Retirement Readiness
The genesis of this seminar is a current discussion among some PAOC credential holders. As a result of
listening to the conversation, the Executive Officers and District Superintendents are endeavoring to
proactively respond to an expressed felt need.
- Several months ago, two credential holders emailed the international office with a concern.
- One credential holder had retired about a year earlier.
Essential message: “I just did not expect retirement to affect me like this”.
- The other is about to retire in a year or so, and upon investigating retirement issues, began
to feel a bit overwhelmed and stated that he wished someone had “put the issue of
retirement on the table well before he was only a few months away from it.” Classic case of
an individual entering what is called the “Hesitation Stage” of retirement.
So, the Superintendents Committee requested some research on the subject, connected with other
fellowships to see what is currently being offered to their credential holders. Jim Poirier, your District
Superintendent and I agreed to do a pilot project at the Manitoba, NWO District Conference.
We care about credential holders and desire to stimulate some good reflection on a significant event
that will affect all of us.
History of Retirement
It may come as a surprise, but in most countries, the idea of retirement is of recent origin, being
introduced during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Previously, low life expectancy, an agrarian
based economy, and the absence of pension arrangements meant that most people continued to work
until they were physically unable to or death. Retirement, as we understand it, was unheard of until the
industrial revolution. Germany was the first country to formally introduce retirement in the 1880s… Otto
von Bismark. Retirement has been called the social “achievement” of the industrialized 20th century.
Today, most developed countries have systems to provide pensions upon retirement for those in their
post employment years, which may be sponsored by employers and/or the state. But let’s remember
that in many poorer countries (majority of the 7 billion + people on the face of the earth today), support
for the elderly is still primarily provided through the extended family.
Webster: “withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from active working life”. As though we are
commuting along Work Ave, decide (decided for us) to exit Work Ave and travel down Retirement Lane.
In some cultures, primarily western cultures, retirement with a pension is considered a right of the
worker. Hard ideological, social, cultural and political battles have been fought to establish this “right”.
In many western countries this “right” is affirmed in national constitutions.
In ecclesiastical circles, retirement used to be a “few years” of “Sabbath rest” after a lifetime of work.
Now, with medical advancement, the average lifespan in Canada is 81.6. Consequently, and depending
on when retirement is initiated, it can be 16 years to 25+ years in duration.
However, retirement consultants are stating that, “In the next twenty-five years, the word “retirement”
as we know it today will not likely be in common usage.” Barry LaValley
A result of several factors,
- Extended duration of retirement (early retirement + increased life span)
- The increased health of those now reaching retirement – many plan to remain engaged
o According to the American Association of Retired Persons, 85% of Baby Boomers are
planning to engage some type of work/employment and are actually re-defining
retirement.
- The economic downturn, the resulting pressure on pension funds to deliver the financial
security that many expect.
- Political pressure as future generations come to grips with the trinity of significant financial
costs that society will be required to bear.
Amount of $ required to sustain the pensions of baby boomers (Canada Pension Plan)
Amount of $ required to provide health care/public services to baby boomers
Amount of $ required to service the national debt created by the spending policies of
past and current leadership.
 Greece! Unrest in the Euro Zone.
 Significant speculation regarding the outcome of Occupy Wall Street,
Occupy Toronto. Various opinions….all agree that people are attempting to
“make a statement” …and it is a financial statement
I would be very interested in your feedback…
Retirement stats:
In Canada, the current population is c. 34,629,000
Age structure
0-14 years: 15.7%
15-64 years: 68.5%
65 years and over: 15.9%
(male 2,736,737, female 2,602,342)
(male 11,776,611, female 11,517,972)
(male 2,372,356, female 3,024,571)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 81.38 years
male: 78.81 years
female: 84.1 years
In 2011 the first of the Baby Boomers turn 65! Almost 1 in 3 Canadians born between 1946- 1964
Population projections show the number of Canadians of retirement age continuing to increase for
another 20 years, mostly a result of the baby boom.
In fact, according to Statistics Canada, the number of persons aged 65 years and over doubled between
1981 and 2009 and will double again by 2036!
In the PAOC
PAOC Credential Holders by Birth Year (2011)
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Retirement Age (1912-1946)
•
•
•
•
Baby Boomers
3,592 total credential holders born in span of 79 years
962 who are 65 years & older (1946) 26.8 %
615 retired 17.1 %
1,505 Baby Boomers (1946-1964) 41.9%
Preparation for Retirement: If there is one truth that has emerged from the research, success in
retirement increases in direct proportion to the amount of preparation given to retirement.
Ready or not, here I come. It is wise to be as “ready” as possible.
In response to the question, are you ready for retirement?, the initial response is often financial. The
person does a quick mental calculation of the projected pension income, possibly RRSP’s and residual
real estate equity in their home. Answer is …“ I think I will be alright”
Internet search, the vast majority of information available on retirement readiness address the financial
readiness.
