Of 4,331 lead pastors in the USA/Canada Church of the Nazarene, six men or women are nonagenarians. That is not a new sect or denomination. Nonagenarian is not the same as non-denominational. Nonagenarian is a person between the age of 90-99. There are currently six pastors, 90 years or older, who are still active lead pastors in the Church of the Nazarene in USA/Canada. Wow! 

That’s impressive. I’d like to meet these nonagenarians. I have some questions for them. 

• Have they been pastoring their whole adult life?
• Is this a second career? A third career?
• How do they stay relevant?
• Do they consider those church members in their 60’s as the “youth group”?
• Were they ordained by Hardy Powers or GB Williamson?
• Do they ever catch themselves saying, “When I was a kid back in the Great depression…”?
• At District Assembly do they ask to give their pastor’s report first, just in case they are in heaven before  District Assembly adjourns. (There have been times I’ve prayed to be in heaven before District Assembly adjourns). 
• Do they call Dr. Jim Diehl to preach a revival so their people can hear from someone younger (Dr. Diehl will be 87 on his next birthday and is still preaching). 
• The Bible is always fresh, but do they run out of new stories to tell when still preaching in their 90’s?
• Do they consider anything written by Fanny Crosby as “contemporary music”?
• When they read Caleb’s self-description in Joshua 14, “I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then” (Joshua 14:10-11); do they think, “wait until he gets a little older then he will know…. Blah, blah, blah…”
• Are they still pastoring because they can’t afford to live on their social security or meager Nazarene pastor’s pension?
• Have they inquired about the special provision in the manual that states: “If a pastor has been pastoring since before the presiding General Superintendent was born, their church gets a free pass on paying it’s World Evangelism Fund (Note: that’s NOT in the Manual). 

My real questions are: What lessons could they share about pastoring? What’s the secret of pastoring at 90+?

Will I be pastoring when I am 90 years old? Both my parents died at 83. My odds on hitting the 10^th decade of my life aren’t good. I’m not going to lie, now that I am in my 60’s I have an eye on retirement (with both boys and more importantly our only grandson living in Kansas City, Karla has her eye on that grandbaby). One day (probably long before 90), I will retire, but I hope to never stop serving Jesus. I want to serve him until he calls me home. Should God Almighty call out, “who will pastor this church?” and I’m still kicking in my 90’s, like those six Nazarene pastoring heroes and Isaiah, I hope I will say, “Here I am send me” (Isaiah 6:8).