Ministering Well in the Middle

Posted By Guest on Mar 10, 2014 | 12 comments

by Frank Owens

“Some pastors and preachers are lazy and no good. They do not pray; they do not read; they do not search the Scripture…This evil, shameful time is not the season for being lazy, for sleeping and snoring” [1].

Here Luther reminds us that ministry requires vigilance at every stage of ministry, especially in the middle and later years. When speaking of “the middle” I’m primarily referring to that age between 40-55, where preachers have been in ministry somewhere between 15-30 years.

I am a 55-year old pastor, who’s been in full-time ministry for almost 35 years. I’ve served as youth pastor (12 years), church planter (2 years), and pastor (20 years). As a marathon runner, I know there are many miles between the start and finish lines. The middle miles often make the difference how or if you finish.

I do not suggest that my experiences are the norm. Yours may be different, as God sovereignly orders each life according to His purpose. I only speak about “ministry in the middle” from the perspective He has given me.

Personal Perspective from the Middle

My wife, LaDonna, and I have been married 33 years this June. We’ve found that 55 is a great place in life. What a gift she has been to my life and ministry! Our two sons, Josh (29 years) and Jesse (25 years), are also in Christian ministry. Josh works part-time at Welch College and our church. Jesse recently moved to Louisville to pursue a Ph.D. at Southern Seminary.

I stand between two generations. My father, 78 this year, is healthy and involved in evangelistic ministry. In fact, he and Jesse share the same spiritual birthday (June 14, 1954/2006). Both were saved and almost simultaneously called into ministry. Looking at my father and sons, I see 60 years of faithfulness, and a vibrant generation stepping forward.

“Sixty is the new forty”—I’m not sure about that, but I do know that 60 doesn’t sound as old as it did when I was a youth pastor. We’re living longer, healthier lives, but health mustn’t be taken for granted. About five-and-a-half years ago, after a physical exam, my primary physician referred me to an urologist who, after a biopsy, explained that I had advanced, aggressive prostate cancer. I was not yet 50, and neither of my two sons were married. We were forced to think thoughts we had never had before. For weeks we wrestled with the fact that our futures could be radically different than we’d planned.

By the time a pastor reaches “the middle,” he’s usually better able to sympathize with those grieving, out of his own experience. Facing physical frailty makes us better stewards of our days and shepherds of our people.

Preaching Perspective from the Middle

For pastors, there is no more important task than the consistent preparation and presentation of the Word. I came late to the preaching ministry. My first sense of God’s direction for my life was youth ministry. Though I’d had Greek (2 years) and speech (2 semesters) in college, I’d never had any formal homiletics or expositional preaching instruction. During my 12 years of youth ministry, I would weekly “teach” lessons and “bring” devotions. Only a couple of times a year would I “preach” in the adult service, usually when the pastor was out of town.

When the opportunity came to plant a FWB church (1993-94), I discovered that my Greek skills had slipped away from me. I felt poorly prepared for the task of feeding a flock of new converts 2-3 times a week. I desperately did everything I could to learn how to preach.

The regular preaching schedule of pastoral ministry has disciplined me to be a better student, and hopefully a better preacher. Reading important books on preaching, studying exegesis and exposition, and observing other preachers’ study/preparation habits has helped. I certainly haven’t arrived, but I’ve made it one of my highest priorities to prepare a portion of God’s Word to nourish our people at every service.

With the increasing possibilities of online and satellite campuses at colleges and seminaries, ministers in their middle years might consider additional training. I’m even considering some myself. We each should ask, “How can I be the best possible preacher and/or pastor now?” The answer might look different for each of us, but whatever it is, we ought to do it. Make the rest of your ministry the best it can be.

