"Oh, my church (family) here, they are so wonderful," said Crouch, who just marked 50 years in the ministry. "And after so much time they become like family to you. Some say you haven't been a pastor in a church until you've buried their old and married their young. That's how it's been for me."
He and his wife Joyce are planning to move to Fresno, where Crouch will teach in the same seminary in which he was a student. He also plans to do some field representation, visiting local churches and ministries in the area.
"Coming up on 65, and celebrating 50 years in the ministry, I felt like it was time for something else," said Crouch. "I've always enjoyed seminary work - the teaching end of it - and I'm looking forward to a full and busy schedule."
The California native was raised in Vallejo and surrounded by a large family, which has produced 19 Baptist ministers. And it's looking as though another is on his way: Crouch's 18 year-old-son Zachary.
"When I went to seminary school, there were six of my cousins there at the same time, and it was very nice," said Crouch. "My son is going into the youth ministry, so it does seem to be a family tradition. It definitely makes us unique."
Over the past five decades, Crouch has watched the church experience the usual changes that each generation demands, from the music played in church to the dress of the congregation, even to the length of the sermons.
Crouch believes a certain amount of flexibility is necessary, but it is the change in the spiritual climate that has him most concerned.
"When I was a kid it was hymns in church, period," he said. "But that has changed to attract the younger crowd and that's good, I think. Of course, in the '60s it was the leisure suits and white shoes and mini-skirts. I would love to get rid of the tie, personally, but I feel I need to look a certain way. It's how you dress your heart that is really important, not what you wear.
"But it's today's fast-paced society that I think contributes to the shift in the number of men going into the ministry. Most of the seminaries' numbers are really down. I think some of it is the material factors, although we've made a nice living.
"But when I was growing up, our church was our recreation and our everything. I'm not seeing that so much these days. Even sermons have changed. It used to be that we'd say if he can't preach for an hour he's not called, but now it's 20 minutes at the most."
Still, for Crouch, the spiritual job of a pastor remains the same. "The job of a pastor is what the name implies," he said. "You're a shepherd, and if you know anything about sheep you know they're lost without a shepherd. That's really what my job really is."
Carissa Hernandez, 15, is one lamb already starting to feel lost. "Pastor Crouch is really easy to talk to and always there," she said. "When we started going to church he was there, and now it feels strange. I'm going to miss him very much."
Crouch's last official day as pastor was July 29. Since then the church has been inviting guest pastors to services and will eventually choose a replacement.
As for Crouch and his family, the run here in Oakley has been a good one. "It's been a real delight being a part of this community," he said. "The church has been so good to us. It's hard to leave, but we've been very lucky, and we take our friendships with us."
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