Discover Purpose. Embrace Possibility. Reimagine What’s Next.
“I thought I knew what I wanted in retirement, but NEXT Steps opened up possibilities I never considered.”
“This isn’t our parents’ retirement. It’s a reawakening.”
“I now see this next phase of life as a calling, not a question mark.”
These are just a few comments from people who have participated in previous NEXT Step sessions. Designed for those approaching, navigating, or newly entering life beyond full-time employment, NEXT Steps reframes it as a season of jubilee: a time for renewal, growth, and exciting possibility.
A great resource from The Center for Abundant Aging in partnership with Eden Theological Seminary, NEXT Steps is a transformative 16-week program that redefines retirement—not as an ending, but as a jubilee season of renewal, growth, and profound opportunity. Whether you’re preparing to step away from full-time work, are in the midst of that transition, or recently retired, this experience offers guidance, clarity, and community.
NEXT Steps is for you if:
- You’re nearing retirement and want more than just financial planning
- You’ve recently left a career and feel uncertain about what comes next
- You feel unmoored or adrift and are searching for purpose
- You’re curious, open, and ready to explore a life of deeper meaning
Over the course of a 16-week semester, you’ll participate in thought-provoking presentations, enriching small group conversations, and meaningful self-exploration. Through curated readings, podcasts, and videos, followed by interactive weekly evening Zoom sessions, you’ll gain the tools and insight to shape a life of intention and joy. The program culminates in a celebratory presentation.
Whether you come into the program with a clear plan, a few questions, or no idea what’s next, NEXT Steps meets you where you are. Past participants have discovered new paths they hadn’t imagined; affirmed and refined long-held dreams; or simply found clarity and peace through a supportive framework for discernment. No matter where you begin, you will finish with a renewed sense of purpose and a personalized roadmap for your later-life jubilee.
The fee for NEXT Steps breaks down to less than $32/week and is an investment in your future. Limited scholarships are available through the generosity of the UCC Pension Boards or Deaconness Nurse Ministries for those qualifying. Contact Jill Schantz at [email protected] to inquire about scholarships.
For more information, go to www.UnitedChurchHomes.org/blog/next-steps.
Program Facilitators
Rev. Beth Long-Higgins is VP of Engagement and director of The Center for Abundant Aging at United Church Homes and joined the NEXT Steps team in 2020. She is a trained facilitator with the National Center to Reframe Aging with the Gerontological Society of America and is a member of the American Society on Aging, where she sits on the Ageism and Culture Advisory Council and the Religion, Spirituality, and Aging Collaborative. Prior to her call with United Church Homes, she served as co-pastor with her spouse, Dave, for 25 years in two United Church of Christ congregations in Ohio and Kentucky.
Rev. Steve Lawler has been a part of the Next Steps team since 2019. He was the founding director of the Walker Leadership Institute at Eden Theological Seminary, retiring at the end of 2024. An ordained Episcopal priest, he led St. Stephens & The Vine in Ferguson, Missouri, from 2001 to 2019, transforming it into a vibrant parish and community collaboration hub. From 1990 to 2016, he was a part of Washington University’s University College as a faculty member and a program coordinator, teaching and developing programs in leadership, organizational development, and systems thinking.
Jill Schantz, coordinator of NEXT Steps, served as Director of LIFE Programs and International Student support from 2012 until May of 2023. She has been the director of NEXT Steps since 2021. A graduate of Eden seminary’s Master of Theological Studies program, she has directed programs focusing on Children, Civil Rights and Social Action, Economic Empowerment, Education, Environment, Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation, Social Services including as director of the American Youth Foundation’s Summer Women’s Leadership Seminars. She has served as director of Christian Education and the Hunger Outreach Program for Pilgrim UCC in St. Louis.
For more information, go to www.UnitedChurchHomes.org/blog/next-steps.
For Reflection (either individually or with a group)
Read the blog. Read it a second time, maybe reading it aloud or asking someone else to read it aloud so you can hear it with different intonation and emphases. Invite the Divine to open your heart to allow the light of new understanding to pierce the shadows of embedded assumptions, stereotypes, and ways of thinking so that you may live more abundantly. Then spend some time with the following questions together with anything or anyone who helps you reflect more deeply.
- When you think of retirement, what do you envision as being a successful chapter in your life?
- What do you think God is/may be calling you to do following the conclusion of your full-time employment?
- Do you believe retirement can be a time of renewal, growth, and exciting possibility?
Download a pdf including the Reflection Questions to share and discuss with friends, family, or members of your faith community small group.
About the Author: Kim Moeller
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