1994 The Reverent Couple

I wore his waders for the first Church baptism that I ever performed. It was convenient because they were small. He had left them in the baptistery preparation room when he left the Church – I guess his days of doing baptism were over. He and his wife left to a church full of seniors and perhaps found more of the tradition to which they were accustomed.

When I met the Reverents, they each had a Sunday School class and were looked up to by many in the Church. He had retired from the pastorate and she from being a “pastor’s wife”. With much experience and the old world flair, he taught people the depths of doctrine and Biblical language. She gathered women together for a class of less depth and classic Southern Baptist Sunday School material.

I know little of their ministry years. I know little of their personal life. I know only what I encountered in the Church and I learned two great life lessons from my encounters. Years in ministry do not always bring complete wisdom nor does retirement always come easy. The Mr. Reverent may have been in ministry a long time and had the ability to teach great doctrine but much of church was about what “he” thought. In my encounters over the years, I did not see a humble and peaceful man that I would have expected from seasoned years in God’s grace. Perhaps it was hard to retire and to follow. Perhaps he simply wasn’t ready to be “out of control” of every ministry. Perhaps there was personal trial that I did not know. Regardless of the compassion required – in the church is was not about God’s great goal and it did not seem that he was surrendered to this awesome God that we serve.

I learned that it might be hard to retire one day and find myself less in charge and less needed than once before. I have begun to prepare for this possibility by having a life outside of “being in charge” that involves my family, being a part of the Church and not having my primary identity being pastor. I have already found many capable people to with whom I share or have delegated authority. I surrendered my ministry years ago and find great peace in supporting and loving.

Mrs. Reverent taught me a second lesson. A teaching venue is not a political or social forum. Under the guise of a Women’s Sunday School class, a group full of gossiping, selfish opinion and malice was carried out. I don’t know what the women in that class learned of the Bible for I never heard them speak of such lessons but rather only heard them speak of the opinions and inappropriate discussions led by their teacher. Perhaps being the spouse of a leader does not qualify one to lead and perhaps once again, complete wisdom does not come just because of age. Nonetheless, woe be to the me if I become a supposed teacher of Christ who instead stirs up trouble, division and vain words robbing the student of life.