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ONE-MINUTE COMMENTARY
In the mid-1970s, a new pastor came to my family's congregation. Thirty-five years old, he was married and had two young kids, soon to be joined by a third. He had first served as an associate for youth at a large church, and then as a regional director of youth ministry. Our medium-sized congregation was his first senior pastorate, and he stayed for 10 years before moving on. Our congregation loved him and his wife dearly and helped raise those children.
A quick glance at the news below reminds us that this vocational paradigm, once so common, is growing rarer. Most clergy today are older when they first enter ministry. Among mainline Protestants, new clergy are far more likely than in the past to be female, although women seem to face a "glass ceiling" when they apply for senior minister jobs in larger congregations. And many congregations now expect their clergy to be more "professional" -- with more training in pastoral counseling, greater financial acumen, more understanding of marketing and management techniques.
In some ways, theological schools are responding to this change. With modest but real success, some are finding ways to help young people once again catch the vision of ordained ministry, and others are helping graduates avoid the crushing debt that can hamper the move into low-paid ministry positions. But in other ways seminaries are helping to bring about the change. New programs cater to older students who cannot or will not spend three years in full-time study, and new majors build on the professional aspect of ordained ministry.
I'm torn by two conflicting temptations -- on the one hand, to pine away for the lost paradigm of young pastors with co-laboring spouses and parsonages full of rambunctious children, and on the other, to thank the Lord that today's clergy (male and female) are more experienced in secular pursuits, better prepared, and even more "professional," than ever.
But I'm going to resist both temptations. In fact, the church needs all kinds of clergy, and I'm glad that among North American theological schools, there is variety and vitality that recognizes each teaching opportunity and fills each ministry void. Let's give thanks for that.
--Jay Blossom
Editor, In Trust Now
CHANGING SCENES NOW
Six news items you may have missed.
1. A RETIRING PRESIDENT REFLECTS
At the urging of a colleague, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary's newly retired president, Frederick Reisz, composed a 22-point e-mail distilling wisdom won during his tenure. Find it here, reprinted in its entirety.
2. SEMINARY TO TEACH CHURCH MANAGEMENT
United Methodist businessman Don Curtis gives a $1 million dollar challenge grant to the North Carolina Conference of his denomination after encountering a sobering statistic: Half of all churches started in any given year fail.
3. DIOCESAN ASSETS GO DOWN; CATHOLIC YOUTH GET DOWN
The president of Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities (FADICA) says that even well-run Catholic dioceses with balanced financial portfolios are seeing declines in assets as high as 47 percent -- due in part to costs associated with parish schools and in part to a larger number of retired priests and nuns.
Meanwhile, 20,000 young people gathered to take part in a daylong Christian rock festival sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. "I love the bands," said one fan. "It gets God's word out and it's still just really fun to listen to."
4. WOMEN UNDERREPRESENTED AT HEAD OF LARGE CONGREGATONS
While women now make up more than 51 percent of theological school students, ordained women still face a "stained-glass ceiling" -- in mainline Protestant denominations, they make up only three percent of pastors who lead large congregations.
5. BRIDGING THE GENERATION GAP
To address the "staggering" drop in ministers under age 35 in the mainline denominations, the Fund for Theological Education hosted a conference for college and seminary students intended to dispel the negative myths about ordained ministry.
"Mentoring Youth into Life," an online course offered by Eastern Mennonite Seminary, seeks to bring elders and youth back into healthy relationship through spiritually centered dialogue.
6. NEW MODEL FOR THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION
A new Baptist seminary, founded by former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary president Russell Dilday, seeks to create a "theological chain reaction" with its unorthodox approach. The new school is training students in "teaching churches" in Texas and over the Internet.
More...
FOCUS ON... GOVERNANCE
Corporate leaders help themselves by helping nonprofits. College president balks at strategic partnerships; trustees move ahead with agreement with for-profit investors.
By joining nonprofit boards, corporate executives garner experience that they could not gain as members of for-profit boards. But nonprofit board members work hard, and there's little glamour to their labor.
Washington Post (no subscription required)
Transcript of online discussion with the article's author
Faced with an endowment too small to maintain Sierra Nevada College's standalone status, president Paul B. Ranslow chose to retire after only one year of service rather than follow his board's lead in pursuit of strategic partnerships with other organizations.
Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription required)
In October, Sierra Nevada College agreed to accept an infusion of cash from the Knowledge Universe Learning Group. In return, Knowledge Universe will obtain a degree of authority over Sierra Nevada that it says falls short of direct ownership.
Knowledge Universe, an investment group headed by Michael Milken and his brother, Lowell, will assume all the debts of the college, and will have the right to name a new board of trustees to oversee the institution once a final agreement is reached.
Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription required)
BLOGWATCH
Students and faculty members' blogs about theological education.
Blogs are informal online diaries in which bloggers and readers respond to each other, sometimes with colorful language. In Trust takes no responsibility for the contents of these blogs. Some are updated frequently; others less so.
http://sibboleth.blogspot.com/2006/11/teds.html
Daniel Kirk, assistant professor of New Testament at Biblical Theological Seminary, blogs about his school's search for a new faculty member.
http://commonplaces.org/?p=85
Paul Roberts blogs about the ministry of theological librarianship.
http://www.adrian.warnock.info/2006/11/interview-dr-albert-mohler-radio-host.htm
Blogger Adrian Warnock interviews Southern Baptist Seminary president Albert Mohler, asking him what he means by "a seminary in every church."
http://gettysburgseminaryblog.blogspot.com/
Gettysburg Seminary Blog, an example of an "official" theological school blog.
ON THE WEB... AUTUMN 2006 ISSUE
The complete text of the Autumn 2006 issue is now online.
Go here for the latest issue, including these highlights:
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