A big question for each one of us, especially for those approaching retirement, is are we doing what we should to be fit and to stay fit to serve? Building and maintaining our fitness to serve is the responsibility of every Christian throughout their life. This can be especially challenging for people as they grow older. Maintaining fitness involves ongoing diligence and effort. To minister well in retirement, we must be spiritually fit, mentally fit, physically fit, and financially fit. These are the areas that my wife, Anita, and I considered important as we approached retirement and then retired two years ago.
Spiritually Fit
To receive salvation from sin, Romans 10 teaches us that we must make a heartfelt profession that Jesus Christ is our Lord:
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
This means that we accept God as our Master, Ruler, and King of our lives. Life is no longer about us, but Him. His goals must become our goals and His focus our focus. Mathew 28:19-20 tells us that His plan and our life’s purpose is to use the gifts He has given to us to make disciples.
Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
The Great Commission is without exception or expiration date. Retirement is not an excuse to pull back from ministry, but rather should be a huge opportunity to increase our ministry service. By retirement age, many Christians will have been discipled, become spiritually mature, developed their gifts, and been active in ministry for many years. Unfortunately, many Christian retirees drop back their ministry activity rather than continue it when they stop working their secular job. Often this occurs due to a self-perception that my 89-year-old uncle pointed out to me a few years ago. He said, “Larry, it is okay to get older — that is based on the calendar. It is not okay to get old — that is a destructive mindset.” Many older Christians allow their calendar age to define them which can impact their willingness to minister.
We also know that Christians (of all ages) who do not stay completely mission focused, tend to migrate into wasting their lives on self-entertainment. This unproductive lifestyle often leads to feelings of emptiness and depression. These are common problems in both saved and unsaved older people but by continuing to be active in ministry can significantly help the mental outlook of retired Christians.
Mentally Fit
When a couple retires, many transitions occur all at once. Perhaps the greatest of these is in their marriage. Having a fantastic spouse is one of the greatest blessings in this world, but retirement causes significant changes in the marital relationship and when not managed correctly often leads to disaster.
The Bible teaches us:
Proverbs 18:22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.
Genesis 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
In retirement, this is not always the way people view marriage. I was surprised when I announced my retirement at work (one year before the COVID-19 pandemic). My best work friend asked me, “What will it be like spending all day at home with your wife?” He asked it in a way that conveyed to me that he was not thinking of the same adjectives I was (wonderful, fun, amazing).
Divorce rates among seniors are the highest of all age categories according to 2021 Census Bureau statistics. This is often because the sudden transitions disrupt the “normal relationship” that may have been in place for decades. Couples suddenly spend 30%–50% more time together after retirement. If they don’t have clear plans for this time, it can lead to conflict. Couples need a lot of communication and prayer to get both partners on the same page as to what retirement will look like to them. It absolutely helps if they are completely mission-minded. Anita and I retired from our successful engineering careers earlier than we originally planned specifically so we could devote more time to ministry, and we are loving it.
Another transition people undergo as they retire is the sudden change from a high-energy, fast-paced career, often full of accomplishment, to a much more laid-back lifestyle that lacks the accomplishment previously experienced. For me, this was a huge adjustment. One day I was managing multimillion dollar projects developing new surgical equipment, and the following day I was on permanent vacation and looking for challenges that would keep me energized.
I recommend to church leaders that as your leadership-level members retire, if they are up for it, intentionally give them high-energy, high-demand ministry opportunities to keep them challenged and engaged. This is what our church, Midtown Baptist Temple, has done for us in asking us to do many things including co-authoring the Starting Right premarital counseling book, organizing and teaching a weekend marriage retreat for MBT couples, overseeing part of remodeling our new building, as well as increased counseling, discipling, missions, and teaching opportunities. But even with all of this, there have been times that we have reminded our pastors that we are here and have more time available to help them.
