Staying for a Lifetime

I graduated from Baptist Bible College in 1969. Four years later my wife, Pat, and I moved to San Diego, CA. In 2015 I retired after 41 years of pastoral ministry at the same church. There has been a lifetime of lessons as well as benefits to the church, city, and my family for staying at the same church.

It takes time to get to know your people and your city, especially if they are culturally different from your background. That was certainly the case for this Midwestern-raised pastor and pastor’s wife! If the average pastor only stays at a church 3-5 years, in my opinion he has not yet learned much about the people or the city! Assuming God has called us to a church in a particular city, we should go with the attitude of growing roots there that may well last a lifetime. Of course God can lead us to another city, or circumstances like unexpected poor health may lead us to have to terminate a particular ministry. But for most of us, moving is a choice we make. Sometimes we do it for the wrong reasons. In those cases we, and the church, pay a dear price.

There are several benefits to staying long-term in a church located in a large city. One of the greatest benefits is you can establish credibility and a good testimony with the people inside and outside of the church. I have had the privilege of knowing, testifying to, and even winning to the Lord some notable people in our city over the years. Your church reputation and your personal reputation go hand in hand. As a result of being established in San Diego for so long I have had the honor of dedicating parks and other facilities at city ceremonies. I was privileged to give the invocation and benediction for the last official political rally ever held by President Ronald Reagan. I have met with US Congressmen from our districts, being an accountability partner to one of them and a counselor to others. When we entered building programs we were able to borrow money from local banks with which we had a great relationship. The local papers even chose to name me “The Man of the Year” in 1988. Influencers begin to have confidence in you when you grow where you are planted. These things generally do not happen overnight.

A second benefit I have experienced is the privilege of pastoring, baptizing, marrying, and sadly burying people whom I love as much as I love my own family! Pat and I have known as many as six generations of some families! We have grown up – and old – together! That is a wonderful thing. Even though I am no longer at my first church, many people still call me their pastor. Longevity in San Diego has meant other benefits because of the military. Some families have been won to the Lord, transferred to another duty station, and come home again to a church they know and love.

A long-time pastorate is beneficial to the church financially! Think about the time, effort, and money spent on contacting, interviewing, and moving pastors to a particular church. If that happens every few years, it becomes a considerable expense. It also saves pastors a lot of money in relocating so often. Even if moves are paid for by the churches, there are other financial and, perhaps more important, relational expenses that are incurred.

A church that keeps a pastor for a long time tends to be more stable. New “administrations” do not come and go, unnecessarily changing things “just because” there is a new sheriff in town. And a long-term pastor has a better chance of changing things that need to be changed without as much pushback and controversy. The church and the city knows where you stand.

Not everyone has the privilege to pastor in a large city, let alone do so for a lifetime, but more of us could have the privilege of staying where God put us, if we were more content. The grass is not always greener some place else.

Go where God tells you to go. Stay where He tells you to stay. Grow old where He tells you to grow old. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.