Recently I thought, “If I were to preach to age 65 (10 more years), what would my “final 500” Sunday morning sermons be?” My wife said I was being morbid, but I believe we must think strategically in planning our preaching. One day we will preach our last sermon. With each one, we should consider, “How does this message lead me toward having declared ‘the whole counsel of God’ (Acts 20:27)?” John Piper writes,

A large and central part of our work is to wrestle God’s meaning from a Book, and proclaim it in the power of the Holy Spirit. Do we work at our studies with rigor and diligence or are we slothful and casual about it, as if nothing really great is at stake? [2]

What could be at greater stake than peoples’ eternal souls? And what could be a greater privilege than handling the life-giving Word?

In addition to being men of “the Book,” pastors should be men of many books: biographies, sermons, classics, and more. It’s a testimony to my wife’s grace that she doesn’t complain (often) about the stacks of books on the tables beside several “reading” chairs in my office and our home. I seem to gather books faster than I can read them. The need to be a diligent man of the Book and books doesn’t diminish with years. At nearly 60, Luther wrote,

The call is: watch, study, and attend to reading. In truth you cannot read too much in Scripture; and what you read you cannot read too carefully, and what you read carefully, you cannot understand too well, and what you understand well you cannot teach too well, and what you teach you cannot live too well. The devil…the world…and our flesh are raging and raving against us. Therefore, dear sirs and brothers, pastors and preachers, pray, read, study, be diligent [3].

Dear brothers, we’ve only one life and one set of eyes; read well with them.

Pastoral Perspective from the Middle

When you’re in ministry for 35 years and the pastor of the same church for 20 years, one pressure that’s lessened is the desire of “moving up.” Younger men are probably more often tempted by what seems to be greener grass and larger pastures. However, staying in one place for many years allows you to realize that the “greener grass” is often over a septic tank.

The natural by-product of maturing as a husband, father, and grandfather (twice so far) is growing more attached to and affectionate toward our church family. After 20 years, my natural disposition toward my congregation is as family. We’ve come to love our senior adults as parents, our middle adults as brothers and sisters, the college and young adults as own adult children, and the youth as sons, daughters, and grandchildren.

I’ve now lived with my church family longer than I did with my natural family. These are our people. We really are family. It would be hard to imagine life or ministry without these people. Three-and-a-half decades of ministry have rearranged the value of words to me. Words like brother, pastor, and preacher are now priceless. Titles and tags don’t mean much anymore.

The pastor ministering in his middle and later years can more often say to his people: “I’ve been there,” “I’ve wrestled with that,” “I’ve experienced something similar,” and, “I know something of your loss.” Younger men may try to sympathize, but some things just take time. More miles on the minister make better ministry possible.

Final Words About the Middle

In our middles, ministry is very satisfying. We’ve had very few of the pastoral trials that others have had. But whatever trials you have, be careful not to let them poison your remaining years. How you respond may determine whether your children will consider God’s call.

We’re expectant and hopeful for the future. We’ve gathered a group of dear friends and wise counselor around us. Seeds, planted for years, are now yielding fruit. We rejoice to see our children, physical and spiritual, coming behind us.

While we’re expectant, we must also be careful. “The example we are to provide is to be maintained all our life…(1 Cor. 9:26-27),” writes Derek Prime [4]. Those of us in “the middle” are a good way along the course, but we’ve not yet crossed the finish line. It’s possible to register a DNF (did not finish) in the 25th mile of a marathon.

If we’re to finish well, we must run well in “the middle.”

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[1] Fred W. Meuser, Luther the Preacher (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1983), 40-41.

[2] John Piper, “Martin Luther: Lessons from His Life and Labor,” 1996 Bethlehem Conference for Pastors.

[3] Meuser, 40-41.

[4] Derek J. Prime and Alistair Begg, On Being A Pastor (Chicago; Moody Publishers, Revised, 2004), 36.

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About the Author: Frank Owens is the pastor of Sylvan Park FWB Church in Nashville, TN. He is a 1979 graduate of Welch College. He is married to a BAMA Girl, LaDonna. They have two sons, Joshua (Bethany) and Jesse (Tiffany). He is “Papa” to Landon and Benjamin. In his spare time Frank enjoys reading, running, and lawn care.

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