D Day for Frank

My colleague Frank, in the neighbouring parish retires this week. He has been the parish priest there for 20 years.
It is interesting to note that people have very different takes on whether or not that is a good thing. Our new Bishop for example is one fo those who has had a number of short appintments. And people have different takes on that too.
Frank's ministry has been very steady and has allowed a stability to develop in that parish in a way that is not necessarily evident in most other parishes where the average incumbency is about 6 years. The extensive Church Growth research so popular in the 80s and early 90s tells us that the most "successful" churches in that movement have senior ministers in place for over 15 years.
It is rather sad that we have often seen long incumbencies as a problem rather than a goal. And while it is true that some parishes (one with which Frank and I were both associated in earlier days) have had incumbents who have stayed too long, the problem in our church is not that people stay too long but rather that they don't stay long enough.
We should give thanks for those who have been committed to long, stable service. We do not need to be uncritical of anyone's ministry...but we should not be irrational and assume that staying for a couple of decades in a parish, when the average priest is only in place for less than half that time is necessarily a bad thing.