While the financial aspect of retirement is important, we, as kingdom people know it is not the most
important aspect. Several retirees have more than sufficient funds, some even wealthy, but they deeply
struggle with other retirement related issues. I would suggest, and I think you would agree, there are
several more pressing dimensions to retirement that need to be explored first.
A. Spiritual Preparation:
The French Jesuit priest, philosopher and paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. "We are not human
beings having a spiritual experience, but spiritual beings having a human experience." (1 May 1881 – 10
April 1955)
- How does the human experience of retirement affect a spiritual being?
- How does a spiritual being respond to the human experience of retirement?
It has been noted that retirement is not specifically addressed in scripture, but there are numerous
passages of scripture that provide valuable guidance to us.
- Interesting, one of the most relevant passages may be the most quoted verse we heard
growing up as a children/teens/young adults in our fellowship.
Rom 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living
sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to
the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to
test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.
-
Not conforming to the pattern of this world includes not conforming to the pattern of this
world’s view of retirement.
o Cease working… PLC - Pleasure, leisure and comfort
Nothing in our lives and nothing in the world itself lies outside of God’s rule or God’s interest. As
Abraham Kuyper famously put it: “Not the breadth of a thumb exists in all of our life – and all of the
universe – but Christ claims, ‘It is mine!’”
Excellent resource: personal or to share with the 55+ is by John Piper
Rethinking Retirement: Finishing Life for the Glory of Christ
Four observations:
1. “Pleasure, Leisure and Comfort (PLC) only” retirement is difficult to justify biblically.
- Our purpose in life is to glorify God; recreation/pleasure is valuable and necessary seasoning
our lives, never intended by God to saturate our lives.
- John 21:19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.
- What kind of life glorifies God, what kind of retirement glorifies God
2. Retiring into another expression of Kingdom purpose and fruitfulness is the goal.
- Not to simply stop serving and fill our time with…whatever
o We still have purpose…still much to be accomplished….work, volunteer,
Ill - Grateful for the modeling provided by the previous generation.
Kenya: I met several retired individuals and couples including Clayton and Marilyn Smith incredible value they brought to the national church and the missionary community.
- “Where are Grandpa and Grandma”. They are in Sri Lanka. Grandchildren engage in mission
- I have great respect for President Carter’s work in his retirement with Habitat for Humanity.
Spurgeon, “God kisses away the fear of aging with his promises”
Proverbs 4:18 “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn…shining ever
brighter until the full break of day”
Aren’t we all too well aware of the fact that the next generation is watching and following?
3. Retirement because of the effects of aging is not only justifiable, but honourable.
- Mental, or physical acuity has diminished to the point that we are not effective in ministry,
pray we have the humility to transition graciously.
- All know what a “seniors moment” is…but too many can be unproductive, even dangerous.
4. Retirement should not be seen as either an entitlement or a requirement.
- if we are still able and willing to perform acceptably in ministry, then service is the expectation.
- The Bible generally takes the view that the experience that comes from the accumulation of
years is a very valuable commodity.
- Senior years bring great opportunity. ILL - Martyn Lloyd Jones published the first of the scores
of books he would eventually publish when he was 59 years of age.
- Respect that white hair brings in most cultures today.
B. Relational preparation.
Who will we retire with? Identify the primary relationships in the retirement chapter.
- Presumably it will be with our spouse and generally in geographical proximity of our family
…but we need to think about our retirement in terms of our relationships.
1. Marriage: Retirement presents wonderful opportunities to enhance our marriages. Spend
additional and unhurried time together, share common goals, interests and projects. Many
marriages flourish.
- But it is a common experience that, upon retirement, marriages can also experience
some degree of strain.
- “Twice the husband with half the salary”
- “I married you for better or for worse, but not for lunch”
Studies have shown that only a small proportion of marriages go sour in retirement. Yet many
will undergo stresses as one or both partners retire.
Two common issues:
a. As humans, we often find a great deal of significance in our work. Especially true for
men. We enter retirement with a false, romantic view of retirement…have fun for 3
months to 3 years, and then reality sets in…and the retiree becomes unhappy -> affects
partner
b. Control Issues: Especially vulnerable are the people who served in leadership positions
through their lives. Bring the gift of being “in charge” into the retirement.
Ill - Autocratic Leadership: Japan - Diagnosed the Retired Husband Syndrome. Health
problems, include stomach ulcers, slurring of speech, rashes around the eyes, growths in
the throat, palpitations, tension headaches and depression as well as “agitation, muscle
aches, and other symptoms of stress,”
Ill – Dr. Dick Foth, former President, Bethany Bible College, California. Came home one
day and the house was messy and complained to his wife.
“Dick you are not the President here.”
Of interest: A recent study by a group of Cornell University psychologists of over 500 married
men and women between the ages of 50 and 74 found that men who retired while their wives
were still working showed a higher level of stress and depression than retired men whose wives
did not work.
Solution: Retiree (Husbands) will need to give enough space to their wife.
Get a “marriage audit”: an assessment of the marriage prior to retirement, little issues
have the potential of becoming larger in retirement.
