ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Georgia
While acknowledging no minister of the gospel ever truly retires from service to the Lord, every pastor should consider how to prepare for his vocational retirement and the ministry God may have in his latter years.
Starting with the goal in mind — whether it’s more time with family, travel, ministry or a combination of those — and working backward to establish goals is important, said Shawn Dorrough, a senior retirement relationship manager with GuideStone®.
Dorrough presented this message to 100 Georgia pastors and their wives participating in a retreat sponsored by the Georgia Baptist Mission Board October 16–18 on St. Simons Island. The retreat, designed to help pastors “refuel, relax, refresh” included worship, preaching and encouragement.
“When it comes to confidence in having a comfortable retirement, only 23% of workers are very confident they are saving enough and 35% of retirees are very confident — we can improve those statistics if we focus on planning for our retirement early in our careers,” Dorrough said. “As a general rule of thumb, you should have at least 8 to 10 times your annual income saved by the time you retire, but your own circumstances may dictate more or less.”
Dorrough spends most of his week in Georgia serving GuideStone participants in the state. He said he welcomed the opportunity to get to know the pastors and their wives at the meeting.
“Our mission reminds us at GuideStone that we are serving those who serve the Lord with integrity and skillfulness,” Dorrough said. “Every opportunity I have to meet with pastors and sit down with them to make sure they’re ready for their retirement — whatever their future holds — is a true blessing for me.
“We are incredibly thankful to the Georgia Baptist Mission Board for setting up this retreat time for pastors and their wives and for making GuideStone part of this event.”
Tim Dowdy — the lead strategist from the Georgia Baptist Mission Board — expressed thanks for all who joined to make the conference a success.
“Our mission is to advance the gospel by investing in pastors and their families,” Dowdy said. “I believe the retreat is a great picture of teamwork among the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, the Georgia Baptist Health Care Ministry Foundation and GuideStone working together to provide resources and personal assistance to pastors and their families. I am so grateful for the financial support of the Georgia Baptist Health Care Ministry Foundation and the consultations Shawn Dorrough made available for each couple present for the weekend. The collaborative efforts of everyone involved was instrumental in encouraging pastors and their families in spiritual, relational, physical, vocational and financial wellness.”
GuideStone makes available retirement planning resources, articles and calculators on its website at GuideStoneRetirement.org.
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Roy Hayhurst is director of denominational and public relations services for GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention®.
Media Contact
Roy Hayhurst
Director of Denominational and Public Relations Services
GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention®
Roy.Hayhurst@GuideStone.org | (214) 720-2141
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