Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. Acts 20:31

As we have discussed, these is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of how long a pastor should say in the same church. Pastors, congregations, and circumstances are all different.

As a young pastor I heard a more seasoned pastor I respected say, “Sometimes the pastor should go to a different church. The trick,” he said, “is for the pastor to know when it is time to go before the people do. Better to leave a hero than a goat.” I am not sure why those words have stuck with me, especially since I have served in the same church since January of 1985, over 37 years.

At this point, it would be most unlikely for me to leave this church to go to another church. First, because I do not want to go anywhere else. Second, what other church would want a man my age? The reality is, however, unless I die while pastoring this church, the day may come when it is time for me to step aside for a younger man to assume the responsibility of being the preaching pastor at GBC.

I want to preach until my last day. But let us pray that I will know when God wants me to step aside before the congregation collectively thinks I have overstayed my usefulness.

Until then, we begin Romans this Sunday. The last time I preached Romans there were 104 messages spread over 5 years. And since I hate not finishing what I have started, I have no plans of going anywhere soon! To God be the glory!