2. Children: It is natural and desired to plan to settle where we can enjoy quality time with our
children and grandchildren.
- But have to understand and be prepared for the increased mobility of the next generation.
i.e. if we move to be closer to them, they may move themselves and then what do we do?
3. Our parents/extended family: The way we treat our parents now is a role model for how our
children will treat us.
4. Friends: Peer relationships are very important at any stage of life, but especially in
retirement. Proactively connect with others.
C. Emotional/Psychological Preparation.
-
-
-
Perhaps the area of retirement that catches most off guard.
Thoughts of retirement are usually very happy thoughts…perhaps some financial concern
but images of endless hours of relaxation in the sun. It is in fact much more. Retirement,
like any transition in a person’s lifecycle, has emotional rewards and emotional hazards.
So many express, they just did not anticipate the amount of emotional work they were
required to engage in retirement.
o Mental health professionals are projecting that 40% of Boomers will experience
some degree of “depression” in their retirement.
Retirement is another loss to add to a resume of losses…Children moved out, loss of
physique, loss of stamina, beginning to lose memory, and now, on top of it all, loss of job!
More than that, loss of perceived significance, loss of perceived value, loss of productivity,
loss of perceived importance.
Retirement, for many people, is an identity shift. Figure out who we are...all over again.
o Do you remember your adolescent years? Remember guiding your children through
Retirement may be an event, but retiring is a process.
Financial concerns: will there be enough?
Social concerns: Loneliness and isolation
Robert C. Atchley, University of Miami, Ohio, Social Forces and Aging identified 6 distinct stages
of Retirement
Further research by Ohio State University – Department of Aging
These phases do not apply to everyone, of course, because retirement is experienced on an
individual basis; however, these phases do provide a guide for thinking about what some
individuals may encounter when they transition into the retirement stage of life.
Stage 1 -- Imagination or Planning Stage
This stage is usually experienced six to 15 years before reaching retirement age. It is in this stage
where the person starts preparing for the future by investing: a) financially, b) time thinking,
pondering and dreaming about what the next stage will look like.
Stage 2 – Hesitation Stage
During this second stage (about three to five years before retirement), the person starts to see
retirement as unavoidable. However, the myriad of questions can cause a feeling of
apprehension. Depending on the economic situation, this could be a very stressful stage,
especially if the person is unsure how the retirement path will unfold. Many seek help and
advice during this stage.
Stage 3 – Anticipation Stage
This stage, occurring up to two years before retirement, is characterized by the feeling of
excitement. The person that is on this stage feels "on track" toward a good retirement. More
than half the people on this stage are being helped by a financial advisor.
Stage 4 – Realization Stage
Realization happens on the retirement day and the first year following it. In 2005, this stage was
called "Liberation" because it was in this stage where people started to finally feel free.
However, in more recent times, economic conditions have caused many at this stage to feel
worried about having enough money to make it through. Freedom 85!
Stage 5 – Reorientation Stage
In this stage, that could last anywhere from the 2nd-to-15th year after retirement, the person
starts to look for a "new identity". Goals and expectations of life become adjusted to fit a new
reality.
Stage 6 – Reconciliation
The Reconciliation stage usually happens 16 or more years after retirement. Concerns with
illnesses and physical needs start to increase. Although most people will continue to feel happy,
feelings of anxiety, even depression can start to show.
Practical Steps:
Communication: talk to someone – spouse, significant other, children, or all of the above about how
you feel regarding the impending change in your life. Look at all the aspects, but particularly the
emotional part.
Don’t make other big decisions during this transition time. For example, people who retire and
immediately move to another state may wind up suffering two major losses -- the loss of their workrelated identity, and the loss of their relationship network.
Achieving a successful retirement is a process that takes planning, time, and experimentation. Retirees
who achieve emotional integration learn to know themselves and what will make the coming years
satisfying. They are confident in their ability to cope, and they can appreciate the possibilities within
themselves. Retirement can then become a passage to new opportunity and self-fulfillment.
D. Vocational preparation:
Remember Webster defines retirement as “withdrawal from active engagement in one’s
occupation or profession.”
A key to retiring well, is rather than retiring FROM a role, retire INTO another role. 2nd (another)
career. Concern is registered when individuals approaching retirement have not thought
through what they will do.
What will I do?
- Horizon of opportunities is limitless
- Spiritual: people, spiritual leadership…best years lay ahead of us.
Two suggestions:
a. My Next Phase: The Personality – based guide to Your retirement www.MyNextPhase.com
much like the guidance counselor in High School that as a result of aptitude tests, offers
counsel…
b. Phased in retirement….avoid “emotional/significance whiplash”
E. Financial Preparation:
- Funding: Sufficient funding to enable the “into”.
- Three legged milk stool
CCP/OAS (Old Age Security) – % clawed back if other levels of income are higher.
Pension Fund
RRSP
…..
