Former Pastors Remaining Active at Church They Pastored

Sometimes the former pastor's presence can intimidate the new pastor, so he must be very careful about how he behaves in the church. He can unwittingly direct members away from the new pastor.

I am very careful in Bible classes and in church services that I keep as low a profile as possible.

Cheers,

Jim

 

Who cares what that liberal organization says on the subject?

 

Salty, Why would you say NO right off the bat? Wouldn't it depend on the man's personality and not just the fact he was a former pastor?

I sit in the back row with wife, only speak when spoken to and never involve myself in church affairs. The pastor is a young man in his first church. When I speak with him it is only in a social sense.........Maybe I know that I could be intimidating if I wanted to be.

Cheers,

Jim

 

A friend of mine's dad stayed at the church he pastored and retired at. He was a huge help and blessing to everyone. He introduced the new pastor to the congregation and blessed him in front of the congregation. The current pastor will tell you today as he has in the past that he gives the former pastor a lot of credit for his success. A few years ago the former pastored died and his wife and children and grandkids are heavily involved in the church. One of the children helped a former staff member plant a new church in a neighboring town that the church decided to plant. So it can work well if done right.

In the second church I pastored was a retired pastor who helped me a lot and gave me a lot of encouragement. Those men can be a great resource instead of putting them "on the shelf".

Some pastors have pastored in a small town and have a business there, what are they to do? Shut down their business and go somewhere else to another town or stay in town and go to a pentecostal church? What kind of example is that? Some churches need the old pastor to stay so the "bulldogs" don't give the new pastor trouble.

 

First of all retirement is not necessarily a Biblical imperative. If one decides to do that it is fine but he should either work with the new pastor or leave.

I was interim for a year with the retired pastor present. He had started the church and nurtured it for years. He and his wife had build their home in the small town with their own hands/finances. No real reason to leave.

He was a gracious man, never said boo to me nor the deacons about their direction - simply blended into the membership.

If a man is going to be a splinter then leaving should be expected, but if he is going to remain an asset to the church why leave - his gifts didn't retire :laugh:

 

In some situations, I could see where it would be problematic from a leadership standpoint.

Some ministers are better than others at remaining "in the background." Some just have to be in charge--and those are the ones that I think tend to have issues surrounding them.

But, having said all that...we come back to that good ol' "Local Church Autonomy" issue. God bless it....

 

There is nothing in the Bible that says retired or former pastors should stay at the same church that they pastored.

I was begged by a church to remain at the church I was about to leave. "Stay on to teach a SS Class" they said. "And, that way, if our new pastor can't be there to preach or visit......." You get the idea.

I have seen many times where a retired pastor has stayed at the church (Most accept that it's wise counsel not to do this). Without exception, it's blown up every single time and the old pastor has had to leave and the new pastor in many of those circumstances is the fall guy, whether true or not.

In my humble opinion, no pastor worth his salt would ask to do this. If God is moving you away from a church, move on. If he isn't, stay as pastor. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

 

If the church realizes that the former pastor is no longer the pastor, and he doesn't continue "pastoring" people in the church, it might be fine. But, if his name is no longer on the sign, but he is still considered to be the pastor or considers himself to be the pastor, that won't work.

 

Right on the money! It does depend on the pastor. I asked a former, much loved pastor to return to preach for an anniversary. He preached well, but at the end of the service he asked to say a "few words". He then proceeded to tell everyone that he was thinking about coming back from retirement and hoped that one day he could live back in our area. People started looking at me because my mouth dropped open... I was trying to think of something gracious - not one of my strong points - and said, "You will be welcomed back in our area. I would love to be your pastor for the next 20 years here at FBC, Osprey. I am sure you'll be a great church member." He never came back again.

But I have a retired missionary who is one of the most capable preachers, soul winner and leader I have ever known. He spoke to me when he started visiting and asked if I would "ok" with him worshipping us. He was in every service for the next 5 years and never would preach even though i asked him regularly. Finally after 5 years he would speak up in Bible study. Now he preaches for me regularly. He is an absolute joy to pastor.

So it depends on the person.

 

Read "To Great a Temptation" by Joel Gregory

 

Does God want the retired pastor to remain in the church? That should be what matters, not potential insecurities. Of course the retired pastor needs to understand the definition of "retired". I don't see anywhere in Scripture where a pastor is encouraged or told to retire, I always thought it was a life long calling....as long as you can do it you should, not 65 and done.

 

I've had this. This is apples to oranges. If he's never been the pastor or looked at in the pastoral role, there's no role confusion on anyone's part.

Interestingly, this morning an interim pastor told me of a recent experience. He decided to remain at a church he'd served as interim because he took the interim right after retiring from another local church and knew he couldn't go back to that church. After six months, he left the church he served as interim because people still looked at him as the pastor and it undermined the ministry of the new pastor. And that's what we're talking about. Why would anyone want to do something that would undermine the ministry of God's appointed Shepherd? They can couch it in whatever language they want. It's not to God's glory or the church's good to undermine the fellowship and unity of the people, nor the role and function of the pastor.

 

It seems that we're placing the entire burden on the retired pastor, when sometimes it's the congregation's fault. The members can sometimes be the ones who won't accept the former pastor's role. Then it's up to him to take the initiative to make sure that the members understand that he's not their pastor any more.

Some here have already discovered the solution. The retired pastor publicly embraces the new pastor, compliments to him, defers to him, and sits on the back row.