Bill Hennessy, author of "Purposeful Retirement."

Bill Hennessey inspires others to make retirement an impactful season

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For more than four decades, Bill Hennessey served as a pastor and missionary, traveling across the United States and to the far corners of Africa.

From church planting in Nigeria and Zambia to mentoring pastors in South Africa, his work brought hope, healing and spiritual transformation to countless communities. But even after 44 years in ministry, Bill wasn’t ready to coast into retirement.

Instead, he stepped into a new mission that calls upon all the lessons he learned through a lifetime of service. Now in his mid-60s, Bill is the founder of Clarify Focus, a leadership and transitional coaching practice dedicated to helping people navigate life after 50 with purpose, clarity and renewed vision.

“There’s too much in life to do,” Bill said. “It took a lifetime to learn what we’ve learned. Why would we not share that now?”

A lifetime of ministry and meaning

Bill’s calling to expand God’s kingdom started early and spanned continents. He lived and worked in Nigeria, South Africa and, later, in Missouri planting churches and raising up local leaders.

“I helped to evangelize areas, discipled pastors so they could evangelize others, and I loved every last bit of it,” he said.

But it wasn’t just about spreading the gospel. It was about personal transformation, too.

“You think Africa needs you, but you find out you need Africa,” Bill explained. “Your whole perspective on life changes.”

One of Bill’s most powerful experiences came in Western Zambia, where he accompanied a former student to a remote village that had never heard the name of Jesus. Bill was supporting the student’s missionary ministry.

“They were herdsmen, sleeping under the stars. We found one little boy and asked to speak to the chief. Soon, people were coming in from all directions,” he recalled.

“When my student said, ‘I’m here today to tell you the name of your God,’ the whole tribe stirred. Every hand went up to receive Christ,” he added. “The chief later told us a seer had prophesied a white man would one day come and tell him the name of his God. He said, ‘Today is that day.’”

The story still gives him chills and reinforces his purpose.

“If nothing else had ever happened, that alone would’ve made all the years in Africa worth it,” Bill said.

Turning the page after 60

As fulfilling as missionary work was, Bill began to feel a shift in his calling in his 60s. He recognized a gap in the conversation around retirement, particularly for the growing number of Americans who were stepping away from their careers, but not ready to settle into a life of leisure.

“There is an untapped workforce among people 65 and older,” Bill explained. “It’s so much more than just aging out of life. We have 20 to 25 years left. So, are we just going to spend that time watching TV and playing bingo on Fridays?”

That insight sparked Bill to launch Clarify Focus, his coaching initiative that helps people move through life transitions with intentionality.

“Coaching is basically a curated monologue,” he said. “You speak, I ask questions, and somewhere along the line, you get clarity. That’s when you clarify your focus.”

His work includes helping individuals recover from job loss, navigate retirement or transition through personal struggles, like divorce or loneliness. The most common theme he sees is a sense of lost identity.

“People retire and feel isolated,” he noted. “Imagine a salesman who talked to 20 people a day for 40 years. Suddenly, the only one he talks to is his golden retriever. That’s comforting, but it’s not human contact.”

Bill stresses the importance of maintaining meaningful relationships and adjusting expectations.

“You’re not going to be around people eight hours a day anymore,” he explained. “But how do you make the encounters you have really count?”

Embracing a new mission

Bill believes strongly that purpose doesn’t end when a career does. If anything, it’s a time to rediscover creativity, connection and calling.

“We’re made in the image of God, and he made us creative,” he said. “A lot of us packed away our creativity after high school. We’ve been functional, but we haven’t been alive.”

That’s why he wrote “Purposeful Retirement: Making the Next Season of Life Your Best.” It is a practical and inspiring guide that helps people reframe their later years with hope and direction.

“I wanted to walk people through the logic of having purpose beyond retirement,” he said. “Because God’s purpose doesn’t expire the day we pick up our first Social Security check.”

The book explores common misconceptions about aging and retirement, like the allure of early retirement or the illusion that we’re too old to contribute.

“Retiring at 52 and dying at 54 is not having purpose,” Bill said. “People plan for the financial side of retirement, maybe where they’ll live, but rarely do they ask what will give them meaning.”

“Purposeful Retirement” provides a roadmap for avoiding those pitfalls. Bill walks readers through topics like rediscovering identity, making peace with failure, mentoring others and building community impact projects.

“Sometimes we need to allow ourselves to fail forward,” he explained. “Maybe you bought a $300,000 RV and realized you hate travel. That’s okay. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again.”

From coaching to community

Beyond coaching and writing, Bill is also turning vision into action through a local initiative – a refugee welcome center housed in a Springfield church building.

“The building sits empty during the week, so we’re opening it up for international visitors,” he said. “We teach them English, help them shop and show them how to get a driver’s license. These are life skills we take for granted, but they can be transformational.”

His goal is to match volunteers – many of whom are retirees – with opportunities to serve in simple, but impactful ways.

“You might cook a meal, teach a class or just be a friend,” he said. “And in doing that, you rediscover your worth.”

He’s also passionate about succession planning and mentoring younger leaders.

“There’s a leadership vacuum in America. In churches, for example, 50% of pulpits will be empty in five years,” he said. “Older people need to train up the next generation of bankers, pastors, mechanics or whatever their field. Invest in them. Believe in them. And they will rise.”

Bill encourages older adults to get involved in mentoring, even informally.

“You don’t need to be an expert,” he said. “Even if your marriage failed, you can mentor someone by sharing what went wrong and how they can avoid those mistakes. God makes us strong at the broken places for a reason.”

Rewriting the story

Bill is quick to remind people that their stories don’t end at retirement. In fact, they’re often just beginning a new chapter.

“Our story didn’t end the day we stopped working,” he said. “God is still writing it and, probably, the best parts are yet to come.”

He challenges others to look around their communities for unmet needs and to simply take action.

“Don’t complain. Don’t wait. Just do something,” Bill said. “Start a club, build a life group around your hobby or teach a skill. The opportunities are endless.”

Whether it’s helping with a local nonprofit, teaching a young adult how to fish, or hosting meals for people living alone, Bill believes every act of service adds up to a life well-lived.

“We need to feel God’s pleasure by making ourselves available,” he said. “Ask God, ‘What can I do?’ And you won’t have to ask twice. There’s always someone who needs help.”

For more information

People can connect with Bill in several ways:

Bill’s book, “Purposeful Retirement: Making the Next Season of Life Your Best,” is available on Amazon and in other bookstores.

If you order Bill’s book from a link above, Forward From 50 may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

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