Young Pastor, Care for the Older Members of Your Flock

B. F. Hawkins pastored Park Baptist Church from 1944–1958. Under Hawkins’s ministry, Park grew to over 500 people in Sunday School and 600 in weekly worship. He led the church to build the facility on Main Street, where it has stood since 1951.

When I became the pastor of Park Baptist Church in 2012, more than half of the membership had come to Christ under his ministry. The man was a spiritual giant. I prayed often in those early years that my ministry would bear similar spiritual fruit.

Shortly into my tenure at Park Baptist, however, the challenge was clear: our older members longed for church like it was under B. F. Hawkins, who preached his last sermon in 1958. I began to pray, “Lord, help our senior saints believe that the best days of Park Baptist Church are ahead of her and not behind her.” I wanted them to believe that God was not done with our church.

In those early years of ministry, I focused on shepherding faithful older members. I both failed and succeeded. Below are some lessons I learned along the way. May the Lord use these encouragements and admonitions to help you shepherd the flock of God that is among you.

Preach Christ-Centered Expositional Sermons

When I came to Park Baptist, my congregation had been starved of faithful preaching for about twenty years. It’s not that the Word was never preached—it was. But it was rarely preached expositionally.

Senior saints need what every member needs. They need to see Jesus Christ in all the Scriptures. They need to be taught the Word of God.

The best thing I did to pastor these older saints was to preach the Word week after week. So many would stop me at the door after service and thank me for holding out the Bible to them.

Part of caring for elderly sheep means feeding the starved soul.

Love Your People

In church revitalization, senior saints are sometimes characterized as burdens for the pastor. They’re the ones you have to deal with before all the young people will supposedly start coming to the church. But Jesus loves these older saints—and because he loves them, you as their pastor should love them too.

Love them from your heart. They’re a blessing, not a burden.

As I reflect on those early years, I recall taking some of my senior members to the apple orchard with my toddlers, sitting on picnic tables eating apple cider donuts, and talking about their late husbands. These are some of my fondest memories.

Spend Time in Prayer and the Word Together

Seniors love to be visited by their pastors. As life slows down, time becomes increasingly precious. How encouraging that they want to spend some of that time with you, their pastor. What a privilege!

Pastor, spend time in prayer and the Word with your older members. Go to their house, open your Bible, and talk through your recent sermon points. Ask them what they’re reading in the Word.

During the early years at our church, I spent every other Tuesday morning studying the Bible and praying with older saints. We would pray for wayward children and grandchildren. We would talk about how God was moving in the church. I would invite them to pray for me and the church’s ministry.

Spending time is important, but spending time around God’s Word is especially valuable to them and to you.

Learn Their Stories and the Church’s Story

The Bible calls gray hair “a crown of glory” (Prov. 16:31). This is because, in part, longer life often means more wisdom.

So listen and ask questions of older members. Learn their stories. Empathize with their pain. Rejoice with their triumphs.

As you learn their story, ask them about your church’s story too. Discover the seasons of pain and the times of growth. This may help you understand why they disagree with you or are fearful of your strategies.

By the time I showed up, our deacons had been holding the church together for twenty years under rocky pastoral leadership. Knowing their troubles and sacrifice helped me understand why it was hard for them to follow my leadership. When we know our people, we can better understand and serve them.

Remind Them of Their Value

Every member is called to use their gifts to build up the body of Christ. As members age, they will slow down. When that happens, they’ll be tempted to equate their lack of capacity with a diminished value in the church.

Pastor, help your senior saints resist this mindset. Encourage them to use all their station in life for the glory of God. Remind them how valuable their prayers are. Remind them of the power of a warm smile and a kind word.

Our church grew in part because of the welcoming spirit so many of our senior saints displayed as college students and young families entered our sanctuary.

Prepare Them to Meet Jesus

Pastor, don’t wait to visit your people. As I write this, my eyes fill with tears as I think of those I put off visiting and missed praying for before they went to glory. When the Holy Spirit pricks your heart, leave the study, go to the nursing home or wherever your seniors are, and lay hands on those who are nearing their departure. Our job is to help our people get safely to Jesus. This, in part, means shepherding them to the very end.

Max Phillips joined Park Baptist Church when he was fourteen years old. He remained a member of the church until he died at 99. We had breakfast together once a month for ten years. He wasn’t afraid to tell me things he didn’t like about what I was doing, but I knew he loved me. When he died, it hit me harder than I expected. He was 99. It was supposed to happen. I knew it was coming, but I still wasn’t ready. I realized that in God’s kindness, Max had become one of my closest friends. As I tried to minister to his soul, he cared for mine. I still miss him.

Max came to Christ under B. F. Hawkins’s preaching and served the church faithfully for years. One Sunday, Max stopped me at the door, looked me dead in the eyes, and said, “Preacher, our church is more alive today than it’s ever been.” My prayers were answered. The longer I pastor, the more I cherish those saints.