5 Ways to Embrace Retirement as Kingdom Work, Not Just Rest

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1. Put the power of prayer into action.

With fewer professional demands on your schedule, you have the valuable gift of time to pray for the people you know and about the issues facing our world. Prayer is powerful! Prayer is arguably the most powerful contribution you can make to God’s kingdom, because it can affect many people in significant ways, forever. The early church understood the importance of praying for all people, and you’re called to the same work. The apostle Paul urges Timothy and the church in 1 Timothy 2:1-2: “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”

Your retirement gives you opportunities to do just that. So, do your best to pray regularly for everyone and everything that concerns you. Dedicate a specific time and place each day to focus on praying. Establish a designated, quiet place where you can focus without distraction during a time that works best for you, such as in the mornings soon after waking up or in the evenings before going to bed. Move beyond just praying generally by creating a prayer list to keep track of all the different people and situations you want to communicate with God about. Include friends and family members, people in your church and local community, leaders around the world, people whose stories you learn about through the news, and important world issues like peace and human rights, etc.

Beyond your dedicated daily prayer time with God, have an ongoing mindset of prayer throughout each day. As concerns come to mind throughout your day, pray about them right then and there. Philippians 4:6-7 encourages you to pray in every situation and receive God’s peace when you do so: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

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2. Mentor the next generations.

You’ve accumulated a wealth of experience and spiritual maturity over the decades, and people from younger generations need to learn from you. Don’t underestimate the power of simply sharing your life story, your faith journey, and the lessons God has taught you along the way. The gap between generations can feel huge, but your life bridges that distance when you serve as a mentor to people who want to learn and grow.

There are many ways you can mentor younger people. Formal mentoring programs through your church or workplace alumni networks are a great start, but the most powerful mentoring often happens informally. Look for opportunities to consistently invest in a few people you know through your friends and family. Build relationships with those younger people, and plan to regularly give them guidance on whatever they tell you is most helpful for them, on topics such as spiritual growth, careers, marriage, family, health, managing time, managing money, and dealing with challenges. It can be helpful to plan a regular schedule of times to meet, such as getting together regularly for lunch or for walks.

Consider starting a small, intergenerational Bible study with a few younger people you’re mentoring, as well. In Titus 2:1-3, the Bible encourages intergenerational teaching: “You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.” This passage shows that your role is to model holy living to teach younger generations by your example how to live faithfully in every area of their lives.

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3. Learn and enjoy new spiritual disciplines.

Retirement gives you more time to pursue lifelong learning that can help you develop a closer relationship with God. Proverbs 19:8 points out: “The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.” So, try a spiritual discipline you didn’t have time to do when you were working, such as journaling or fasting.

You can also learn new ways to practice spiritual disciplines you’ve already been doing, like trying out different types of prayer and meditation practices to find what you enjoy the most when communicating with God. Since the Bible – God’s Word – is “alive and active” (Hebrews 4:12), there is always more you can learn about God, yourself, and others by studying it. So, instead of just reading the Bible, commit to studying it. Join a Bible study group and use resources like commentaries and cross-references to help you discover more about God’s messages to you through his Word.

Become a student of the Bible and aim to use the truth it features well in your life and in your ministry to others, as 2 Timothy 2:15 says: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” As you learn and enjoy new spiritual disciplines, you’ll experience God’s love for you in deeper ways, and God’s love will flow through your life to bless other people, too. 

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4. Serve consistently in your church.

Every church has needs that can go unmet because working families don’t have the daytime availability to help. You might be able to fill those gaps. Jesus points out the importance of stepping up to help with kingdom work when he says to his disciples in Matthew 9:37-38: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Could you staff the church office during the week, organize the library, help with facility maintenance, visit homebound members, or do another important task that needs to be done during weekdays? Ask God to show you how you can best help out. Then, free up some time you’d been using for something else that’s not as important to make vital contributions to your church.

The Bible reminds you in 1 Peter 4:10: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” Use your professional skills – accounting, technical support, administration, teaching, carpentry, or whatever else you do best – or God’s glory. Consider the skills that you developed during your career and look for where they intersect with your church’s needs. If you were a project manager, volunteer to organize a major church event. If you were an accountant, offer to help the treasurer with the church’s budget, or lead a class for church members on biblical money management. If you were a teacher, train the Sunday school volunteers.

The consistent time that retirement gives you to help makes you an ideal person to help with ministries that need reliable long-term commitments, such as children's safety protocols or managing communication channels. Retirement frees you to make contributions to your church family that will bless people in ways that are vital to God’s kingdom.

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5. Give generously.

Retirement gives you valuable opportunities to be a generous giver, so you can maximize your contributions to God’s kingdom work. Use your financial resources – such as your investment portfolio, savings, and real estate assets – as ways to move beyond regular tithes and fund something specific at your church (like a scholarship or a building campaign) by setting up a legacy gift that designates a portion of your estate for kingdom work that God leads you to support. The more generous you are, the more God may bless you as you bless others, as 2 Corinthians 9:6 says: “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

Besides giving money, it’s important to give time and energy by volunteering for kingdom work, according to the spiritual gifts God has given you to use. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7: “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” Romans 12:6 points out: “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.”

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what spiritual gifts you have, and how he wants you to use them in his kingdom. If you have the gift of wisdom, God may lead you to teach a class or serve as a volunteer counselor for your church after training. If you have the gift of mercy, God may lead you to use it to visit children who are hospitalized or volunteer at your local animal shelter. There are many other ways you can serve, according to the unique blend of personal strengths God has given you.

In conclusion, retirement isn’t a time to pull back from work; it’s a time to maximize the good work God has prepared for you to do in his kingdom. Don’t waste any of the valuable opportunities God brings into your life to contribute in the ways that only you can contribute. Use your retirement for all the important ways God wants your life to make a positive impact. What you do will lead to good that will last for eternity!

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