What does it take to minister effectively to one congregation for thirty years? Are there secrets that could enable thousands of pastors to dismiss forever the thought of packing up and moving on? How can lay leaders stop worrying about the next pulpit vacancy?

To discuss these questions, LEADERSHIP brought together four veterans who have served their present congregations for twenty-seven, twenty-nine, thirty-one, and forty-one years respectively:

Bartlett Hess, pastor of Ward Presbyterian Church, Livonia, Michigan, since 1956.

Jacob Eppinga, pastor of LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan, since 1954.

C. Philip Hinerman, pastor of Park Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, since 1952.

Wendell Boyer, soon-to-retire pastor of People's Church in Beloit, Wisconsin, where he began in 1942.

Leadership: When you came to your current pastorate-who was president of the United States, and what kind of car were you driving?

Bartlett Hess: Eisenhower was president, ...