Reflections on Transitioning to Retirement: 5 Years On… (Part 1)

This is a more personal post as I reflect on the 5 years that have raced away since I finished my time as Principal of Vose Seminary…

At the end of 2020 – now 5 years ago – I stepped away from 17 years as principal of Vose Seminary and embarked on a journey of transitioning to retirement. During the Vose era my working week was rarely less than 60 hours, so I thought if I aimed at a 40 hour working week it would feel like a significant and helpful adjustment – and I was right. You can feel quite tranquil when you work the same number of hours as most of the population.

My key question as 2021 dawned was ‘what to do with those 40 hours?’

In my closing months at Vose the answer had become a little clearer. Two good friends found themselves, like me, ready for a major change and willing to try something new. So it was that Jon Bergmann and Jennifer Argue joined with me in a conversation with the Carey Group who agreed to partner with us as we started the Avenir Leadership Institute. It was the start of a journey that in many ways has shaped my last 5 years.

Initially I continued with some part time lecturing at Vose (since 2021 the Vose Campus of Morling College) though today my engagement with theological education is limited to serving as a Director on the Council of the Australian University of Theology, acting as a second supervisor for a very talented PhD student, and the occasional paper in academic publications. While it’s satisfying to have a toe in those waters, it has been nice to discover a world outside of that sphere.

From January 2021 to the middle of 2025 I served as the executive director of Avenir, and what a time those four and half years were. Though the founding team had extensive experience in a range of Board and leadership positions, none of us had worked as consultants. We had no idea how to set fees (and initially set them unrealistically low), drawing up proposals for clients was a novel challenge, while pacing the erratic rate at which work tends to flow in the world of consultancy (think feast, then famine, then feast), was testing. We were committed to making a constructive difference for each of our clients, and by and large succeeded. With one client we were not able to deliver as much as we thought, and I remember the startled look on the face of the groups CEO when I said we would return a fair portion of our fee. ‘You really don’t have to do that,’ he said. ‘You did what you promised – it was our situation that changed.’ However, the partial refund felt right even though it was money we needed, and I have never regretted it.

Beneath that was a deeper question. Were we working for the sake of working, or to make a difference? Most (though not all) of our clients were Christian Schools, Faith Based Organisations, and Not for Profits. Their work is intrinsically meaningful and they are making a difference, so partnering with them to be more effective has been an immense privilege. But some projects were less inspiring, and left us wondering if our name was really written on them. Given that over 50% of new businesses in Australia close within the first 3 years, it felt as though it would be reckless to be too picky about what we said ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to. But it did make us think more deeply about our values and where we most wanted to place our energy.

These are the values we have now adopted to guide us in this decision making process. They inspire me, and I hope that in some way they can also inspire you as this year ends and 2026 begins. There are 6, and I have added a few comments on each.

One: Leave a Legacy: Build today – Inspire tomorrow. It’s a great sentiment, and as a 68 year old, one that constantly challenges me. Regardless of where we place our energy, none of us is the complete book. We are simply a chapter in it. Sometimes we can impact the next chapter and even the next, at other times we must be content to ensure our chapter is good, honourable and hope filled.

Two: Pursue Growth: Keep climbing – the view is worth it. Growth comes in many different ways. Often it is numerical, but growing in courage, faith, resilience and integrity can be as important. Ask what growth means in your stage of life. Whatever the stage, there are things to say ‘yes’ to, and others to walk away from.

Three: Listen Deeply: Hear beyond words. Understand beyond noise. So much is missed because we don’t listen for anything more than the obvious. Often we are ready to parade out an answer before we have fully understood what is at stake. Even more often we don’t see people beyond their ‘problem’. We might not fully appreciate how much their context impacts them and influences their thinking. Listen deeply enough, and you will see and hear so much more. You might even hear the voice of God speaking into the most complex of situations.

Four: Architect Change: Change isn’t a given – it’s built. Perhaps that needs a qualifier. Though change is a given (even if its only the context that changes), constructive change isn’t. We need to think carefully about the change that it needed, and then heed Gandhi’s counsel to ‘Be the change you want to see in the world.‘

Five: Stay Consistent: Trust builds one day at a time. The world has changed. There was a time when trust was the default. We all knew we might be let down, but we didn’t expect it and gave people the benefit of the doubt. I’m not sure that is the case anymore. Building trust is now a key part of being able to do anything worthwhile. So be consistent- for trust builds one day at a time.

Six: Think Anew: Flip the script. Rethink the rules. This doesn’t contradict the “stay consistent’ value. Actually, it is precisely because there are so many areas where fresh thinking is needed that we must think and act anew while consistently holding on to our essential values and virtues.

Developing this set of values was part of Avenir’s journey to its second chapter. No longer a start up, it is now more confidently taking its place in the market and is making an increasing difference.