Assets
Employment Income
Real Estate Equity/Rental Income
Inheritance
Service Canada – Retirement Income Calculator
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/isp/common/cricinfo.shtml
Current snapshot of Retired Canadians 55+
Average net worth
$295,000
Average household income
$42,000
Average debt
$19,000
86% are able to pay their bills
82% are able to meet financial obligations without a problem
Only 1/3 have any debt
17% with debts over $25,000
5% have debts over $100,000
How much do we need? All about lifestyle choices.
To maintain current lifestyle, 70-75% of income.
2007 survey of 2,200 households indicated that Canadians on average are on track to replace
only 50% of pre-retirement income. (USA 58%, UK 50%, Germany 56%, Japan 46%)
Do not forget about the reality of inflation…3% per year…
Vacation, camping, economy hotel, upscale hotel….
What activities do you anticipate will productively occupy your time.
Questions/Comments
Feedback: What elements of the seminar were most helpful?
What elements were least helpful?
What could be added to enhance the seminar?
Why early retirement may not be for you
Tina Di Vito is head of BMO Retirement Institute.
Salvatore Sacco/MARKETWIRE
By Tina Di Vito | Sun Nov 6 2011
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Comment (1)
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In this excerpt from 52 Ways to Wreck Your Retirement by Tina DiVito, the author looks at some of the reasons why
you might want to avoid early retirement.
What age is the right age for retirement? It might be later than you think.
The concept of retirement was first introduced in Canada in 1927 with the introduction of an old age pension that was
payable to Canadian citizens who were at least 70 years old. In 1966 the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Quebec
Pension Plan (QPP) were launched, and at the time paid a retirement pension starting at age 70.
The gradual shift from retirement at age 70 to retirement at age 55 is one that evolved with hopes and dreams of
leisure and freedom from work. The concept of early retirement was symbolic of a successful working career.
Being able to retire early signalled good personal financial management and wealth. Even today, pension legislation
in Canada, defines “normal” retirement as age 65, but you can have access to your pension money as early as 10
years before “normal” retirement age (i.e., age 55), and with some plans even earlier than that.
But should you retire simply because you have reached a specific age or have access to a company pension?
Although the concept of early retirement did catch on for a while, the majority of Canadians have never actually
retired at that age. Statistics Canada reported that the average retirement age in Canada reached an all-time low in
1998, with an average retirement age of 60.9. Coincidentally, this was during a time when offering employees early
retirement packages was the norm. These days, the evolution is taking an interesting turn — the average retirement
age is about 61.5 and there are clear signs that it will continue to rise, as more and more Canadians have a different
view as to when they want to retire. The elimination of mandatory retirement at age 65 in virtually all parts of Canada
may have encouraged people to express more defiant sentiments, such as “I’ll retire when I’m ready,” which might be
never. Does age even matter anymore? Is it not more important to have the freedom to choose when to retire, rather
than be forced to retire at a particular age?
While in the past it may have been a social status symbol to retire early, now it is viewed negatively and may be seen
as an admission of the end of usefulness. This is quite possibly because we don’t look or feel old, but the word
retirement certainly sounds old — that’s a good enough reason not to want to have anything to do with it.
Only you know when will be the best time for you to retire, but for most people, retiring early can be a mistake.
When is early retirement a mistake?
One of the top reasons people give for delaying retirement is not having saved enough money, and with reason. Only
a third of Canadians belong to a company pension plan, and while 6 out of every 10 families in Canada held savings
in Registered Retirement Savings Plans in 2005, these plans had a median value of only $25,000. Let’s put it in
perspective: if you start working at age 25 and retire at age 55, you’ve worked for 30 years. Given longevity stats, you
may live another 30 years in retirement. This represents 30 years of work, during which you are maintaining your
lifestyle, while at the same time you are trying to save enough money to maintain your lifestyle for another 30 years
during which you will not be working. If you start a family later, or buy a home later, there may still be obligations such
as education costs for children and a mortgage to pay, which makes it even more difficult to save for the future.
Retiring early is even more problematic for women, who may have been out of the workforce to raise children and are
more likely than men to reduce their working years later in life to care for aging family members, including a spouse
or common-law partner. Fewer years in the workforce will result in lower pensions and less personal savings for
these women.
Too many retirement years
The good news: we’re living longer. The bad news: we’re living longer. Increased longevity means the earlier you
retire, the longer your retirement savings need to last. If retirement is expected to last only a few years, there’s no
need to worry about building a large pool of savings for the retirement years. However, that is no longer the case —
by retiring early you could end up living 30 or more years in retirement.
Life expectancy estimates of a couple who are age 65 today show a 50 per cent chance that one of them will live to
age 90. So leaving work at age 55 means a 35-year retirement. Some financial advisers have started to use age 100
as a target for retirement planning, but this may be too long or too short a time period. Statistics Canada reported
there were 6,530 centenarians in Canada as of July 2010 and of those, 5,196 were women. In April 2011, the world’s
oldest man died at age 1143 — at the time, the world’s oldest woman was also 114 years old. Next time you’re out
with friends, ask them how old their oldest living relative is.
