It was a church I knew well, and I believed the person I wanted to recommend as pastor would be a good fit for the congregation. Yet I hesitated to write the recommendation letter and forward the resumé. It was not the ability of the candidate that caused my hesitancy. He is a good and godly servant of the Lord. He has led several churches effectively during his ministry career. He has been active in his local Baptist associations. His resumé is impressive, and I knew he would be open to a new place of ministry.
My hesitancy came because of his age. He was a few years beyond those “golden years of opportunity” for ministers of the gospel, which are 35–50. That is the age range the vast majority of churches specify when looking for a pastor. Not even the aging of the baby boomer generation has caused the desired age span for pastors to expand.
The golden years of opportunity are not new. For decades churches have specified they wanted their new pastors to be between 35 and 50 years of age. Among pastors, it is an axiom that by age 53, you had better be where you want to end your ministry, because the chances of moving after that are slim.
I called the chairman of the pastor search committee and told him about the person I wanted to recommend. When I told him the age, the chairman responded that was above what the committee had initially anticipated but that the committee was rethinking its guidelines.
It seems that the interim pastor at the church was also beyond the golden years of opportunity. Yet he was doing a great job relating to everyone in the congregation. He was well liked by young and old alike.
The committee reasoned that if the interim could relate to people much younger than himself, perhaps an older full-time pastor could as well.
That search committee had come to an insightful conclusion. It is not the age of a pastor that counts as much as it is the abilities of the pastor. Some older men do a masterful job of leading a church, of preaching the gospel, of relating to members of all ages.
At the same time, some who have not reached the threshold of the golden years may be wise beyond their chronological ages and able to do wonderful jobs as pastors.
One First Baptist Church in a college town called a 27-year-old as senior pastor. His early years there were his best in ministry.
Age is a faulty filter in determining who can or cannot lead a church. It is far better to look at the man’s abilities, his sensitivity, his compassion, his people skills. Especially with men of experience, it is important to look at their record and see what it says about their ability to lead and to relate. Celebrating a few more birthdays does not negate these ministry gifts.
Sometimes a church concludes that by calling a younger man as pastor, the church can attract younger members. That does not mean that calling a more mature man means younger people will not join the church.
People are attracted to churches where there is life-changing worship, where there is effective ministry, where members love one another and are open to new people. A younger minister may lead a church to achieve these goals. A more mature pastor may do the same.
Certainly, if there is dissension in the church or if members do not care for one another, few if any new members will be added no matter the pastor’s age. That is why churches do well to make sure the new pastor can relate to and care for the current membership as a starting point.
The pastor search committee chairman with whom I talked said he would like to have the resumé and recommendation. He promised to share it with the committee and said it would be seriously considered. Whether the church will call this man only God knows, but that is the case in every situation.
A few days later a letter from a friend lamented that “having reached the wonderful age of 59, it has become very difficult to be considered” by a church. I knew he was right, but I also knew that some churches are realizing that the age of the pastor may not be the most important item on the list of qualifications for the new pastor.
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