anyone who fails to reach the age of one hundred will be considered cursed.
Isaiah 65: 25 (NET)
Dear Folks:
Perhaps, like me, you’ve been thinking about age and ageism. Particularly, I’ve been thinking about elders who lead, what it means to work beyond retirement, and what it says when an elder steps away from leadership.
The Bible gives us several passages celebrating the gifts and ministries of elders. Elderly Abraham and Sarah were granted a child, Isaac. Elderly Zecharia and Elizabeth were granted a son, John the Baptist. The very old and widowed prophet Anna spoke in the temple about God and the baby Jesus. Job asks, “Is not wisdom found among the aged?
Does not long life bring understanding?” (Job 12:12 NET). The wisdom writer of the book of Proverbs tells us, “Long life is the reward of the righteous; gray hair is a glorious crown.” (Proverbs 16:31, Good News). And the writer of Deuteronomy tells us, “Moses was 120 years old when he died, but his eye was not dull nor had his vitality departed” (Dt 34:7 NET), yet Paul tells the Corinthians, “We never give up. Our bodies are gradually dying, but we ourselves are being made stronger each day.” (2 Cor 4:16 CEV).
From 1900 to 2000, life span gained some 40+ years. No longer do we retire at 65 and die a few years later. As a church pastor I regularly did funerals for 90-100+ year old parishioners. This increasing life span means we currently have 5-6 generations alive at the same time, more than any time in the past. Silents, Boomers, Gen X, and Millennials are all adults, Gen Z are in their teens and twenties, and Gen Alpha are in elementary school. As the Boomers retire, they will become the largest cohort of elders in our history. Gen X is the smallest cohort alive, dwarfed by the Millennials who make up the largest.
We don’t have a retirement age in the church, believing that all people are welcome into life in the faith, and that our elders have wisdom and a calling from God. However, in holding on to power and authority, our older generations miss what the younger ones might offer. While elders bring wisdom and are often more financially stable, younger generations bring technological savvy, fresh energy, and viewpoints shaped by post-modernist thought and globalism. The younger generations have grown up after immigration reform (1965) that removed the quota system and radically increased immigration from non-European countries. They tend toward tolerance of multi-ethnic activities, and they are often passionate about diversity and equity (or justice).
When churches need leaders and younger generations are skipping church, what does retirement from leadership look like? With Gen X, who are entering the leadership years of 40-60, as the smallest generation alive and spread pretty thin already, how do we pass the torch and traditions on? What does it mean to have a huge cohort of wise elders, and how might we honor their wisdom without getting mired in “We’ve always done it this way”?
As always, I keep all of you in my prayers, knowing that in each of our churches, these issues are present, palpable, and sometimes paralyzing. Blessings to each of you. May whatever struggle you find in this realm open your hearts to the infinite possibilities God offers us.
Peace,
Pastor Tony
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