Old isn’t old anymore
Fifty-five is the new 40! Since people are looking and feeling younger, why would they want to retire? You may
believe that retirement is for old people. You may feel there is still a great deal to learn and accomplish in your career,
and not want to retire because you simply enjoy working. It’s a fact that work is a great place to stay mentally active
and be connected with others, and good mental health is a positive factor in overall health.
You could be in your peak earning years
These years may represent your highest income-earning years; in fact, you may just be entering the senior
management ranks and be entitled to additional perks or benefits. Plus, if you’ve taken care of most of your other
financial obligations, this may be the one time in your life when you can devote much of your disposable income to
building retirement savings.
What’s more, if you are a member of a defined benefit pension plan that determines your final pension entitlement
based on your highest income earning years, you can increase your lifetime pension by working a few more years.
For instance, if you have 30 years of service with an average salary of $60,000 per year, you could receive a lifetime
annual pension of $30,000. If you work five more years at a higher salary, so that the average salary used for the
pension calculation is, say, $80,000, and you have 35 years of service instead of 30, your lifetime annual pension
would be $56,000.
Why adopt someone else’s frame of mind regarding when the best time to retire should be? Don’t feel pressured to
retire at 55 or any age if you feel you can’t afford to or you simply don’t want to.
Windsor Senior Credential Holders on Wednesday Jan 26th - Survey Results
Ken Powell, an 'almost a senior' pastor in Western Ontario, hosted a meeting of retirees.
Here is a copy of my report on our first meeting of the Windsor Senior Credential Holders on Wednesday
Jan 26th.
I thought that you would be interested in hearing what some of the people had to say.
There were 16 people in attendance.
I asked three main questions:
(1) What is the best thing that you enjoy about retirement?
(2) What is the hardest challenge you face in retirement?
(3) How has retirement affected your spouse?
Below is a general summary of responses to the questions:
Pastor's Wives Comments
I'm so glad that I was able to make friends outside the church because once my husband retired that
was all that I had.
Need to have a hobby
Its nice to have my husband back.
One wife who's husband is still pastoring asked "What will I do with my time when my husband retires
when my whole life has revolved around supporting him in ministry in some way or another?"
Pastors Comments:
I miss not having the opportunity to preach anymore.
Wasn't prepared financially for retirement.
I now can spend quality time with my wife.
There is a feeling of exclusion and disconnect with the church and fellow credential holders now that I'm
retired.
Retirement was a huge adjustment at first. I just wasn't ready for it.
I enjoy not having to go out every night to a meeting of some kind at the church.
Nice to be able to sleep in.
General Comments
If you want to be involved in ministry you have to go after it particularly if you are in a small town or
small church.
Smaller churches should be encouraged to connect with Retired Pastors and use them in ministry as
they can be a great support to Pastors and vice -a-versa.
This type of get together needs to be duplicated in every section across our District.
There needs to be a workshop/seminar on "Preparing for Retirement" where younger pastors are
encouraged to attend.
Retirement for pastors should be a gradual process where you go from full time to part time if possible.
Ken Powell
* In France, the retirement age has been extended to 62 and 67 respectively, over the next eight
years.[7]
** In Spain, the retirement age will be extended to 63 and 67 respectively, this increase will be
progressively done from 2013 to 2027 at a rate of 1 month during the first 6 years and 2 months during
the other 9.[8]
THOUGHTS ON
PREPARING FOR RETIREMENT
A Paper presented by
Rev. Ken Powell
Pastor of Glad Tidings Community Church
Blenheim, Ontario
Dated: December 2010
This submission is the result of many hours of prayer, thinking & research and discussion with other
pastors about this important stage of life that all credential holders will face one day.
It is my request that the Officers of the PAOC will understand my heart and see the need to look into this
subject further and present it as an agenda item for the General Executive at their next meeting.
POWER POINT
On Sunday afternoon Nov 14, 2010 my wife and I were driving to London from Blenheim to attend our
Conference on the Ministry. There were a lot of different things that I’m sure that we could have talked
about during that hour drive to London. However we talked about our church. Beverley turned to me
when we were just outside of London and said, “I wonder what we will talk about when we are retired?”
Retirement is a good-news/bad news story.
The good news is that retirement provides time to do many things we have had to put off through life in
the ministry.
In this sense, retirement is a life-giving experience.
The bad news is that much of life as we’ve known it is lost. In this sense, retirement is a deathlike
experience.
The retiring Pastor faces a radical change in her/his life. Ever since ordination the pastor and family have
been accustomed to being a center of attention, having a congregation that loves, cares for and
depends on them. The pastor is used to being the leader of the session and boards, a key decision maker
and a guide of the mission and spiritual life of the congregation. When that is suddenly removed it is the
death of a major aspect of the pastor's life, a time of mourning.
Few anticipate what a radical reorientation of life, of the sense of call and of the sources of self-esteem
and fulfillment that change will require. While retirement has many rewards and the potential of new
personal fulfillments, for many the transition to the new orientation can be threatening and difficult.
