Pioneering vs. Settling

I had lunch with a ministry friend today. He is 69 years old and has been in full time vocational ministry for several decades. After his "retirement" he wasted no time in getting on to the next phase of his ministry. He started a whole new ministry focused on mentoring younger ministers in order to help them accomplish their God-given dreams with church growth as an immediate and long term bi-product.

While some choose to use their "golden years" as a time to sit on the porch swing and read the daily paper, he has chosen to continue to live a life of eternal purpose. My father-in-law would say that he is a pioneer rather than a settler. Pioneers choose to continue to go into uncharted territory and claim it as their own. Settlers sit on territory that has already been developed.

This concept has really been close to my heart recently. I cannot find anything in scripture that supports a settler attitude (spiritually speaking of course). In fact what I find in scripture is exactly the opposite, because I see a commanding of a pioneering attitude in regards to spiritual things, including ministry.

I just pray that I will NEVER be a settler in my spiritual life or in ministry. I pray that if and when I reach 69 years of age that I can sit at the lunch table with a 42 year old minister and try as best as I can to pour into his life and ministry. I pray that the passion I now have for church growth and health is 27 years stronger than it is right now. I pray that I will be as passionate for the direction the Lord wants me to head as the 69 year old man I sat at lunch with today.