In Prescott the main thing, besides evangelism, is church planting. One thing that I watched happen in recent years was to see older guys get stirred to do something for God and make themselves available to be sent out. They are good men, they had some success in pastoring, and evidently the fire still burned. So, pastor Mitchell being the visionary he was, would plant them out in the harvest field.
I watched three times where older men were sent, they worked hard for a while, and then they returned back to Prescott, usually with major health issues. Of those three, two have died. The third one is very old now. None of those men, once they had recovered, ever did anything again.
I had a guy who I knew who was like that. He told me how stirred he felt. He told me that he was ready to go again. I told him that pastor doesn't send out guys our age. I told him to be content doing the things that he was doing then. You would have thought that I had slapped his face. But he took my advice, and as far as I know he is still playing in a band and singing in the choir, and hosting a home Bible study group.
One thing that our Fellowship needs to do to deal with an aging church is to find a way to help older folks feel wanted. To appreciate what they have done while they are still alive. To encourage them to find something to do at home. And to gently discourage them from the embarrassment of being announced, launched, and brought home.
Young men see visions, old men dream dreams. Help our older men to have a dream that will sustain them.
Towards the end of any protracted war, the losing side often resorts to drafting children and old men. They are not good fighters. They are all that is left. That is no way to win a war.
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