On Being the Previous Pastor

I am now attending a church where I once served.  I am a retired clergy in the congregation.  That means I get to see what it feels like from this side of the fence.  In my last pastorate,  I had numerous retired clergy in the congregation.  I was always glad to have them there, mostly, though it did seem to me like their presence affected my ministry in various ways.  Had they just been retired clergy, that would have been one kind of thing to deal with.  But they were retired clergy who had served that particular congregation, where I was now the pastor.

It was subtle, the effect, and it had to do mostly with thoughts and comments about 'how it was back when they were in charge'.   Those comments did happen from time to time.  I think they slowed progress for the current pastor, as they invited looking backward, rather than looking forward.

Currently, I believe my situation is somewhat different. I am from a different denomination, and was never in charge, serving only as associate.  It does seem, however, that the senior pastor is concerned about my presence for the next associate pastor.  A new interim is coming on board tomorrow. As we only attend worship, and I am intentionally staying in the background, there is no context for me to make any comments, nor would I anyway.  Hopefully the new person will not be intimidated by my presence.  I wish her well.

But I do acknowledge what a difficult situation it is for any retired clergy person to find just the right place to worship in their retirement.  One needs a comfortable order of worship and an acceptable theology coming from the pulpit. One needs to feel welcome.

I guess I can understand why some clergy end up in their retirement, not attending church at all.  For me, that's not an option, but I do understand the challenges.