Missions Service and Retirement

Years ago my mom had a friend who had been a missionary with a major missions agency; but back then retirement was not deemed a big concern. She went into missions as a single person. She eventually met a guy who was also a missionary, and they got married but too late to have children. Eventually they retired from missions service and returned home. However, they had essentially nothing saved up for retirement. He (back then working outside the home was more commonly a “he” thing) had to work in secular jobs at an age others were entering full retirement. The jobs were low skill and low paying since their service in the field did not leave them with much in terms of marketable skills back home. Sadly, her husband died rather early during this phase of their lives. This left my mom’s friend poor and with no children. She felt a bit bitter, to be honest, at her life experience. I am sure some people are ready to jump all over the, “Well… she shouldn’t feel that way.” Perhaps that is true… but it is understandable and is her right to feel that way. You and I might too in those circumstances.

Of course, missions service has often had an awkward relationship with retirement. I have heard so many people say “One never retires from the call of God.” I am not sure what people are really meaning when they say this. I do know a couple of missionaries— one in Japan, and another in Guatemala— who are serving in a missionary capacity still in their 90s. Is that what is being said? We hear stories from over 150 years ago of missionaries traveling to a different part of the world with their own coffin in tow. The likelihood of their (perhaps near-term) death was so high they were actively prepared for it. The coffin WAS their retirement prep. Such stories would often inspire people… but may have given an unhealthy understanding of missionary service. “Not retiring from the call of God” might mean to some that God’s call never changes. That seems wrong. Jesus called disciples to “follow him.” but then later changed the call to no longer follow Him literally, but now to be “sent out ones” (apostles). I would argue that the Apostle John may have changed calling another time becoming John the (church) Elder late in life. Certainly the Didache speaks of (traveling interchurch) Prophets changing calling to (settled intrachurch) Elders. But maybe the expression “One never retires from the call of God” is meant to be more… ummm… murky. That is, one always serves God wherever one is. Thus a retiree from overseas missions service may still be serving God… but in a very different capacity.

I don’t want to create a straw-man here. I am well aware that worldwide there has been a change regarding missionary member care (MMC). Most (I think most) would recognize that missionaries need to prepare for retirement and that preparation needs to happen from early in the life cycle of missionary service. But I know many cases where this does not happen. In New Sending Country missions, particularly, this is still not done in many cases.

For independent missionaries this is especially a challenge. When our church was talking about us being sent out by them on missions, the pastor was ‘very real’ with us in explaining that the church was not in a position to take care of our retirement. We assured him that our previous employment as engineer (for me) and nurse (for my wife) put us in a position to have money for retirement. I mean… not a lot of money, but enough at least that we will have something to help us later in life. Today, our retirement savings is a large part of the support that actually keeps us serving as missionaries. And it is enough for us to retire in the Philippines. Is it enough for us to retire in the US? Not sure.

Many years our finances were very tight. However, there were a few years where our support was quite adequate. If we did not have our retirement money waiting for us, we clearly should have set some of that support aside for retirement. Perhaps we should have anyway. Of course that takes a bit of discipline— discipline that may not come from outside accountability partners if one is an independent missionary.

We live in an era where one may serve on the mission field for 30 years, return back to the States, and live another 30 years or so in a state of being retired. As I have said in the past, when people like to say, “Are you ready if Christ returns tomorrow?” I like to ask “Are you ready if Christ returns in 800 years?” We should not expect a long life on earth, but we should prepare for it. I have seen many missionaries thrive when they return, transitioning into new and vital careers (religious or secular). In other cases, I have seen others embrace more of a traditional retirement but finding ways to serve God in this new context. I have known others who decide that the mission field is their new home and never leave— serving or at least residing until death. These are all valid, but require planning and preparation.

I have also seen some who believe that “living by faith” entails not really planning for the future. Does that work for some? I am sure it does. The Apostle Paul seems to have managed to get his retirement funded by Roman penal system. I feel few would consider this great planning (even Luke seems to me to find this plan dubious).

As is commonly the case, this post goes all over the place. Summing it up, I think that someone going into missions should plan and prepare from the beginning to:

Serve well and faithfully AND Retire well and faithfully