In April 2018, my wife and I started what I've been calling Search for a Church 2.0. We visited five congregations by May, and another five by June. By August we expanded our visiting to include three more congregations. Over the last several months we've focused our time in just a few of these congregations. Pastoral Transitions During our nine month search, three of the thirteen congregations have undergone or announced that they will soon undergo a change Read More …
retirement
Retiring Clergy – End of an Era (#1485)
The youngest Baby Boomers reached retirement age in 2011. 10,000 Boomers a day will hit that milestone every day through the year 2030. While not all will retire upon turning 65, it is reasonable to expect a good number will retire at some point not long thereafter. Clergy Retirement Boom Charles M. Austin's cover story in the latest edition of "The Lutheran," illustrates the significance of Boomer retirements in the life of the Lutheran church. More specifically, he cites Read More …
The Retirement Boom (#1353)
Casey N. Cep recently wrote about the importance of listening to the elderly. She notes that those age 65 and better are a significant part of the American population now, and that they will grow significantly over the next few decades: OLDER AMERICANS ARE ONE of the fastest growing demographics in our country: Baby Boomers began turning 65 in 2011, and by 2030 older Americans will number 72 million, nearly 20 percent of the total population. In a culture so obsessed with youth, Read More …