Retirement and Books

Better retirement plans and accounts have marked my generation of preachers. When I started preaching 51 years ago, most ministers did not have adequate retirement plans. They literally had to preach till they died, not only because they wanted to, but because they had to to survive.

Another mark of better times for Pastors has been the reduction in the number of parsonages. Being able to buy their own house has made a huge difference.

To me, one fascinating change has been the decreasing appreciation by Pastors for books. In my early years, books were a status symbol, tools of our trade as ministers. Now books are hard to give away. I left 900 behind when I left Second. Being able to study online made the value of books decline.

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