Crisis of Younger Clergy
Monday, October 29, 2007
Lovett Weems and Ann Michel have just written The Crisis of Younger Clergy, a book that analyzes the results of both the Lewis Center for Church Leadership's study of clergy age trends from 1985-2005 as well as its recent survey of young adult (under 35) clergy. This is all new stuff. The study of clergy age trends came out in 2006, and the survey of young adult clergy took place in March 2007.
I recently reviewed an advance copy of the book, and it is really well-done. Weems and Michel offer a detailed picture of the crisis the church faces in regards to its young clergy (who now number less than 5% of elders), as well as suggestions about actions that can be taken in areas as different as recruitment & response to call, theological education & debt, and emotional isolation & the appointment process. If you are a young clergyperson and you read this book, a whole lot of it will ring true. Abingdon Press will be publishing it in early 2008, and I highly recommend it.
On a related note, I have continued to get responses on the issue of the UMC's candidacy process for ordination. One of the most revealing was this one from Kyle Roberson, who is in his final year at Perkins School of Theology:
"As a young person going through the ordination process I cannot tell you how often I have truly felt like abandoning the process b/c of my frustration with some of the very issues you point out in your article. I have also spoken recently with three young people who are 'lifelong United Methodists' who are now seeking to serve as ministers with non-denominational congregations in our area b/c they feel they don't have the time to 'waste' on the ordination process ... I strongly agree with your observation regarding the UMC's apathy towards the seminaries, and I would add that the same sentiment exists towards campus ministry programs across the country who are doing the hard work of raising up leaders only to watch them become frustrated and bound by a process that is supposed to be, in the end, the focusing and enriching journey one takes to discern how to serve God's people in ministry. I pray that those in the United Methodist system who have ears may hear these words and take them to heart as we prepare to meet for General Conference and discuss this issue among the many we have before us."
I recently reviewed an advance copy of the book, and it is really well-done. Weems and Michel offer a detailed picture of the crisis the church faces in regards to its young clergy (who now number less than 5% of elders), as well as suggestions about actions that can be taken in areas as different as recruitment & response to call, theological education & debt, and emotional isolation & the appointment process. If you are a young clergyperson and you read this book, a whole lot of it will ring true. Abingdon Press will be publishing it in early 2008, and I highly recommend it.
On a related note, I have continued to get responses on the issue of the UMC's candidacy process for ordination. One of the most revealing was this one from Kyle Roberson, who is in his final year at Perkins School of Theology:
"As a young person going through the ordination process I cannot tell you how often I have truly felt like abandoning the process b/c of my frustration with some of the very issues you point out in your article. I have also spoken recently with three young people who are 'lifelong United Methodists' who are now seeking to serve as ministers with non-denominational congregations in our area b/c they feel they don't have the time to 'waste' on the ordination process ... I strongly agree with your observation regarding the UMC's apathy towards the seminaries, and I would add that the same sentiment exists towards campus ministry programs across the country who are doing the hard work of raising up leaders only to watch them become frustrated and bound by a process that is supposed to be, in the end, the focusing and enriching journey one takes to discern how to serve God's people in ministry. I pray that those in the United Methodist system who have ears may hear these words and take them to heart as we prepare to meet for General Conference and discuss this issue among the many we have before us."
That is just one anecdote, but I think it speaks for the experience of many.
Labels: Clergy, Lewis Center for Church Leadership, Lovett Weems, Young Adults
posted by Andrew C. Thompson at 9:50 PM
7 Comments:
Andrew,
I've never been one to proselytize for my own denomination - Free Methodists - but I've been surprised at how many United Methodist students are interested in transferring! It's not a large number, only a few every year, and not all transfer. But when they hear how great a job our church - especially my conference in Southern California - is doing in recruiting and quickly empowering young clergy, they're amazed.
My conference has consistently brought in people under 30 into positions of church leadership, several of whom are from Duke. Duke isn't even one of "our" seminaries!
