David Oorloff, who is retiring after 43 years in ministry, leads worship. David is a father-of-three and also has three grandchildren

Great memories as long serving pastor retires

After four decades as a pastor, David Oorloff is retiring. He told Direction about freezing scout huts, snowy car dealerships, clearing big debts and other adventures during his bi-vocational career.

How does it feel to be retiring after nearly 43 years in ministry? “It’s a time of mixed emotions,” says David Oorloff.

“It feels hard to leave the pattern of a life of ministry, but we know it’s time for a new chapter.”

David has been an Elim pastor since his early twenties, first leading Elim’s church in Crewe then moving to Woolwich Elim, working mostly as a bi-vocational pastor throughout his career.

The early years were something of an adventure, he says.

“My wife Marina and I got married in June 1980 and we began at the church in Crewe two months later,” he explains.

“I was 24 and she was 19 and we set up home with just a dining room table, four chairs and a bed. My father-in-law found us a washing machine for £50. We had no money to pay for it, but the same week a letter arrived with £50 cash inside. We still have no idea who sent that!”

David started out with a congregation of six in an old Methodist church building. His first leadership challenge came just weeks later when Elim’s purchase of the building fell through. The new pastor was given four weeks to find a new building and managed to rent a scout hut. Anyone familiar with 1980s scout huts will sympathise with his experience.

“It was so cold in winter I had to preach with my gloves on!”

Money was tight with the church unable to pay him, so David worked as a bi-vocational pastor. While Marina worked at Burnley Building Society, he took a job washing and driving cars at an Audi Volkswagen dealership. As with the scout hut, the job had its chilly moments.

“One morning we had around 25 cars on the forecourt and a foot of snow,” he remembers. “I was in the staff room having a coffee and the manager came in and asked what I was doing. ‘Get out and sweep the snow off them and wash all the cars!’ he told me.

“I stood by the cars sobbing to God, ‘Why did you bring me here?!’ My whole body was frozen!”

David was happy to see the church grow to 35 adults during his time there. As it grew it was able to pay him a tiny salary. But after five years he and Marina were keen to move to new pastures and start a family.

They moved to Woolwich in August 1985 with their one-month-old son, Matthew. Woolwich Elim was able to pay David a slightly higher salary, but the wage was still too low to support a family. David soon discovered the church was in financial trouble too.

“I found out they were borrowing money from Elim to pay me, but also that the treasurer was remortgaging the building every so often to pay our bills.

“I was aghast and decided this had to stop. I wasn’t afraid to work, so with our Regional Superintendent Michael Carr, we decided I would get a job while the church finances stabilised and our debts were paid.”

DEBTS CLEARED

David’s ‘temporary’ job in administration at Woolwich council lasted for 24 years, while Marina worked as a primary school teaching assistant, but in the end the church’s debts and mortgage were fully paid off and David was thrilled that £200,000 had also been invested at Elim headquarters.

“I’ve always been careful with church money because it is God’s and we have to be careful how we spend it,” he says.

During these years, David’s passion stayed strong for his congregation in Woolwich. He was offered the opportunity to take higher-paid roles at several other churches, but the response from an interview panel in Letchworth summed up his position: “Your heart is in Woolwich.”

In 2010 he was able to go full-time at the church and since then has enjoyed seeing its welcoming congregation of 15-20 nationalities grow from around 40 people to 120 pre-pandemic.

Now, as he prepares to retire, he is confident the strong interim leadership team he has put in place will successfully navigate the transition to a new pastor.

“They’re really great people – one is our finance officer, two can preach and the others are all in some kind of ministry. I couldn’t have achieved all we have without the support of Marina and our children.

“Being a pastor, you’re constantly thinking about people and what needs to be done – it’s not like when you work at a factory and can turn your machine off at the end of your shift.

“I loved being a pastor and I’ll miss it, but there’s no danger of me still asking to be invited to preach when I’m 80!

“God has blessed us. We have three children and three grandchildren, and over the years we’ve done what he’s called us to do, so we’re happy.”

This article first appeared in the June 2023 edition of Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.

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