There are definite Benefits but there are also many Challenges to face. I will list only a few examples that
come to mind:
Finances:
How do I know if I will have enough money to live on?
Or will I outlive my saving.
There may also be the need for a Retirement Planner and Tax Accountant to help me make some
important decisions for the future.
Family:
Where to live?
Following the Children & grandchildren is not realistic as "to follow your children," might require
repeated moves due to their work issues.
When is the best time to move?
Emotional Adjustments:H
Having to leave the church that my wife and I pastored for so many years will be a very emotional
adjustment.
This could be a time of grief in many ways for both the Pastor and spouse as well as the congregation.
Who can come along aside at a time like this?
How will my retirement affect my spouse?
What kind of emotions will I experience when the reality of retirement sets in?
How will other pastors view me once I no longer have a church?
I was told by one credential that “retirement is worse than death because you are alive but no one
seems to notice you anymore if you don’t have a church.”
Someone else said that “you might as well be age 94.”
Church Relations:
The adjustments from being the person in
Leadership of the church to being a non staff Church Member will be huge.
Long-Term Planning:
How and when should a pastor plan for retirement?
How soon should the Pastor inform his church?
What will I do with my time in retirement?
Future Ministry Possibilities
Are there any ministry options that are open to a Retired Pastor?
What are the possibilities of Itinerant Ministry?
What about Short Term Missions?
Are there PAOC dollars available for these tasks?
Statistical:
I understand that if all our credential holders retire when they are expected to that there will be a
shortage of ministers in the Western Ontario District and I would guess that the shortage might extend
right across our nation.
1. Is there a strategy to address this situation?
2. Do we know how many pastors are in their 50’s that would benefit from a strategy that
prepares them for retirement?
3. Do we know how many retired credential holders there are in the PAOC?
4. Do we know what these retired credential holders who have given their lives for the ministry of
the Gospel are doing today?
5. Do we know how these same retired credential holders are doing?
6. Is there a method for keeping in touch with Pastors and their spouses (if the credential holder
has died) who have retired?
7. Does anyone from our P.A.O.C. Fellowship stay in touch with retired clergy and spouses to see
how they are doing?
RECOMMENTATIONS
WHAT DO I THINK COULD BE DONE?
I BELEIVE that the more planning a person can do before retirement, the more choices will be available
in retirement.
Some of the ideas that are shared here could be best implemented at the National Level while others at
the District Level. We may discover that changes will need to be made to The Local Church Constitution
& that direction may have to be developed for Deacons of a local church.
(A)Ongoing Dialogue & Communication Venues
The ones that are retired or about to retire need to have an ongoing dialogue that will grow and develop
in ways that God will lead... opening doors to help the men and women so that they can develop a plan
for themselves...
It should take the format of an ongoing process that must be facilitated... It is a living stream... that
people in need can come to find help... and when they don't yet need help they can know where the
stream is flowing.
It should be a support system that is available whenever it is needed.
This could happen in different ways:
(B)Times of Fellowship
The Western Ontario District, under the leadership of Lorrie Gibbons, held a dinner for Retired
Credential Holders. I have heard many positive reports from this one event. It provided a venue for
Pastors to come together for fellowship plus it showed that the District recognized and appreciated
them.
I believe that there should be more events of this type, perhaps in different locations across our
District so that people do not have to travel so far and also to keep expenses down.
(C) An On-Line Group
Maybe the dialogue could include an On-line Group where men & women could chat as part of the
Think Tank.
The On-Line Group can be open to anyone - any minister – anywhere, that is dealing with Retirement
Issues now - planning, living it out or struggling.
The discussion time could be very therapeutic and also a resource.
There would be no cost to set this up and it could begin almost immediately.
(D) A Think Tank/Task Force
While Workshops and Seminars have their place and are important in helping a person plan for
retirement in the areas of health, pension, future ministry options etc., and should be offered, I believe
that perhaps one of the main things that is needed is a venue where people can come together to
discuss the issues and learn from each other.
A dialogue needs to be opened to let men and women contribute - both Lay and Ministerial... to educate
both sides.
I would like to see a THINK TANK TEAM set up with representatives who are already retired and those
facing retirement. The team should also consist of both clergy, spouses of clergy and lay people who are
serving in the role of Deacons and the business community & perhaps District & International Office
Representation.
(E) Pre-Retirement Planning Seminars
I wonder if there needs to be a process in place where helpful information and resources are offered to
Credential Holders as early as the age of 50 so that they can prepare for retirement whenever that
might be.
Ministers considering retirement should be offered a
seminar on Pre-Retirement Issues. The seminar could cover many of the important issues of
transitioning to retirement. It should be a holistic approach to retirement planning which covers not
only financial issues of retiring, but also healthcare, relationships, where to live/housing options, what
to do with your time, ministry options in retirement etc.
These seminars should also be extended to the spouses of the clergy.
(F)Financial Support & Committee Work
Perhaps some consideration could be given to providing financial support to retired pastors to cover the
cost of their District Health Plan premiums up until a certain age.
