My Title Was Not My Identity

Titles inevitably change. Roles eventually end. But a person cannot depend entirely on a role to tell them who they are.

One of the questions people often ask me about retirement is whether I experienced emotional withdrawal after leaving the pastorate.

The honest answer is no.

I don’t say that casually, and I don’t say it critically of anyone who has struggled with the transition. I say it because, for many years, I made a conscious decision: I did not want my personal ide…