Why We Joined a Local Church after Pastoral Retirement

As most of the readers of this blog would know, we retired from full-time pastoring in March 2025.  It was never our intention to remain in the church where we had served, so as we prepared for retirement, one of the questions Roxanne and I often talked about and made our prayer was where we would join a church?

While it is my desire to help churches with filling in preaching and serving as an interim pastor, it was critical for us to have a "home" church.  As far back as early winter, we both felt we knew the place, but after we "officially" retired, we continued to pray to make sure.  Well, on April 30, we "officially" joined First Baptist Church Geraldine.  

I have always preached that church membership is vital to a believer's spiritual health.  I have said so many times as a pastor, I would minister to those who never joined the church as quickly as I would to a member.  I was called to serve people, and I didn't put a requirement on them for me to minister to them.  

But I also added that often, once a person joins a church, they feel more comfortable and a part of the church.  While my ministry to them would not change, they would experience a different spirit themselves.

As we were driving home after the night we joined, Roxanne and I both commented "how good this felt."  Wierd...right.  But understand, we have not done this in years and years.  Everytime we joined a church it was because we were the pastor and wife.  This time we were without a church family and even though we attended at Geraldine First several times, when we made the commitment to join, it was different.

I have often quoted the last paragraph of The Church Covenant: "And when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible unite with some other church, where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's Word."

Well, I hope I practice what I preached.  

BTW: Just this morning, Dan Reiland wrote his blog on 4 good reasons it's important to be part of a local church.  You can read the entirety of his blog here.  But let me list his four reasons:

1. We tend to drift spiritually when not connected relationally.

2. Christianity was never intended to be an independent endeavor.

3. Our shared gifts, talents, and resources make us stronger.

4. God ordained the Church as His organized plan for redemption.

I'm concerned that believers do not take church membership seriously enough. So, let me give you two more links to read about the importance of church membership here  and here.