8 FAITH focus  PASTORS Continued from page 1B


B


most pastors,” she said. For her, making a clean break from


her last congregation means tough choices—like ignoring emails from former parishioners who express con- cerns related to the church. Some retirees do return to the


churches where they last served, after a period of one year. But when firm boundaries aren’t established, prob- lems often arise. “There are horror stories,” said Dr.


Holbert. “People still want them to baptize their grandchildren and marry their children. Sometimes the former pastor really does begin to take over, to try to guide the church back into the vision he or she had as the senior pastor.” The Rev. Russell Gallimore, a re-


tired pastor, belongs to Aldersgate UMC in Jackson, Tenn., along with two other retired United Methodist pas- tors. When a new pastor arrived sev- eral years ago, he seemed a bit intimidated by the presence of three retired pastors in the pews. So Mr. Gallimore invited the new pastor, the other retired pastors, and their spouses to dinner. “We had a sit down, to assure him


that all three of us were here to wor- ship, to be of help if he wanted, but not be in the way,” he said. “We prom- ised we’d be supportive and positive, no matter what. It freed us to know we had shared that, and as a result, we didn’t have to walk on eggshells.” When the current pastor arrived


two years ago, the Gallimores hosted another dinner and a similar conver- sation.


This kind of frank communica-


tion, between the retired pastor and the current pastor, can head off prob- lems. As Mr. Gallimore says, “It helps take that fence down and makes a bridge.”


A similar meeting over lunch


helped the Rev. Daniel Minor smoothly transition from pastor to parishioner. After retiring from Parch- ment UMC in Parchment, Mich., in July, Mr. Minor was careful to make a “clean break” from Parchment. When he and his wife, Jolene, began attend- ing Otsego UMC, he took the pastor out to lunch. “I told him, ‘I’m not going to come


in and take over the place,’” he said. “’I’m there to do anything you want me to do. Or, I don’t need to do a thing.’” Mr. Minor recalled the pastor’s re-


sponse: “I want you to be my mentor, and I want you to write your own job description.” With the pastor’s bless-


‘As far as


most folks are concerned, when we’re retired, we’re dead.’


—The Rev. Reagin Brown


ing, Mr. Minor steps in to help with pastoral visits and preaches the occa- sional sermon.


Giver to receiver Mr. Buck remembers the first Sun-


day he took communion after retiring. “When I went up to receive the


sacrament, that was the moment when I realized I was redefining my role,” he said. “I was becoming not the one who administered the sacrament, but who received it. That was the hardest part for me.” Moments like those can prove jar-


ring, even for pastors who have planned and looked forward to retir- ing. While many annual conferences offer workshops to help prepare finan- cially for retirement, most pastors find they are on their own when it comes to the psychological transition. On her initiative, Dr. Holbert, 64,


enlisted a therapist, spiritual director, her husband and a covenant group of fellow female clergy as she weighed the decision of when to retire. “I can’t imagine making a big


change like this without these strate- gic helpers,” she said. And it was a big change. Dr. Hol-


PHOTO BY LANE GARDNER CAMP


After retiring, the Rev. Russell Gallimore began competing in Senior Olympics.


bert remembers emerging from a day- long meeting shortly after retiring. A colleague had an iPhone full of mes- sages and 30 emails waiting in her Inbox— but Dr. Holbert’s was empty, and had been for hours. “I thought, ‘Oh. This is really dif-


NOVEMBER 4, 2011 | UNITED MET HODI S T REPORTER


ferent,’” she recalls. That’s a familiar experience for


many newly-retired pastors. “When you retire, the phone stops


ringing,” said Mr. Brown. “As far as most folks are concerned, when we’re retired, we’re dead. It kind of punched my ego. But then I laughed about it and went on.”


An interim step Some retiring pastors find they


can ease into retirement more smoothly by moving into part-time or interim pastoring appointments, at least for the first few years. The Rev. Karen Alden, 65, retired in


July, but opted for a part-time ap- pointment as pastor of Woodlandville UMC, a small church in rural Roche- port, Mo. Going from full time to part time,


she said, was easier than going “cold turkey.” “I can’t imagine that I could stop


doing what I’ve done for this many years,” she said. “I knew I needed to slow down, but I love what I do. I’m not ready to give it up.” Mr. Brown really didn’t want to


make the leap from pastor to retiree all at once either. After retiring in June, he took a few months off, then accepted an interim pastor position at Cahaba Heights UMC, in Birming- ham, Ala. “When you’re the pastor in a local


church, you’re the ‘owner,’ but when you’re an interim pastor, you’re more like a ‘renter,’” he said. Mr. Gallimore retired in 1998, but


has served as an interim pastor in three different churches in the years since. An interim pastor position “is a


different kind of relationship, because the pressure’s not there,” he said. “It’s more freeing. You still feel useful— you can love and care for the congre- gation. But you know you can walk away if you need to.”


Passing the mantle In a ceremony that’s become tradi-


tional at the Missouri Annual Confer- ence, the Rev. Michele Sue Shumake-Keller marked her retire- ment in June by “passing the mantle” to David Hutchison, who was being commissioned on the ordained min- istry track. “I was gratefully and joyfully ready


to pass on that mantle,” she said. “I wasn’t burned out, but I was ready.” She’s moved to a new home, and en- joys visiting churches as she shops for a new church home. “I can sit there and just be a regu-


lar worshipper,” she said, “and that is delightful.” Many retirees who’ve made the


transition successfully agree that find- ing happiness in retirement means


PHOTO BY FRED KOENIG


At the Missouri Annual Conference Session, retirees “pass the mantle” to newly commissioned people on the ordained ministry track. Here, Michele Sue Shumake-Keller passes the mantle to David Hutchison in June of 2011.


finding new ways to serve. Mr. Gallimore, 76, edits a newslet-


ter for retirees in the Memphis Con- ference (along with his wife, Carroll) and another newsletter for volunteers at a hospital where he is a chaplain, competes in the Senior Olympics in a variety of sports, and until last year led a specialized ministry teaching church members to drive church buses, which requires a special li- cense. He quit only because, at age 75, insurers prohibited him from driving the buses. Mr. Gallimore’s motto: “It’s better


to wear out than rust out. I try to fol- low that as long as I’m able. After 41 years in ministry, Mr.


Minor, 66, can’t say enough about the


joys of retirement. “It’s the one of nicest things that


ever happened to me,” he said. “I’m walking on air.” Mr. Minor says enjoys his freer


schedule and no longer having the need to multitask. Still, he’s busy. Since retiring in July, he began training for a 5K race and started writing a weekly devotional for a local shoppers’ guide. Recently, Mr. Minor found himself


mashing squash for the church’s an- nual harvest dinner along with other volunteers in the church kitchen. “I never had time for that sort of


thing when I was the pastor,” he said. “I’m having the time of my life.”


mjacobs@umr.org


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