I have noticed that many retired pastors don’t seem to attend District & General Conferences or serve
on Committees. I believe that these men and women, with their years of experience, still have much to
contribute to our fellowship. Perhaps a couple of reasons that they don’t attend might be because of
the expense and their perceived value or worth in as they no longer have a church.
As these pastors no longer have church budgets to fund the cost of travel and registration to attend
these events perhaps their cost could be underwritten.
In our Western Ontario District we hear the word FAMILY used a lot. As a family, I believe that planning
for retirement and then providing a care network following retirement is so necessary.
(G)Development of Guidelines, Care & Support Procedures
In my brief research I discovered that there are some denominations that have done extensive work in
putting together a policy procedure to help pastors during their transition from ministry to retirement
and beyond.
One example is a project that was undertaken by the Christian Reformed Church titled, “Closing WellContinuing Strong.” It contains information on how to conclude full-time Ministry, making the
Transition, the Retirement years, Help for the Congregation and Financing Planning Tips.
The Nazarene Fellowship have also done work in this area.
I believe that a similar resource for P.A.O.C. Pastors could be developed as a result of the structure of a
THINK TANK/TASK FORCE either nationally or by district.
I would be willing to serve on and be involved in the setting up of A THINK TANK/TASK FORCE
Committee or in any other way, if my services could be considered beneficial.
Thank You for taking the time to read and discuss my submission on “Preparing for Retirement.”
perhaps 90 years of age when I met him. But what I discovered as we began to talk was that he had lived
my entire life in retirement. It was 1978 when I met him and he had retired from the Great Northern
Railroad in 1950, the year that I was born.
Retirement has been with us long enough now as a social institution to provide social scientists with
abundant grist for their research mills. As usually the case with psychological/sociological studies, the
results can hardly be considered definitive and usually contradictory studies can be found. For example,
in a number of studies of the psychology of retirement, retired individuals in large numbers reported
being unable to fill the void created by the absence of the work to which they had given so many of their
years. They felt useless, or, at least, less satisfied with their lives than when they were working. At the
same time many others reported that the transition to retirement was not difficult and that their
feelings of self-worth and satisfaction had always rested on more than their job and had not departed
them upon their retirement from it.
No doubt it is what you would expect. Those with healthy personal lives and solid family relationships as
well as adequate income adjust to retirement much better than those who are ill, who haven’t enough
money to maintain their former lifestyle, are alone, or were forced out of work instead of leaving it
voluntarily.
Now, as you will not be surprised to learn, the Scripture does not directly address the phenomenon of
institutionalized retirement or retirement as a cultural and economic phenomenon such as it has come
to be only in our own era. In interrogating Holy Scripture to seek light and direction for ourselves for
such an issue as this we are seeking, rather than specific instruction or commandment, principles which
bear on the matter and to which we must do justice if we are to answer such a question correctly and
have the mind of Christ.
I.First, we will and must begin by restating the fundamental principles with which we began our study.
I mean principles such as these: 1) we were created to be workers and are commanded in God’s law to
work. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work…” 2) Work is holy and a major dimension of our
Christian living in the world. It is one of the primary spheres in which we are to love and serve the Lord.
So much is this true, that it is entirely natural to find the Scripture explicitly saying that God’s blessing of
his faithful people will make them fruitful even in their old age. ‘They will still bear fruit in old age; they
will stay fresh and green.’ [Ps 92:14]
These are principles of overarching importance and obviously must be given their due by anyone
contemplating retirement. No believer is free to consider himself or herself somehow exempt from the
requirements of obedience to God or somehow detached from the realities of life in God’s covenant by
which he has determined to bless his people. A Christian, of all people, may well be able to contribute in
many ways far into old age. Our calling as Christians most assuredly is not for 30 years of our lives, or 50,
or 65. We are to be God’s servants, doing his will, all our lives long.
II.Second, however, the Bible certainly prepares us to recognize that those principles bear on people in
different ways at different times of their lives.
For example,we do not take the biblical statement “If a man will not work, he shall not eat” as applicable
to little children or to the infirm or to the aged. We recognize that the commandment assumes that the
person is capable of working and ought to be working, all things being equal. We wouldn’t apply it either
to someone who was without work through no fault of his own.
Well, in the same way, we would never apply the general principle of the obligation of work to older folk
who cannot work as they once did. We read earlier, for example, in Ecclesiastes 12:1-5 a very poignant
and realistic description of the onslaught of old age and its various consequences. In 1 Timothy 5:4 Paul
says,
“…if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into
practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is
pleasing to God.”
There is an assumption here of the reality of the stages of life and the changes that come with those
stages. Or think of the various co-regencies of Israelite kings, when a father remained king but rule had
effectively passed to his son. It was this practice of co-regency that was one reason why the chronology
of the kings of Israel and Judah was, for so long, a vexing problem. The numbers did not add up precisely
because a king’s reign was being computed from the time he began to rule, not from the date his father
died. In any case, this is an excellent example of the consequences of advancing years bearing on the
working life of a man when he became old. Or think of the stipulation of Numbers 8:25-26 that Levites
must retire at 50 years of age. They couldn’t begin work at the temple until they were 25 and had to
retire at 50. That did not necessarily mean that they stopped all work at 50, surely, but one particular
job was denied them after that age. There is the Bible’s own testimony that there may be reasons why
people must leave certain jobs at certain ages. We have such work laws still today, as, for example, with
mandatory retirement ages for airline pilots.
