By Ward Tanneberg

The late Jim Henson found his own unique way of making known his philosophy of life. Using the voice of an imaginary frog named Kermit, the words of his classic one-liner say, “It’s not easy being green.” But the line is not about being the color green. It is about knowing who you are. He shares his message clearly. People are good. We all want to be the best we can be. Regardless of how different we are from anybody else, we should learn to love who we are and be proud of it. Not a bad philosophy actually.

Someone else has said, “You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a prince.” Well, there is that, too.

A good deal of truth in both aphorisms for pastors and other leaders in 50+ ministry.

For example, while adults entering into the so-called second half of life will be healthier and have more time to offer as volunteers, some predict it will not be for the church. The boomer generation is the generation raised with the mentality if you want something done, pay someone else to do it so you can do what you want to do. If lived out in life’s second half, this philosophy will put a further financial strain on churches and pastors already strapped for time and finances.

Thom S. Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, in the article, Five Implications for Churches as the Boomers Retire, states that “retiring boomers will kill traditional church senior adult ministries.”*

I think he’s right.

As if echoing this depressing note, more than a few boomer pastor in their fifties are saying, “The churches do not want me because I am too ‘old’. Too old? In your fifties? A few years ago, we entered into a dialogue with Dallas Theological Seminary on this very problem increasingly being voiced by DTS alumni.There is a strong trend today for younger pastors seeking ministry in larger urban centers. So, what does the smaller, rural church do for pastoral leadership? I personally treasure the experience given while pastoring in a small western Washington state logging community in my fledgling years of ministry.

I grew up in high desert farming and ranching country, where a tree was a ‘main event’. And my young wife was a ‘city girl’ from Tulsa. Serving a community made up primarily of loggers and truck drivers and mill workers was a one-eighty culture change for us. It wasn’t easy ‘being green’. However, five years there provided opportunities for the honing of life skills and understanding we might never have received anywhere else.

But times have changed as decades of ministry in the USA and Canada have come and gone. Now many smaller churches are closing their doors, making necessary longer commutes for their parishioners to nearby urban/suburban areas. Young seminarians are often attracted to centers of population. Might another trend worth considering be that some older boomer pastors will be coming out of retirement in order to minister in these under-served areas of God’s kingdom? I can imagine some small village churches flourishing with such a happening in Christ’s Kingdom.

What do you think? I know it’s not easy being green, but isn’t it better than croaking the “nobody loves me” song while floating on life’s lilly pad through what could be one’s best years of Christian service?

Let’s hear from some of you out there. Blessings.

 

*For entire article, see May 21, 2014 Christian Post 5 Implications for Churches as the Boomers Retire