2,964 Sundays — that’s roughly the number of Sundays George Golden has served as pastor. And at 88 years old, his Sunday morning routine isn’t much different than at 21, when he was planting his first church in Greenfield, Miss.
Now in Ventura, Calif., George arrives early at the Poinsettia Pavilion, a hillside event space overlooking the Pacific Ocean, where he is planting First Ventura Church. He meets with his core team and greets congregants as they trickle in. At 10:00 a.m., he takes to the stage to start the service and returns after worship to preach. After the Sunday gathering, George and his wife, Dorothy, linger in conversations until they are the last to leave.
“I’m exhausted just watching the guy,” says Kirk Overstreet, who serves as a Send Network church planting catalyst and attended First Ventura’s launch Sunday a few months ago. “At 88 years old, he’s still got so much stamina, and his wife is the same way. They have been a power couple all these years and are still making an impact for the gospel.”
Pastoring a 6th Church
Stamina is precisely what George prayed for when he forwent retirement for the third time, dedicating his golden years to plant what will be the sixth church he has pastored.
“I asked God and said, ‘I’m in. If you keep my mind sharp and my body healthy, I’ll keep going,’” he shares. “My friends retire. I would like to retire, but I just cannot keep the fire from burning in my bones to keep going. I searched the Bible over to find a place to give me an excuse to retire, but I can’t find it.”
What keeps taking George out of retirement and back into church planting is the tremendous need for the gospel that he still sees all around him. His prayer is to lead a church that is “alive” and reaching out to its community rather than a church that only focuses inward.
“He could have said ‘no,’” says Kirk, reflecting on what he’s learned from observing the Goldens. “He could have just enjoyed the last years of his life, but he responded to a moment where people needed to get saved and have a church.”
Golden Years, Golden Legacy
Before planting First Ventura Church, George was serving as the interim pastor of Fillmore First Baptist Church. In May 2024, he passed the baton to Send Network planter Ken Castellanos. As they have stepped into the replanting journey, the very church George once pastored has now become his Sending Church.
“They help me spiritually, and they’re just a good support. It makes a huge difference,” says George, who has over 65 years of ministry under his belt.
In fact, at this stage of life, that’s exactly what George holds most dear — mutual support and encouragement. He’s found that in the Send Network family in California, as pastors gathered to support First Ventura on Launch Sunday.
“I have the networking,” says George. “I have the plan on how to start a church, but all I need is their spiritual and emotional support, and they’re giving me that.”
Retirement Not an Option
When it comes to starting a church, George believes in following the principles of multiplication rather than addition. Every new person who walks into church has a group of people only they can influence and reach out to, so George encourages his congregants to reach out to the people in their circles, creating ripple effects of gospel impact in a community.
“I am realistic,” George shares. “I know I only have a short time to do what I got to do, so I’ll be training somebody under me to take over, just like I did in Fillmore.”
If God will allow him, George is praying to serve at First Ventura for two or three years — which just might put him over 3,000 Sundays as a pastor.
To learn more about how your church can join a movement of other churches committed to joining in God’s kingdom expansion through church planting, visit SendNetwork.com/Mobilize.
Published October 31, 2024