BONUS BLOG: is it “ministry in retirement” or “retirement in ministry” or…?

I apologize, but I am unable to source this; anyone who can, please help. And with that I’m getting out of the way —-

“A Reflection on Serving the Church in Retirement”

These past four years of retirement have been anything but a full departure from ministry. In many ways, they have offered me the unique gift of standing with one foot inside the life of the Church and the other outside, looking in. From this vantage point, I have experienced both the familiarity of active service and the fresh perspective that comes from a bit of distance.

Remaining engaged while serving two small rural United Methodist Churches here in Oklahoma, has kept me connected to the heartbeat of ministry, including the relationships, the rhythms of worship, the privilege of walking alongside people in moments of joy and in seasons of need. At the same time, stepping back from the daily demands of a full-time local church appointment has granted me space to breathe, to observe, and to see the Church as part of a larger tapestry of God’s work in the world.

Retirement, I’ve learned, is far from an ending. It is an ongoing learning experience. It’s a season rich with new insights, fresh challenges, and unexpected opportunities. Freed from the constant pace of full-time ministry, I’ve been able to adapt and grow in ways I couldn’t have anticipated, discovering gifts still to be developed and perspectives still to be shaped.

In this middle place, I’ve found the freedom to explore ministries and causes I once didn’t have time for, such as engaging with ecumenical projects, community initiatives, and organizations serving beyond the walls of a congregation. I’ve been able to listen more, reflect more deeply, and appreciate the diversity of expressions in which God’s grace is made known.

Serving during retirement has reminded me that ministry is not bound by an appointment or a title. It is a calling that continues to take new forms, inviting me into deeper humility, broader vision, and renewed passion.

From here, with one foot in and one foot out, I see the Church in all its beauty and complexity, and I feel grateful for the chance to keep learning, growing, and offering what I can, wherever I am needed.

Here’s another poem inspired by my reflections:

“Still Leaning
Toward the Call”

The bones speak
louder now
in their quiet ache,
a creak
in the morning’s
opening prayer
but my spirit,
my spirit is still learning
new languages
for God’s whisper.
The mirror has grown
honest with me
silver at the edges,
skin like parchment,
but inside,
roots are pushing deeper
and there are green shoots
yet to come.
I walk slower,
but the journey
feels fuller,
every step pressed
into the earth
with intention
I have shed the sprint
for the steady walk,
found joy
in the long obedience,
in listening longer
than I speak.
And still
the call does
not grow quiet,
it changes keys.
once a trumpet,
now a low,
resonant bell,
it hums in my marrow,
invites me to bend,
to adapt,
to bear witness
not from the front lines,
but from the porch
of lived grace.
There is no retirement
from love’s work.
every day,
even now,
especially now,
I stretch
toward the light
like it is my first spring,
like God’s breath
is still warm
on the clay of me.