Retired individuals must also stay mentally fit by maintaining the correct attitude and focus to be most effective in ministry. At the Mission Focus conference five years ago, Mark Trotter preached a message that really impacted Anita and I. He taught that as Christian leaders reach their 50s and beyond, they should focus much of their effort not on just leading but specifically on training up their replacements. Training leaders is biblical and is one of MBT’s ministry principles. Mark’s message helped us intentionally focus on not just training leaders but truly replacing ourselves.
Another area where older people need to intentionally remain fit is in the technical area. Many retirees stop learning new technology after leaving their jobs; this can limit their effectiveness at church and impact their lives as a whole. Anita and I both had tech jobs. We are used to using computers and electronic gadgets daily, but this is not true of all seniors. Many seniors just want to check out, while technology in society and in our churches continues to move forward.
Retired Christians also need to keep the right focus while serving in their churches. Romans 12:1-2 teaches us that we are to be living sacrifices for Christ. This means that we must take on the title of “servant” and be willing to do whatever our church needs to succeed in the mission. It means being flexible and willing, even in areas that may not be our specialty or be particularly glamorous. Retired individuals sometimes pigeonhole themselves into a favorite ministry and do not take opportunities to serve more broadly. I laughed one Saturday morning when this was made very clear to me. Early in the morning I taught one of the LFBI Bible Survey classes (very cool!), but right afterward I had to walk across the street and clean out the backed-up sewer in our new building (not as cool). God has given retired people enormous time, so our attitude should be to serve any way and any where needed to further God’s kingdom.
Physically Fit
Moses taught us that physical strength can help lead to a longer life.
Psalm 90:10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years…
To remain fit for the service of the Lord, older people need to intentionally maintain their physical strength. Research has proven that increased physical activity leads to sharper mental acuity, increased energy level, higher productivity, and better health overall. It takes physical strength to give good effort in ministry, and not having physical strength is a common excuse for not serving. Think about it: it takes strength and endurance to serve in children’s ministry, to clean the church, or to stand all morning for hospitality or security. It takes physical strength to hike to mountain villages with Pastor Pradeep in India or to evangelize on the streets of KC, Boston, Tampa, or Laramie. God’s mission requires that we stay strong.
But staying strong is more challenging for older people. Retired people do have the advantage of having lots of time, so with dedication, strength can be maintained. Older people need to challenge themselves physically many times per week to stay healthy. The exact type of physical activity is not as important as activity simply occurring. Workouts should usually include some strength training each week plus a lot of cardio activity.
Anita and I have no interest in slowing down until God slows us down. We hike, swim, and lift weights periodically and ride our bikes three times per week, about 35 miles per ride. That sounds like a lot, but on average it only adds up to about 1 hour of activity per day. This keeps us fit for the Lord and able to keep up physically with all the younger, super energetic ministers at MBT. We jokingly tell each other that we self-identify as 30 year olds!
Financially Fit
Almost everyone dreams of a comfortable retirement, but unfortunately, most people spend more time planning their annual vacation than they do on planning for their retirement. This leads to financial shortfalls when they get to retirement age. It is often shocking for people to hear that they need to typically work 40 years (ages 25-65) to support their family, plus during that same time, they must also save enough money for an additional 30 years of retirement (ages 65-95). God says:
Proverbs 21:20 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.
This means that saving and careful investing is required. Social Security in the U.S. only covers about half of the living expenses of the average retired couple. Many couples do not adequately prepare to fill in this shortfall, so this forces them to either work more years than desired or live on noticeably less money than they were accustomed to. Also — and many miss this — spending is often higher than expected in the early years of retirement, as people want to be active and go on more missions trips, visit grandchildren, and take vacations. Saving and careful financial planning must start very early in order to flourish in retirement.
Overall, to remain effective ministers in retirement, each individual needs to remain spiritually fit, mentally fit, physically fit, financially fit. This takes intentional focus and effort, but doing so allows us to remain very fruitful ministers for our whole lives.
Larry Smith is a teaching elder at Midtown Baptist Temple in Kansas City, MO and one of the teachers for LFBI’s Bible Survey courses.