Granted, those young clergy aren't ordained right away. It's usually 2 years after seminary/divinity school before they're ordained elders, but they can still function as an elder in an appointed church.
If you guys, don't straighten up, we'll be happy to take you all ;)
I have a question about the book. Being a young clergymen, this book highly interests me, which mean I will probably buy it. But, does it 'bash' young clergy, or is it arguing that we are constantly weeding out older clergy?
Casey - Two words: Church union. The UMC and the FMC need to become one. Then y'all can straighten us out from the inside.
Curtis - No, the book does not bash young clergy at all. It is very sympathetic to what is happening with them, and it makes a lot of constructive suggestions for how the church can move forward. If you (or anyone else) is in any kind of a young clergy peer group, I would suggest it as a joint reading that would stimulate discussion and/or action.
Just to echo the statement that Kyle made. I recently heard an elder and a ds talking about the good job that a recent campus minister was doing at his new appointment. The statement by the ds was that the problem that this campus minister faces is that he is to good a preacher to stay in the campus ministry appointment for long. This is I believe the type of appointment that this person has wanted. What does it say about how we UM clergy feel about campus ministry when they say some one is "to good" to stay there to long.
Thanks for the heads up. I will anxiously await this book.
A campus minister friend of mine was pressed recently about the issue of UM students graduating from college and from awesome college ministries only to land after some months out of college in non-UM churches that connected better with younger adults instead of staying "brand loyal" and joining the UMC in town. His response: "It isn't my job to make sure the Wesley Foundation ministry is boring and irrelevant so they'll be prepared for that in a local UM church."
An institution-protecting response to the young clergy (and young adult for that matter) crisis in the UMC is to blame our young people for not staying around or for not being "Methodist enough"--whatever that means. A mission-oriented response might delve into why our "system is perfectly designed to get the results we're getting," as the business euphymism goes.
Thanks for the review. I def will read the book.
But help me out, what are the frustrations exactly, since appointments exist for those who want to be in ministry right away (Student appointments, Local Pastor, etc.) Is it the lack of mentoring and support in the process? Is it not wanting to minister under the discipline of supervision? Is it the limited opportunities for leadership in the conference/institution?
Yea, I'm an over-the-hill pastor. I've served several types of churches, but in none of them has ministry been "boring and irrlevant." I might not have been at the "exciting" appointments, and I've always had to adapt what I've wanted to do in the church with what the people were willing to do, but in every case I've met Christ in the midst of real human need.
Could be that we need to distinguish whether we expect ministy to be a "profession" or a "missional calling." If it is a profession, then we aren't out of line with other professions - that require extended education, Residency, and qualifying examinations. And with the professional status come the institutional perks, aka pensions, insurance and guaranteed appointments.
Maybe there will be a way to simplify the process, and I hope we can move in that direction at GC. I had hoped the ordained ministry study would move toward separating ordination and conference membership, but they backed off from that. And, honestly, unless we do away with guaranteed appointments, we really won't be able to lessen the qualifying process.
Complicated, but I'll be on the legislative committee (gbhem) and I really would like to see us take some positive steps in April. Keep the conversation going.
Stephen,
Thanks for your response. I think one of the keys is what you mention about guaranteed appointments - you are surely right that so much of the bureaucratic and complicated qualification processes are tied to that issue. After all, if you let in someone who is not bad but simply incompetent, you are stuck with that person. And I think a much greater number of people my age are willing to do away with guaranteed appointments. I know I certainly am. My understanding is that they were developed as a way to limit the power of a bishop, but I don't see that as near as much of a danger as the detrimental impact of incompetent clergy. If doing away with guaranteed appointments can help us both to discipline incompetent clergy and simplify the ordination process, I am all for it.
As to your comment about profession vs. missional calling, I think the general feeling is that the professional certification-aspect of the ordination process has simply gotten out of hand. You might look at earlier posts on both this blog and the Methoblog for mine and others' comments in this area.
Again, thanks for your thoughts!
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