A New Mission for Our Retirement

PART THREE: Retirement – Now What!
A series for Boomers and Beyond

As we have looked at Samuel’s life of service, there are many characteristics that he exhibited that many of us also exhibit. We have lived our lives searching and seeking the Lord, growing in His knowledge, and studying His word. There is no reason for us to shirk the possibilities of the future. To aid us in our journey, we can have support from our local church body.

Should we have expectations from our church? Yes, just ask for and receive these:

1. Anointing for service – Lay hands on and anoint each boomer for what the Lord would like to do through each of us in this season of our life.
2. Specifically ask the Lord to send His Holy Spirit and quicken us.
3. Pray and ask for signs that the Lord is with us.
4. Be willing to design our own teaching material for those we are ministering to.
5. Form small groups that want to focus on the same area of serving in the local church or community.
6. Develop and demonstrate faithfulness.
7. Pray that He would teach us the good and the right way.

In a nutshell: fear the Lord, serve the Lord, and obey his voice.

We have tools at our disposal to help us move into advancement. Some of these tools are our life experiences, our knowledge of the Word, our strength of faith, and our commitment to the Lord. Another tool that can be very practical and helpful is a personal mission statement. Mission statements guide corporations, organizations, churches, and professionals worldwide. Why not our personal lives?

Personal Mission Statement for Advancement

To begin the process, it is important for you to give serious consideration of your areas of interest. A personal mission statement will give you a concrete direction to pursue in an area of personal interest. This will not only fulfill your desire to advance, but it will be personally satisfying and bring blessing to those you serve.

Who are you here to help?

Here’s an activity that takes very little time, but may help you narrow your search for your new journey. This activity is taken from the book, “The Path,” by Laurie Beth Jones. Many of the groups/ causes listed below are found in the Body of Christ. Life today for the Christian is filled with diversity of needs. Those who are best able to meet the needs of brothers and sisters around them are the believers who sit next to them on Sunday.

Below is a list of groups and/or causes. Circle the three that most attract you and then choose one that you would want to serve for a season.

This is just the starting point. However, learning how to write a personal mission statement is just as easy as completing this activity.

Conclusion

Retirement as a Christian does not mean we are to retreat from the needs in our local church or community. In fact, now that we are freed up from other demands by work, schedules, and children, we have the time to focus on what the Lord would like us to do for him. In order to start finding out what is ahead for us, we need to clearly understand the purposes of life ahead for us as Christians.

• The purpose of retirement for us is to discover God’s joy in our life by serving others and participating in serving others.
• The purpose of God’s retirement for us is to accomplish a dream while serving the Body of Christ joyfully.
• The purpose of advancement is to affect those in the local church and local community by serving and encouraging.

The purpose of advancement in retirement is to discover a way to affect and inspire the Body of Christ by demonstrating the value of a life dedicated to God. And by all means, enjoy your new adventures in advancing God’s kingdom.