During its first chapter we engaged with clients in 4 different countries and undertook projects in every state of Australia. We led many Board retreats, spoke at numerous Professional Learning days, developed a leadership ecosystem, produced video resources that have been used in well over 100 different Christian Schools, spoke to thousands of people at conferences, helped coach many significant leaders, guided several groups through complex conflicts, conducted many culture reviews, and helped many groups formulate courageous strategic plans for their future. It has been immensely satisfying to be trusted with such strategic work, and it has also been great fun.

But now Avenir has entered a new phase. For myself, the start of Avenir chapter 2 marked a second phase in my journey to retirement. With genuine pleasure and confidence I handed over the reigns to Jon Bergmann, who stepped into the role of Managing Director in July this year. He and Jen Argue are now the legal owners of Avenir and I continue to serve as an Executive Consultant, enjoying the coaching, training, Board and leadership consultancy I continue to do with and through Avenir. But it signals the second stage in my transition to retirement – a modest stepping back, with some time to ask myself what it means for me to ‘Leave a legacy’, ‘Pursue growth’, ‘Listen Deeply’, ‘Architect Change’, ‘Stay Consistent’, and ‘Think Anew’. Even more fundamentally it has invited me to ask what saying ‘Yes’ to Jesus looks like at this stage of my life and journey.

Here is where I am at the moment.

The Carey Group was the original owner of Avenir. After helping it through its formation stage, it handed the ownership to Jon and Jen and at the same time invited me to take on a 2 day a week role with them as Pastoral Theologian for the Carey Group. Though my job description is a little vague, it comes with a genuine invitation to speak into the spiritual and missional formation of Carey. It is an exciting assignment. Carey now employs well over 500 staff, and its diverse ministries touch the lives of thousands of people every week. It is also expanding into new areas of endeavour. I’ve helped conduct a spiritual audit of its ministries, trying to clarify what each ministry is attempting to achieve, what resources it uses to achieve this and how effective each is. Starting from where we are, we now need to ask how we can optimise our impact so that we can continue to build flourishing communities of hope where people are given the opportunity to say ‘Yes’ to Jesus (to loosely paraphrase Carey’s mission statement). There is more than enough to be done, and I am enjoying the challenge of deeply meaningful work.

Another part of my role as Pastoral Theologian is overseeing the work of the Centre for Faith and Life – a Centre Jon Bergmann and I helped found 5 years ago, and which now falls under the Carey Group. Operating with the vision of “Spacious Hearts – Curious Minds” it promotes “Faith without Fear” as it explores the future of Christianity, religion and the world. It has produced a number of helpful resources over the years – including the Stirrers and Saints Podcast. Though that podcast has now run its course (though many still download its episodes) we are currently working on a new one exploring Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Faith, as well as producing a series of video devotions based on John’s Gospel discussing everything from ‘Doubt and Devotion’ to ‘The Gift of Tears’ to ‘Love in Action’ and ‘Sacred Stillness’. My wonderful son-in-law Dr Aaron Chidgzey is assisting me with this and it is an absolute pleasure to work together with him (and do click his link above to find out about the exciting new business he has started). The Centre for Faith and Life has a particular heart for those on the fringes of faith, or who find conventional versions of faith difficult to embrace. Its work is still in the early stages, and I think we are only starting to scratch the surface.

From a work perspective then, this second 5 year block of transitioning to retirement looks like it will be shaped around 2 days a week as Pastoral Theologian and Director of the Centre of Faith and Life and a day and a half a week of consultancy work through Avenir. I also run a small consultancy business of my own for work that doesn’t fit neatly within Avenir’s remit (fairly often I get asked to undertake a theological consultancy, or to provide theological guidance through a divisive issue, or a church consultation – or sometimes to provide spiritual encouragement and inspiration). Naturally I do some voluntary work – including serving on the Boards of Baptist World Aid and the Australian University of Theology, and writing this blog. I also continue to preach at a variety of churches. I have been engaged with some of these churches for a number of years now and several feel like a much valued second, third and fourth spiritual family – even while Carey is my home church. I am richly blessed and deeply grateful.

So that’s me at work! 5 years into transitioning to retirement I find myself beavering away at one project or another for around 35-40 hours each week… well, to be honest, a little longer, but that’s because I am slowing down a little and can’t work at the pace I once did. I guess it happens to us all, though it can be frustrating when things keep taking a little longer than I anticipated.

I can hear some of you mutter in discontent ‘but you said this will be a more personal blog’ and you have only spoken about your work – about what you are doing. Who are you without work? And what about Rosemary and your family? And what about fun? And what have you been learning about God and the goodness of God?

These are all good questions – which is why this is just part 1 of 2. For a bit more introspection and my reflections outside of work, you will have to wait until Wednesday’s post…

Until then – nice chatting…

Photo by Josh Fernandes

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