When I met Pastor Paul Barton in the early 2000s, he had officially retired from his position as associate pastor of Twin Lakes Church. So in preparation for today, I consulted the most popular source of so-called superior knowledge and truth out there - ChatGPT. I asked it to list some of the things pastors should do when they retire. Here are the top 3 best answers to it: 

1. Enjoy some well-deserved rest and relaxation: After years of serving a congregation, a retired church pastor may need to take some time to rest, travel, and pursue hobbies and interests that they may not have been able to fulfill while in active ministry. If anyone should be enjoying some rest and relaxation after his many years of faithful ministry it should be Pastor Paul. But anyone who knew Paul knew that was the absolute last thing Paul wanted to do. He served God with every ounce of energy until his last moments on earth, which would eclipse those half his age. So far, I don't think this ChatGPT answer is that great. So let's look at the next one: 

2. Continue to stay connected to the church community: Retirement does not mean disconnecting from the church community. Retiring pastors may still choose to participate in a number of service, activity, and volunteer opportunities to stay connected and support the new pastor and the mission of the church. I think ChatGPT’s answer this time is correct. After his retirement, Paul remained in contact with Shuanghu Church, regularly attending services and meeting with other serving pastors and staff. He also continued to serve the body of the Church by visiting and ministering to church members and friends in the Dominican Hospital. Here is the third suggestion: 

3. Mentoring or Counseling: Many retired pastors have decades of valuable experience and wisdom to share. They may provide consulting or teaching ministry to other pastors or church leaders who may benefit from their insights. It’s worth noting that I think ChatGPT got it right this time too. This last answer resonates with my personal experience. In the early 2000s, I was asked to serve on the board of directors of our church, First Baptist Church of Watsonville. I expressed to my parents at the time that I did not feel capable of serving in that position. After all I was only 30.  I wasn't old enough, I was just a young man. But my parents told me that I should pray about it, especially that they also prayed that I would get a mentor who was qualified. Paul is God’s answer to these prayers. At the time, Paul was counseling my former business partners, Dr. William Adams and his wife, Dr. Kathy, and Paul had just become a patient of mine. So, during one of Paul's medical appointments, I explained my situation to him and asked him if he would meet with me about it and lead me in my new role. He graciously accepted, and so began our nearly twenty-year friendship. At that time, Paul had a prayer breakfast meeting that he attended every Thursday morning. After the meeting, he went to the Dominican Hospital next to one of my clinics to visit church members, and then stopped by my office every other week to pick me up and have dinner together, and this became our regular lunch day gathering. During lunch, we would discuss various issues, and through the performance of a young church leader, my church colleagues also indirectly felt his deep influence. Especially as a lay leader who was able to gain a deeper understanding of things from a pastor’s perspective, Paul provided me with insightful, biblical, godly wisdom. Our discussions sometimes extend beyond the church to other aspects of life. At the end of lunch, he would take out a small pocket-sized daily planner and write my name down for the Thursday two weeks from that day. And so it went, and we continued to see each other almost every other Thursday for the next 18 years, even after I was no longer a young man and an older so-called elder, even after his dear Nelda passed away, and even after There was no interruption during the pandemic until the Thursday before his death. I don’t want to bore you all with the things he helped me do, but during that time our small church went through three different senior pastors, two associate pastors, and five youth pastors at the same time. Looking back, it’s clear that God didn’t just use Paul to guide me personally, He used Paul to indirectly influence the entire church congregation. I was not only a direct beneficiary of Paul’s time and energy, but it also indirectly benefited our church in other places. So in his "retirement" years, Paul continued to do the same thing he had done before his "retirement" - faithfully fulfilling the ministry of a pastor. Only in this case, he was not only shepherding me, a lost sheep, but he was also shepherding a group of other sheep. 

So I'm somewhat unfairly using ChatGPT to ask those initial questions I had earlier about retiring pastors, because actually, from Pastor Paul's presentation - that's not what retirement is all about. But I will not apologize for this because I have never believed in this so-called artificial intelligence. Rather, the Bible is the source of true wisdom and truth. I have to stress this, the Bible never talks about retirement, but it does talk about doing it perfectly. When we think of examples of things done perfectly, there is no better example in scripture than the other Paul. The apostle Paul, who was chained in a Roman prison and expected to be executed, wrote this to Timothy: "I am now being poured out as a drink offering, the hour of my departure has come. I have fought a good fight, when I have finished my race, I have kept the faith. From now on, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, who judges righteously, will give me on that day; and not only will it be given to me. , and to all who love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:6-8 

Our friend Paul Barton has fought the good fight. He has finished the race. He kept his faith. I can imagine the huge crown of righteousness that greets him in heaven. Paul meant the world to me and I miss him terribly, but I am so grateful that he is finally home. Over the past few years, I have known that he longed to see the Lord and his dear wife Nelda. It almost became a joke between us every week because I was slow growing up and God needed Him to continue to guide me and He still had to be around me. So, thank you Paul for your patience, and thank you God for giving me an example of a godly servant who never retires, but who strives to be perfect.