DR Responds After Deadly TN Storms, Sign Language Breaks Barriers to Gospel & Pastor Retiring At An Older Age

With Christmas just around the corner, many Tennesseans are dealing with the aftermath of a series of tornadoes that swept through West and Middle Tennessee on Saturday. At least six people were killed by the weekend storms.

DR teams responded immediately to the storms, and recovery efforts are underway. Emergency Management officials believe there were 13 tornadoes across the region Saturday.

When one tornado came through Hendersonville, Tenn., hundreds of people were in the building at First Baptist Church, preparing for the second of what was supposed to be three performances of “Christmas in the Ville,” the church’s annual Christmas production attended by thousands.

“Six-hundred to 800 people were in the sanctuary, in the foyer, around the building,” said Senior Associate Pastor Bruce Raley in a video posted Sunday.

Recovery efforts are ongoing.

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International Mission Board missionary Paul Yount sits just outside a crowded cafeteria. Inside the room, chairs squeak across the floor. A cacophony of voices mixes. Forks scrape plates. The ice in the drink machine crashes to the bottom of an empty glass.

He hears none of it.

More than 71 million people worldwide are Deaf, like Paul. Most culturally Deaf people have almost no access to Scripture in their heart language. Very few have ever had the Gospel shared with them. Most of the Deaf around the world have never seen Jesus’ name signed.

This IMB missionary connects easily with other Deaf. He is uniquely equipped to disciple them because he experiences the world in much the same way they do.

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The two leading presidential candidates in the polls today are 81 years old and 77 years old. In the Baptist Press Toolbox, Thom Rainer wonders if pastors are working until later in life as well.

On the surface, it does look like pastors are retiring at an older age. According to the research by the Faith Communities Study, the average age of a pastor is 57 years old compared to 50 years old in 2000. Compare that number to the median U. S. age of 38, and it does seem likely that pastors are waiting later to retire, he writes.
He cites a couple of reasons in the piece.

The older pastors are hanging around, he says. But there are fewer younger pastors available to replace them. There are approximately 400,000 Protestant churches in America. Many of them can’t find a pastor.

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