Mike Glenn on Retirement
By Mike Glenn
When I announced that I would be stepping down from my role as Senior Pastor of Brentwood Baptist Church, the question people asked me the most often was, "When did you decide to retire?"
My honest answer? About 45 years ago.
I've talked to a lot of pastors who have told me that they could never see themselves retiring. I get it. I love what I do, but nothing lasts forever -- including being the pastor of a great church. For one thing, churches change. Churches are living and breathing organisms. They grow up. The mature. They change, and sometimes what the church becomes doesn't match who the pastor is. During my time at Brentwood Baptist, I've led four or five congregations at the same address. Today, I'm looking ahead at what will become the sixth manifestation of this congregation and it's going to be much different than the congregation that is there now. For one thing, the church will be younger. The church will be leaner. We'll offer less programming, but what we do offer will be deeper. For instance, instead of a typical Sunday School class, the church will offer group experiences with seminary-level theology and philosophy instruction. Our members will demand it in order to be better able to defend their faith in their communities.
A transformation like this usually takes three to five years to complete. Knowing this, I didn't feel like I could make that kind of commitment to my church as I prepare to turn 67.
Second, at my age, I have different priorities. I have four grandchildren and Rowen, my special needs granddaughter, needs lots of attention from her grandfather. I love being the pastor of a church, but I no longer want to spend the kind of hours that are required to do the job well. I'm not complaining. Not at all. I just want to do different things with my time. That makes it a good time to step back.
Third, my ministry is changing. Being the pastor of a church means that I have to wear a lot of different hats. One of the reasons I love the local church is that I get to do a lot of different things. On any given day, I will meet with the financial team, plan worship services, and visit the hospital. On other days, I will meet with a local pastor about something they're dealing with in their church and then coach our own pastoral team. I love this last part. Working with pastors is the best part of what I do. I want to do more of it. In fact, it's all I want to do. So, later this year, I will be starting the Engage Church Network. The purpose of the network is to work with local pastors, plant churches, and work with churches in transition. This will allow me a little more control over my time and still give me something to do that will make a difference in the greater Middle Tennessee area.
Some of my friends say I need to think bigger. They say I should be thinking about a national reach for the network. Nope. I want to keep it to Middle Tennessee. For one thing, I don't want to spend any more time than I have to in airports and on airplanes. Second, when my family needs me, I want to be able to get in the car and get to them. This is what I believe is important for me right now. You don't have to agree. No one does. It's my life. It's my future and I'm good with it.
So, is the church ready for this transition? Yes, they are. We've just started our ninth campus and it will be almost a year before we start another one. This will give the new pastor time to get his spurs on. We have no debt and a very positive giving pattern. The new pastor will be under no pressure to make any draconian moves. The church knows who it is and is steadily moving toward a common vision. The church is in a good place.
Do I grieve this change? Every day. Every day, it seems, I do something for the last time. I've done my last Easter service as pastor. I've done my last Christmas Eve service. I will miss these moments and so many more.
But I've done my job. It's time to move on. It's time for a new pastor and new dreams.
And it's time for me to get busy doing what God has called me to do now. Nothing last forever. Not churches. Not pastors. Only Christ and His kingdom survive and I'm grateful for my little part of it.
What a healthy and full perspective, Mike! Thanks so much for sharing this.
I wasn't quite able to articulate my own transition out of pastoral ministry 8 years ago (at 49 y/o) and into my new role of serving as a counselor to pastors in my denomination. But I knew it had to do something with encouraging pastors to prepare for transition, and even to prepare for "retirement".
I am regularly asking pastors in their 40's what their thoughts are about "retirement", and encouraging them to think this way!
A therapist of mine once told me as I was recovering from burnout, "Paul, I can always tell the health of your soul by how freely you're able to talk about doing something other than pastoring!" It slapped me in the face! But I learned that the less tied my identity is to what I do, the more free and more deeply connected I am to what God has called me to do. Kind of a paradoxical, counter-intuitive concept, but so true and real!
The old line about mature oaks needing to "move" in order for the younger oaks themselves to grow is definitely true—and a mixed experience. It's why I purposed to resign from an elder board at church when I turned 65; it ended up being 68, but still. . . . :-) And this is not to say that older people don't have much yet to give; they do. But it need not be in an official position of leadership.