Calling

Jim Goodmann

Regional Director, Calling Congregations

LEAVE COMMENTS FOR THIS POST AT BOTTOM OF PAGE

October 06, 2007

LEADERSHIP AND VOCATION

Encouraging the Young in MinistryImagine a church where virtually all the clergy leaders are older adults, a church increasingly unable to connect with emerging generations and youth culture, a church with fewer and fewer children and youth. Unfortunately, we don’t have to stretch our imaginations very far to envision this scenario. Recent research by the Lewis Center for Church Leadership reveals that less than 5 percent of United Methodist elders are under 35 today, compared to 15 percent in 1985, and over 20 percent in the early 1970s. This trend is consistent with many other mainline denominations. What can be done to encourage more young persons to enter ordained ministry? Earlier this year, the Lewis Center conducted a major survey among young United Methodist clergy. The results demonstrate that the young clergy crisis is a complex and multi-faceted problem, not susceptible to simple responses or quick fixes. The quality and vitality of the church itself is an essential prerequisite to enlisting younger, quality clergy. Organizations tend to get the leadership they deserve not the leadership they need. Any questions or concerns about the quality of leadership might be addressed to the church, itself: why, for instance, does the contemporary church allow so many to ignore the call of God? Absent foundational efforts to make the church more open to younger candidates for ministry, increasing enlistment events alone will not solve the problem.Revitalizing Youth Participation in CongregationsVital youth ministry is one thread in the tapestry of a healthy church culture that will yield more young candidates for ministry. The Lewis Center identified three traits that characterize the young clergy: (1) they were involved in church as children (88 percent); (2) at least one adult had taken them seriously when they were youth (88 percent); and (3) they were involved in church during their high school years (87 percent.). Half of the young clergy surveyed had considered entering ministry before going to college, and 45 percent received their call in the context of their home church. Pastors topped the list of those who supported young clergy in pursuing their call.There are fewer young clergy today in large part because there are fewer children and youth in our churches. The decline in the number of young clergy in the United Methodist church since 1985, for example, has corresponded with a 34 percent decrease in the number of high school youth in church during the same period. The pool from which young candidates for ordained ministry are most likely to emerge is simply smaller.A first critical step in addressing the young clergy crisis is to increase the number of children and youth meaningfully involved in the church. Churches can revitalize themselves by prioritizing youth ministry, opening their doors to youth in their communities, listening and responding to young persons’ spiritual needs, and engaging youth in meaningful leadership roles. This is one important way the church serves as the accompanying community that nurtures young persons in faith, helps them hear and respond to God’s call, supports them as they prepare for ministry, receives them graciously as pastors, and mentors them as they develop their ministry skills.An additional challenge lies in prescribed denominational pathways to ordained ministry. To many young people these processes can seem foreboding and unwelcoming, often unrelated to the experience of call, even to the initial experiences of ministry that many have undergone. The rising cost of a seminary education is especially daunting, often requiring those aspiring to be pastors to amass tens of thousands of dollars in educational debt. How might churches and denominations help younger candidates surmount such obstacles? Working to keep seminary financially accessible is another important strand in the tapestry. First United Methodist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, has set a wonderful example of what a congregation can do for young clergy. Believing their church had a responsibility to support those starting out in ministry, their pastor Dr. Karl Stegall (now retired), initiated a Seminary Scholarship Fund. He recruited seminary student sponsors who agreed to contribute $1,200 a year for three years for a seminary student. The sponsors and students came to know each other. Over 200 seminary students from the Alabama-West Florida Conference have benefited from these sponsors over the past 23 years. In 2006, as Dr. Stegall was approaching retirement, several church members approached him about creating an endowment for the fund. This endowment has become the Karl K. Stegall Seminary Scholarship Fund. To date, volunteers have raised over $1.65 million dollars for this fund. It is a testimony to Dr. Stegall’s inspired vision of engaging laity in the active support of those who will be the future leaders of their churches.Mentoring MattersThe Lewis Center study also shows that mentoring is a particularly effective way to support those entering ministry – another way the church can better fulfill its responsibility as the accompanying community. Mentoring allows young pastors the opportunity to learn from more experienced ministers. The more personal nature of this approach amplifies what is learned because of the relational context. Giving those entering ministry more say in this process – for example input in the selection of mentors or the ability to choose continuing education topics – is another step in the right direction. It is also important to keep ordination requirements focused on spiritual and professional formation and growth, rather than institutional requirements. Such a focus will enable those in discernment to remain in touch with what first led them to ministry.Encouraging and Empowering Young ClergyFinally, churches can become more vital by openly embracing younger pastors and genuinely benefiting from their particular gifts and wisdom. Young clergy are becoming rarer at the same time that many congregations are becoming older. Because of this growing age disparity, young clergy can feel isolated, alone, and sometimes even disrespected. Just listening could be the simplest and most effective way congregational and denominational leaders can make ministry more hospitable to young clergy as well as to aspirants. Encouraging and providing opportunities for young clergy to connect with and support one another is another way to help young clergy feel more at home in their new ministry roles. More strategic deployment of young clergy in their early practice is arguably the best way denominations can use this scarce resource to enhance outreach among younger generations while at the same time helping young clergy to survive and thrive in ministry.In all these ways, congregations can revitalize themselves as they support and accompany young persons who are navigating the path into ordained ministry. Our embrace of the role of accompanying community is essential to assuring that the church continues to benefit from the gifts of called and committed young leaders.The full text of Lovett Weems and Ann Michel’s report is available at the Lewis Center for Church Leadership.