There is something very commonsensical about the admission that older people may very well not have
the strength or stamina they once had, that while they may have the accumulated wisdom of many
years, that wisdom may be of much less value to an employer because, at the same time, they don’t
think on their feet as well as they once did, they don’t hear office conversations as well, and they don’t
see as well. It may be that 65 is only a generalization regarding the age at which the years are beginning
to take their toll on one’s working performance. It may not, for all I know even be a very accurate
generalization. But few will dispute that at some point an employer begins to receive diminishing
returns for the wages he is paying a worker.
We can think of unending examples of this from our own experience. There came a time when Harry
Marshall, missionary to Peru and Nathaniel Gutierrez’ grandfather, couldn’t climb Andes peaks with a
film projector and generator on his back as he once did! Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig gave up playing
baseball because they knew they couldn’t play as they had played before for the same paycheck. Steve
Carlton, on the other hand, was something of an embarrassment to several teams who didn’t want to
dump a future hall-of-famer but who couldn’t afford his slow fastballs and hanging curves.
I can supply any number of illustrations from my own profession. Alexander Whyte attempted to retire
from the pastorate of Free St. George’s in Edinburgh because he was concerned that he had grown too
old to do well all the congregation needed from its minister. The congregation wouldn’t receive his
resignation, however. A few years later, however, he resigned again and insisted upon the
congregation’s acquiescence. He knew he could not meet the demands of ministry to his congregation
and that she needed a fresh mind and heart to guide her though the perplexities and challenges of a
new day, or, as he put it “I feel it to be my best duty to the congregation to leave the work to a younger
and a fitter man.” [Barbour, Alexander Whyte, 485] His eventual retirement, at 80 years of age and after
45 years in the pastorate of Free St. George’s, was made because he felt he could not longer do justice
to his work or the needs of his people and that he was standing in the way of his younger colleague!
On the other hand, I could tell you stories of churches harmed and left weak and splintered because a
pastor would not let go and kept on long after the years of his fruitful service were plainly past. If it
should be God’s will that I be your minister until I am old, I very much hope that the elders will be firm
and courageous enough to tell me if my age, the inflexibility of spirit which often goes with old age, and
the physical weakness are interfering with the best interests of the congregation’s life and ministry. The
Bible says they will sooner or later. There is no sin in retiring a man or a woman who can no longer do
the work well which he or she once did. Indeed, it is right to do so; there is a certain dishonesty, even
cowardice ordinarily in a failure to do so.
So, let me draw from the above a few conclusions by way of application:
1.Retirement to play is, in my thinking, difficult to justify biblically. Our purpose here is not to have a
good time; recreation is to be only the spice of life, not the meat!
2.Retirement from one job to do another is a very different thing. Bruce Kennedy, the Christian
chairman of Alaska Airlines, retired some years ago to do missionary work in New Guinea, I think it was.
My father retired from the presidency of Covenant Seminary, as he felt he should at that age, but kept
teaching at the seminary and in overseas schools. His schedule relaxed somewhat but he kept working.
Or take, for example, former President Carter’s work in his retirement with Habitat for Humanity.
3.Retirement for reasons of the weakness of age seems to me to be not only justifiable, but in many
cases demanded by Christian ethics.
4.On the other hand, I don’t see why companies should require retirement if workers are still able and
willing to perform acceptably in their posts. The Bible generally takes the view that the experience that
comes from the accumulation of years is a very valuable commodity. But if retirement is anticipated in
an individual Christian’s case – he or she works for a company in which retirement is expected or
required, at least retirement from one’s primary occupation – one should certainly do what one can to
prepare himself for it both financially and by thinking carefully about how he or she can use the time
retirement provides to the Lord’s full advantage.
Let’s remember that until infirmity cripples our usefulness, our lives should be full of purposeful activity.
We are the Lord’s servants and there is always something valuable to do, some fruitful way to spend our
time. Old age is often a great opportunity. Martyn Lloyd Jones published the first of the scores of books
he would eventually publish when he was 59 years of age. It was not until her mid-60s that Laura Ingalls
Wilder began to write the stories of her childhood. Encouraged by her daughter, Laura began work on
her first “Little House” book, Little House in the Big Woods, when she was 64. She published Little House
on the Prairie when she was 68. Little Town on the Prairie was published when she was 74 and Those
Happy Golden Years when she was 76.
One of the most important effects of a Christian’s thoughtful, intentional approach to his or her working
life is the building of momentum by which the greatest use will be made of the last years of our lives,
when, God-willing, we should have the most valuable things to contribute to the kingdom of God and to
the world.