Leonidas should have retired from the pastorate. But he can’t do so. There really is no-one to replace him; the denomination’s seminary claims that they will have no potential replacement minister ready for at least a couple of years, and some of the other preachers in the little congregation have their own health issues and problems. Leonidas felt he had to get back to work, and somehow manages to preach, evangelise out on the streets, and give Bible talks at the refugee centre that the church is supporting. He knows he no longer has youthful strength, and says he is ‘nostalgic’ as he remembers his former vigour. Greece is no country for wimps as far as gospel ministry is concerned, and Leonidas is a stoic indeed. But we wish he could truly retire.

This Greek brother is not the only such case in EMF.  Two men who have supposedly retired but who have reduced neither workload nor responsibilities are José Rodrigues in Feijó, Portugal, and Evangelos Sikoutris in Patra, Greece. Neither would say that they have the energy they need. But neither feels able to step down from the pastorate. Who will replace them in countries where ministers are so scarce?

Our erstwhile missionaries (with pseudonyms ‘George and Florence’) to an ethnic minority in southern France, have just retired, and are currently working out where their future will be – in Scotland, or in Nantes, France. Although George was not involved in pastoral ministry, he and his wife know all too well that whichever church they might now join, either in Scotland or in France, the fellowship there will need all the wisdom and experience that the couple can contribute. They say they are not really ‘retired’, but ‘re-tyred’; in spite of ‘adjustment and uncertainty’, they are not at a loss as to how to carry on engaging in ministry.

And what about those due to retire in the next few years? Antonio De Noia (Peschici and Vico del Gargano, Italy), who is 66, will not get a pension until he is 69. His wife is ill, and he is often unwell, but nobody who knows about the situation in small congregations in Italy believes that Antonio will feel able to properly retire. He says: ‘If the Lord gives me health and strength, I wish to continue serving the Lord even after retirement.’ If you think that means intermittent pulpit supply and a few hours a month helping out at a seminary, you have probably never met Antonio.

Let’s look at Spain.  Pastor Luis Cano should reach retirement age in 2027. José Moreno, José de Segovia, and Matt Hill will reach their milestone a few years later. It’s true that there are pastors in the pipeline in Spain and Portugal, but probably not enough to make these men believe they can really retire as they would be entitled to.

We shouldn’t get the situation out of perspective, however, for if you follow EMF’s social media, or receive our ‘Vision for Europe’ magazine, you will be rejoicing with us (and oh, are we happy!) at the new blood flowing through the veins of the mission. The average age of an active EMF missionary has decreased markedly. For the first time in years, the birth rate per annum in the EMF family is higher than the death rate!  A couple of marriages have taken place in the missionary body quite recently, and there is a buzz of energy, optimism, and zeal in the air. The Lord has raised up many new workers - hard-working, focused, biblically grounded people who love their Saviour.

And yet … Europe is still such a needy place. As many of our men (and their wives) feel that they really must battle on, even when they are not at all well, we can only ask you to ‘pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest’ (Matthew 9:38).

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