retirement

As I face unexpected early retirement, I tell myself that the answer is not yet known.

Several times a day I need to tell myself: I am not busy. I am not in a hurry.

For almost 40 years they have done their plodding, gracious work on me and my vocation.

Now that 60 is the new 50, creative models are emerging for ministry transitions.

Life's later decades present distinctive virtues—and vices.

If you look around at most denominational meetings, you will see that Baby Boom retirements will have a massive impact on our denominations. Boomers make the majority of those in the pews, in the pulpits, and in power. The first wave of Boomers is in the midst of retiring, so what can we expect? How will this affect us?

I can’t say for sure, but let me look into my crystal ball and tell you what I see.

I support my church's requirement that retired clergy stay away. But nobody warned me how much I would miss all this—or if they did, I wasn't listening.

After 48 years as a minister of word and sacrament, I will retire at the end of January.