I’ve served as an ordained clergyman for years, and I’ve witnessed a painful, recurring pattern. It’s a pattern of good, faithful people waking up in their later years with a profound sense of shock and betrayal. The source of this betrayal isn’t God, but a dangerous misconception: the idea that the Church is an investment company.
We treat our time, money, and energy poured into church activities as if we’re buying shares in a spiritual mutual fund. We subconsciously believe that these deposits guarantee a return of material stability, health, and care in our old age. My friends, this is a devastating error.
The church is a body, a family, a hospital for sinners, and a conduit for worship and service. It is not your retirement plan. It is not your investment portfolio. I have seen too many retire from decades of dedicated volunteer ministry only to find themselves struggling, their needs met by their children or outsiders, while the church—as it must—moves forward with its mission. The thank-you dinner fades, the plaques gather dust, and the reality of life sets in.
This is a clarion call for balance, especially for those not called to full-time vocational ministry.
- Separate Your Relationship with God from Your Work for the Church.
Your salvation, your spiritual intimacy with God, is nurtured in the quiet place. It is built on prayer, scripture, and personal obedience. Church work can be an expression of that relationship, but it is not a replacement for it. Don’t let busyness at the church building fool you into neglecting the altar in your heart. God rewards faithfulness, not just activity.
- The Bible and Business Must Both Have Their Place.
Scripture commends diligent labour. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23). This applies to your secular profession with full force. To neglect your God-given skills and opportunities in the marketplace, imagining that unpaid church work is more “spiritual,” is to ignore a primary domain where God intends to bless you and others. Balance your service. Be excellent in your field. Let your business ethics be your testimony.
- Your Commitment to Yourself, Your Children, and Your Future is a Sacred Stewardship.
If you are not called to full-time ministry, do not fool yourself into living as if you are. God has given you the primary mission of your family’s well-being and the prudent management of your future. This isn’t selfish; it’s responsible. Planning your life is a spiritual discipline. Investing wisely, securing your health, and educating your children are God-honoring acts. To neglect these under the guise of “serving the church” is to outsource your God-given responsibilities to others, often your own children, later on.
- God Rewards the Labour of Your Hands and Your Wise Investments.
The principle is clear throughout Scripture: we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). Sow only in the church building, and you will not reap a harvest in your home, your retirement account, or your career. God’s provision often flows through the channels of our own diligent hands and wise planning. The time and energy you dedicate to building a stable future for your family is holy work. The money you invest for your later years is responsible stewardship.
You will be shocked in old age if you don’t prioritize and balance this now. The church will love you, but it cannot be your pension fund. The church will appreciate you, but it cannot replace the security built by a life of holistic faithfulness.
Serve God with all your heart in the church. But serve Him also in your home, in your office, and in your financial plan. Don’t conflate the mission of the church with your personal calling to provide and plan.
I found out that men don’t talk. One of the greatest pains in the aging process is that men don’t talk they die with their pains and their
frustrations and so nobody educates the next generation of men about what men pass through and men are not supposed to cry I had
one of my God-Giving son and uh was quite surprising to him most of the things that I was
sharing with him and he agreed with me.
As you get older you still have projects but the problem is that there is shortness of time, for your longevity in life is not guaranteed but subject to God’s Grace.
Your legacy should not be a warning story of misplaced sacrifice, but a testimony of balanced wisdom—a life that honoured God in the sanctuary, in the marketplace, and in the home.
Build your life on the Rock, not on the activity of the building. This is to encourage careful planning, wise investments, spiritual balance and taking care of family and health to Graciously enjoy a long meaningful life.
Thanks for reading. I pray the weeks and months ahead meets you gently and bring you moments of ease, progress and memorable wins. Shalom and life to you dear.
By E.A. Randolph-Koranteng (Rev)
Author of the Books ( Answering the Call into Full-Time Ministry) and (Tomorrow Happened Yesterday) both on amazon.com
