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The Church’s Response to Retirement – Dr. Robert Kolb and Dr. Dale Meyer

Tangible: Theology Learned and Lived explores the ways in which theology permeates all aspects of life. Through conversations with the faculty of Concordia Seminary, we will challenge you to deepen your theology and live out your faith in Christ. Jessica Bordeleau talks with a variety of guests on a variety of topics. There is something different in every episode, but all point to the intersection of faith and daily life. It’s tangible: theology learned and lived.

In this episode, Dr. Dale Meyer and Dr. Robert Kolb discuss the difficulties and surprises of retirement in the 21st century. “The church didn’t prepare me for it,” said Dr. Meyer “I didn’t know what to expect, and it’s been very difficult for me and my wife. It’s been a very hard transition.”

The topic of retirement is growing more and more relevant. According to The Alliance for Lifetime Income, 4.1 million Americans will turn 65 between 2024 and 2027. That marks the largest number of retirement-age Americans in history.

“Erik Erikson, the psychologist who talked about eight stages of life, said that the last stage of life starts at 65,” said Dr. Robert Kolb. “Today there’s a ninth stage of life (added by Joan Erikson) and the eighth stage is now a stage of further activities of one kind or another between 65 and 80. . . The church needs to be there in ways that we haven’t really thought about.”

You can find more episodes of Tangible: Theology Learned and Lived on CSL Scholar and across all major podcast platforms. Check it out!

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2 responses to “The Church’s Response to Retirement – Dr. Robert Kolb and Dr. Dale Meyer”

  1. Perry Schefelker Avatar
    Perry Schefelker

    Great episode. I retired the end of July, 2016. Then, we moved from Centralia to O’Fallon, Illionis. We found purpose in babysitting our 2 grandchildren from birth on, while their parents, our son and his wife, worked. Then, our pastor here retireded the end of Dec. and died of late stage cancer in April. (He did not know he had cancer when he retired.)

    I began helping with the vacancy in Jan. It is different being a vacancy pastor of a congregation AND being a member of that congregation after retirement.
    I’m thinking of using the pod episdoe in Sunday Bible Study; perhaps 10 minutes at a time and then sharing. Actually, the congregation never had Summer Bible Study. I have initiated a “Share and Care Fellowship Time” after the worship service. We share about our lives in the last week, and then respond to the impact one of the Scriputures for the day had on us. It has led to some deep sharing, inlcuding a couple of us sharing perspectives and grief of losing a child.

  2. Rev. Dr. David Stechholz Avatar
    Rev. Dr. David Stechholz

    Thank you, Dale and Robert. I appreciated your honesty and candor. I, too, had an initial problem with retirement, trying to help good Dean Wenthe in service part-time to Concordia College, Selma, Alabama, but that ship sank quickly. Thankfully, not only limited involvement in my “new” congregation in Detroit, but serving as English District Archivist after being Bishop/President, and Rotary proved to be great blessings. One of my CTSFW classmates, Luke Schnake, wrote a nice little tract years ago on “contentment.” I was reminded to reflect on contentment. Writing three books over the last four years, my Rotary club involvement, including in our community, and of course God’s infinite grace helped turn things around, especially writing a book on the English District during COVID. My wife learned braille on-line during COVID, since she volunteer at Seedlings Braille Books for Children. She had 40+ years as a Lutheran school teacher before retiring, and then jumped into a lot of volunteering, including our church’s sole Sunday School teacher. We’ve also done mission trips (MOST Ministries, etc.), together and separately.

    However, you are quite right. We do not prepare well our pastors, professors, and synodical and district bureaucrats for retirement. Parish pastors fare a little bit better, though as a DP I had to help some, upon retirement, not meddle in their former calls. Most, though, seem to find hobbies, and even engage in reading! Thank you, again, for your helpful podcast. God’s grace and peace be with you both, and your families.

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