We need to mobilize older saints for ministry. Active service for Christ is not limited to what younger people can do. Too many of us assume that only the younger and stronger among us can do “real ministry.”
It is true that many older believers don’t staff most church programs well. Their physical strength is often quite limited, and so then might their participation be. Health issues can cause them to be unreliable. For some, just attending church is difficult. But this should not give us low expectations for older saints.
Older saints might feel like it is expected of them to “retire” from spiritual ministry and simply coast on to the end. I have heard some say as much. They think themselves too limited. They think too much about what they used to be able to do instead of what God would have them to do right now. Or they have embraced the idea that is summarized in a statement like this: “I put my time in. It is now time for the younger people to do their share.” Such thinking is tragic for them as well as their local church.
God intends to use older saints in valuable ministry to strengthen His church. Some of us need to be awakened to how important their ministry can be.
The Lord Places Emphasis on the Value of the Ministry of Godly Widows
Paul wrote 1 Timothy from prison, purposing to teach about how the local church is supposed to function. He gave instructions about how to identify and ordain elders and deacons, how to deal with false teaching and false teachers, how Christian masters and Christian slaves are to relate, etc. He also gave much exhortation and encouragement, especially to preachers of the Gospel. The local church needs to understand what Paul taught here in order to be “a pillar and buttress of the truth”[1] (1 Tim 3:15) for God’s glory.
In chapter 5, fourteen verses are spent on a topic that some might find unusual: the care of widows in the church. Some of us have never seen a local church that had, or even needed, a widows ministry like Paul describes.
Widows throughout History
Then, and in much of the world today, widows have found it extremely difficult to survive, especially if she had children. Worthless men will often marry widows, looking at them more like a servant than wives, a “cheap deal.” Why are widows often so vulnerable?
Widows in many places have no real legal rights. Most men don’t want the children from another man, either. Widows often cannot find work, so many will marry whoever will provide some measure of security. In circumstances like this, widows are very dependent upon extended family. In order to earn their right to receive support from family, they will often spend much of their limited time and energy caring for their relatives’ children and grandchildren.
Widows in Uncommon Situations
In today’s wealthier countries influenced by Christianity, widows have many safety nets that most of this world’s widows do not: rights(!), social security, life insurance premiums, disability, savings for retirement, welfare, and/or veteran’s benefits. These widows can maintain independence and some security in life, something almost unheard of throughout most of history. And even when these women do need help from their families, their children often have enough means that the widows are not much of a financial burden.
When believers in such cultures read 1 Timothy 5, they struggle to understand what it says about widows, even thinking it is irrelevant to them. But this is far from the truth! There is much to glean from this passage for local churches and widows in every context.
Take the time to read 1 Timothy 5:3-16. You might need to read it twice.
Understanding 1 Timothy 5:3-16
What does the apostle Paul teach in these verses? He teaches us what a “true widow” is, the kind of widow that should be able to expect regular financial support from her local church. What does such a widow look like?
These are widows that: have no one to depend upon for help, no family to turn to; have a good Christian testimony; are willing to commit to serving Jesus through the ministries of prayer and serving the rest of their lives; and are about 60 years of age or older. Paul here teaches a kind of unofficial “office of widows.”
These are widows who are set apart by their local church for the ministries of prayer and hospitality. These women also are to help care for other widows, as well as any orphans that were in the care of the local church.
Local churches do have a responsibility to help their widows. However, those that meet these qualifications, the “true widows”/”widows indeed” (v.3), are given this special ministry and are prioritized for support.
This passage has many implications for godly widows. It also has many implications that apply to godly widowers and all older saints that are considered “retired.”
The Priorities of Prayer and Service Ministries for Older Saints
Older and dependent widows are not to be “shelved”, to be regarded as unimportant. They are not to be dishonored by younger believers. These widows must not use their time and energy to pursue pleasure. Instead, they are to serve God and the church through the ministries of prayer and helps. This passage expresses priorities that all older believers should have.
My wife and I recently profited much from the generous and kind hospitality of several “retired” men and women who helped meet our needs and fellowshipped with us while we were traveling among them for ministry.
The Prayer and Service Ministries of Older Saints is Valuable
Older saints, especially widows, often have the gift of time. There are so many things that they can no longer do, but there is one very important thing that they can do, and that is to pray.
Sickness, or just age, might place physical limits on what service they might do. But these older believers are not to look at themselves as somehow demoted or reserved for insignificant ministry. This passage teaches a calling for them, a calling to the vital ministry of prayer.
What if thousands of widows and other older saints embraced the ministry calling of prayer? What if multitudes of “retired” Christians had a vision for prayer for their local churches and ministries of the Gospel worldwide? What if many of those elderly Christians, who previously swallowed the world’s dream of pursuit of pleasure in later life, instead embraced serving their local church with their remaining time, energy, and possessions? What might God do?
Godly Prayer Warriors and Servants
We have known godly widow and widower prayer warriors, some of whom have already gone on to Christ. When their faces come to mind, or their names come up in memory, it is a blessing to our souls. God will reward them!
Some retired Christians understand that the extra time and financial independence they enjoy is an opportunity to pray and serve their families, friends, local churches, and missionaries. They give of themselves in ways younger believers cannot. What a tremendous encouragement they can be.
Older believers! Do you take your contribution to the ministry of the local church seriously?
Widows and Widowers! May many pastors, elders, and missionaries be upheld in strength because God used your prayers of intercession on their behalf. May many remember your kind service.
“Retired” believers! Embrace this calling of prayer and service and invest eternally by using your privileges for Jesus in your remaining days! May many see your faithfulness and be blessed.
[1] All Scripture quotations are from the ESV unless otherwise noted.
