Never Too Old: Missions for the Middle-Aged

Mike came to know Christ after getting kicked out of college. As he read the Bible for the first time, he was disappointed to discover that all the interesting events of the faith had already happened in New Testament times. Modern Christians were seemingly just biding their time, waiting for Jesus to come back. Imagine Mike’s surprise and delight a few years later when he read his first missionary biography and discovered that God’s plan for the world is still very much happening today, in real-time, on every inhabited continent, with all the associated adventure and challenge.

About 80 million Americans are currently over 60, and they are staying healthy and active for longer than ever before.

By the time Mike discovered global missions, he and his wife Angie had several children and a roofing business. Several mission agencies turned down Mike and Angie. They were told they were too old to be missionaries or had too many children. And they didn’t have any seminary education. So, for the next several decades, they resigned themselves to supporting missions through their church, encouraging younger people to go to the field and dragging their kids to Perspectives on the World Christian Movement classes.

And then…

But God had another surprise in mind for Mike and Angie. As their children left home, they saw an opportunity to serve the Lord in a new way. In their early 60s, they joined Pioneers as second-career missionaries. Mike says they were “leaning on the door when it popped open.” They have now been reaching out to Muslims in South Asia for seven years and counting.

Mike and Angie aren’t alone. About 80 million Americans are currently over 60, and they are staying healthy and active for longer than ever before. A significant number of retirees are believers, and a lot of them are bored with classic retirement. One of the main prayers Jesus asked us to pray is for more laborers (Matthew 9:38).

Is God inviting us to question our assumptions about who is available and capable?

What if…?

Many church and mission leaders are concerned that young people today lack enthusiasm for the Great Commission.

• What if more of their parents and grandparents modeled a passion for the unreached?
• What if we mobilized across the full generational spectrum for the sake of the gospel?
• What if the Lord of the Harvest wants to launch a wave of second-career missionaries in their fifties, sixties and seventies into His global mission field?

Pathways for older adults

Pioneers is currently developing a pathway specifically to help older adults navigate their way to the world. We believe you can make your most significant contribution to missions in the later chapters of your life. At the end of their careers, many Christians have more time, flexibility and life experience than ever. Some are in a position to self-fund their ministry or raise minimal support. Many have developed professional skills and relationship networks that translate well into cross-cultural ministry contexts. And many are motivated to make their remaining time on earth count for eternity. Do you, or people you know, fit any of those categories?

Back to our beginnings

Ted and Peggy Fletcher, Pioneers founders, were a couple who, like Mike and Angie, were told they had aged out of missions. God made a way for Ted and Peggy to step out in faith, take some significant risks and start a new chapter by launching Pioneers in the second half of their lives.

For Mike and Angie, mission work in their sixties involves sharing the gospel with Muslim friends in South Asia, discipling local believers to reach out to their neighbors and supporting other church planters through administrative work.

For others, being a second-career missionary means continuing their career overseas with less stress and more emphasis on relationships. Some serve as mentors and advisors. Some have joined field teams as an extra set of grandparents to children far from their extended families.

Opportunities closer to home

As adventurous as that might sound, not everyone who serves with Pioneers moves overseas for an extended period. Many leverage their life experience and expertise in the U.S. Some volunteer at our mobilization base, help with fundraising, serve unreached communities in the U.S. or advocate for unreached people groups in their churches.

We’re also partnering with an innovative new ministry called Switchboard, which connects working professionals and retirees with global needs and opportunities, many of which involve coaching, mentoring or discipling people virtually.

Don’t let boredom be your lot!

There is no place for boredom at any stage of life in the kingdom of God. In a globalizing world, there’s a place for everybody in missions. It’s just a question of finding yours. We’d love to help you do that.