The title of this article is interesting. Why wouldn’t a pastor be willing to let go of his ministry, let go of the burdens, let go of the committee meetings, let go of the crises? Why wouldn’t he eagerly hand these things over to younger men?
There are a variety of reasons, some reflecting a godly sense of pastoral commitment and others reflecting a need to grow our trust in the Lord.
Sometimes, we pastors are reluctant to let go because we’re not quite sure our congregations will prosper after we’ve departed, especially if unresolved conflicts or crises remain. In fact, a wise pastor will seek to retire when his congregation is in a particularly healthy season, so the church might more easily sustain the challenges of a pastoral transition.
But things don’t always go as planned. I retired from Second Presbyterian Church on February 5, 2017. The very next day, I was on my way to Jakarta, Indonesia, when I received a call that one of our staff members was in an adulterous relationship.
In that moment, you can be sure that I didn’t want to “let go” of my ministry at Second Presbyterian! But I did, because we
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