A Year of Questions, Part 7: “How Old Are You?”1 min read

One of the reasons I love kids is because I love doing the things they do. I still feel young and want to play with Legos, have water fights, and run out into the street during a parade to get candy. On Sunday night I may or may not have been chasing kids around in the basement of the church building…and yes, I was walking the whole time (just really fast).

Anyway, people will often ask me how old I am. I’m not sure if this is common for all pastors of any age, or if people are not accustomed to seeing a younger pastor. The kids at church have also asked my age on several occasions, and I’m guessing that’s more common.

Birthday CakeAdults and teens tend to guess younger while children tend to guess older. When asked my age, my answer up until last week was 27. On the one hand, it feels young, but on the other hand, it feels old because 20 doesn’t seem that long ago.

Last night I was at a pastors and wives fellowship for pastors in Minnesota, and on the dinner table was an article describing the rising average age of pastors. In general, as pastors get older, there are fewer and fewer younger people answering the call to pastoral ministry. Indeed, I was the youngest person at the meal…probably by at least 5 years.

All that to say, none of us are getting any younger, but some of us are still younger than others. I’m thankful my church wanted to serve with them, despite my age and my inexperience compared to others. Hopefully, more churches will do the same, and I hope to see more people my age and younger joining the ranks of vocational ministry!

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