How retirement and Young Life can go hand in hand.
Is my life making a difference in retirement?
It’s a question that many find themselves asking in this next chapter. We desperately want to know that we still bring value to the world around us. To some, this may sound like a challenge to solve; to those of us in Young Life it’s an amazing opportunity to meet people where they are and talk about this idea of “mattering.”
In a January 2026 Wall Street Journal article, “The Retirement Crisis No One Warns You About: Mattering,” Jennifer Breheny Wallace defines “Mattering” as “the sense that we are valued by others and that we have value to add to the world.” She adds, “It’s useful to think of mattering as having four main components, captured in the acronym ‘SAID’: feeling significant, appreciated, invested in and depended on. These ingredients offer both a diagnosis — why retirement can feel destabilizing — and a solution for strengthening your mattering span at any age.
“More than 11,000 Americans turn 65 every day. By 2030, one in five will be of retirement age. As we live longer, sustaining a sense of mattering has become a defining challenge of aging.” Furthermore, those who are not prepared for the realities of retirement, or experience a lack of “mattering” in their post-work years have a much higher potential of post-retirement depression.
Before we go any further, it’s important to pause and note that from a biblical perspective everyone “matters,” regardless of age, their contributions, or how much others depend upon them. As Ephesians 2:10 says, “… we are God’s handiwork …” and Psalm 139:14 reminds us all people are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” The truth is that people matter, regardless of age, occupation, or anything else.
At the same time, what Jennifer Breheny Wallace is calling out is our personal need to steward our time, experience, and skills well. She’s speaking to a God-given desire to invest and be invested in, to be needed and depended upon, to not simply settle for success when we can continue to experience significance in service. Quite simply, to have our retirement years glorify God and add value to others.
Again, what an amazing opportunity Young Life has to meet those in their post-work years right where they are! Just think of the myriad ways a retiree might find meaningful involvement in the mission today if those at all levels of leadership are mindful of them. Consider the incredible service retirees might bring to mission growth and sustainability as we create spaces of significance, appreciation, investment, and dependability!
Examples to Emulate
When asked what retirement has been like for her after serving on Young Life staff for 39 years, Pam Moore says, “I have found retirement to be incredibly meaningful, fulfilling, and freeing.” As Pam approached retirement, she began asking the Lord that invitations and opportunities might come and she’d be open to hearing and receiving these invitations. And, they did! Since leaving full-time Young Life staff, Pam has engaged in many life-giving opportunities. Among them:
- Leadership Coaching
- Participating in the Young Life Widow’s Way, including serving together as work crew at Woodleaf during the Young Life EurAsia Friends and Family Camp, as well as joining 11 other women on a service trip to Armenia “to do a retreat at Young Life’s Pioneer camp for young war widows.”
- Being on the Ukraine Action Team
- Helping with The Good Way in the U.S., Canada, and Africa.
- Serving on the planning team for former staff luncheons in Colorado Springs.
- Leading a women’s Bible study every Friday morning for former Service Center staff.
In all of these opportunities, Pam says, “My involvement keeps me connected with the Lord, connected with my passion, and connected with wonderful friends. I choose to do this because after serving on the full-time staff for 39 years, I have a great love for the ministry and the impact it’s having around the globe. I feel all of these invitations and opportunities give me a place to continue to use my God-given gifts and to find great joy, meaning, and purpose.”
Similar to Pam, Brent and Amy Wolff retired after serving full-time with Young Life for 42 years, 25 of which were in camping, both overseas and in the U.S. When asked about their experience in retirement, Amy is quick to point out that “it really comes down to each individual and their desires and need for purpose.” In Amy’s words, “Some of our friends, after working for Young Life for years, actually welcomed seeing a ‘new thing’ the Lord was going to do with their lives; and it didn’t always involve Young Life. But, the main thing was the same: serving others, walking alongside others, and celebrating all God has given them and is going to continue to do in and through their lives.” So, while Brent has continued to be pursued by Young Life in the context of his gifting and skills, and has volunteered his time and energy to camps in both the U.S. and abroad, Amy has found ways to serve with Young Life International and a few local Colorado Springs opportunities.
Amy is also quick, and wise, to mention that “Young Life isn’t always the thing that fills the void for every retiree. I do believe that looking beyond Young Life has been a very healthy thing for me, and that’s not a negative thing against Young Life, it’s just reality and allowing God to redefine who he desires me to be. There are so many ways to serve in our community, and I have been going more in that direction; however, when people show a Young Life interest, it would be great to have that conversation with someone and see if this is where God is leading.”
A great example of this is Dave Phillips, a longtime Young Life staffer who currently resides in Colorado Springs. Though Dave did start a quarterly prayer lunch for former staff in the Colorado Springs area and served as its leader for four years, he experiences “mattering” in retirement as he writes meditations based on Scripture for his kids and grandkids (he will have a printed book of 365 meditations by the end of 2026), and in the relational investment he’s making in his neighbors. Like a Young Life leader, Dave enjoys meeting with his neighbors one-on-one and via group activities. However, in reflecting on his time leading the former staff prayer group, Dave has noticed that “when a person retires from Young Life, sometimes they can feel like ‘I no longer know what is happening with Young Life.’ They might see others from Young Life at memorial services and that’s about it. A group like the Former Staff Prayer Luncheon keeps retirees in the loop and actively engages them in prayer for the mission.”
Finally, lest we think that volunteering with Young Life is only an opportunity for those who have worked for the mission, this recent article celebrating our 2025 Young Life Community Network awards features two couples representative of many more who have found meaning and purpose in giving their time, energy, and wisdom to Young Life.
So, What?
So, what are we in Young Life to do with this concept of “mattering”? And, what are retirees reading this article to do with this information?
“I do think it is important for Young Life to be actively looking for all kinds of ways to engage and recruit retirees. Retirees are people with wisdom, experience, resources, and lots of discretionary time to use as they choose and as they feel called.” — Pam Moore
“It would be helpful to do training that helps Young Life staff see how the meaningful involvement of retirees could be a great help to the area.” — Dave Phillips, who points out that many retirees like to travel in retirement, and if given the opportunity, will visit camps and serve both in-season and in preparation for the summer.
“Communicating opportunities and needs more often and clearly will never hurt. The main thing in retirement is to feel a sense of purpose; that you are needed and still have lots to offer. The other reality is to understand the need to be the ‘pursuer.’ We can’t always wait for someone to invite us into those spaces. It does take asking around, meeting with folks, and being honest with what you need, have to offer, and desire in life.” — Amy Wolff
To this end, I believe there are at least two takeaways for those connected to Young Life and those interested in “mattering” in retirement:
First, Young Life staff and committee have an unparalleled opportunity to meet retirees where they are and offer them meaningful ways to make a difference in the mission today. The possibilities are limitless, when we consider where and how a retired person might help the local mission, our camps, or our international efforts.
Second, retirees, whether they’ve ever worked for Young Life or not, have an open invitation to engage with the Young Life mission today! Regardless of whether you take us up on this offer, know that you matter. But, rest assured, if “mattering” is something on your mind, we have plenty of meaningful opportunities and we want and need you!
