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MINISTRY LEADERSHIP
Why Is There a Minister Shortage?
by Paul A. Baxley
During the last thirty years, the number of young people entering the ministry has greatly declined. Recently, the Baptist General Association of Virginia announced that for every three retiring pastors, only one young person entered the ministry. In most Christian denominations, the percentage of ministers under age thirty-five is about 6 percent, while clergy above the age fifty-five account for more than 40 percent. Thomas H. Graves, President of Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond announced several years ago that “the most serious problem facing the church today is the declining number of young people who understand themselves as called to ministry and the declining quality of that number.”
Why is this happening? Why are fewer of our young people discerning a call to the ordained ministries of the church? There is no single answer; the problem is intensely complex. For the purposes of this brief article, I want to suggest that cultural, theological, and congregational factors contribute to our present crisis.
The last three or four decades have witnessed dramatic cultural changes in the United States. An era dominated by the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War, and a series of political scandals has caused Americans to trust institutions less. The fact that some scandals involved religious leaders has certainly affected the way people view the church, and the church has not always responded prophetically or courageously to these larger challenges. At the same time, the position of the church in the culture has changed. Fifty years ago, the church occupied the physical and social center of communities. Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, and even Wednesday evenings were protected times. In their book Resident Aliens, Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon argue that the world as they knew it changed on a Greenville, South Carolina, Sunday evening in 1963 when the Fox Theater opened for business. It was the first intrusion into the church’s sacred space. Now, several decades later, almost no space is protected; recreational soccer leagues hold games on Sunday mornings. The church has been pushed away from the center of community life, creating a new situation that is not likely to change. How does that relate to the decline in the number and quality of people entering the ministry? In the 1950s, being pastor of the church was one of the most respected positions in town; the pastor was the leader of the institution at the cultural center. Now the church matters less, culture values the church less, and ministry has lost its prominence, making it less attractive to many people.
However, there are other causes as well. From a theological standpoint, the word “call” has also disappeared from the vocabulary of many churches. During the last year, other seminary faculty, staff, and students have joined me in visits to congregations in several states to talk to them about call. When we meet with youth groups and ask them what they think of when they hear the word “call,” they instantly respond by naming telephone companies, boyfriends, and girlfriends. Then, after a noteworthy pause, someone whispers from the back, as though they were prompted to do so, “Missionary!” Fifty years ago, when churches were growing rapidly, most young people in churches, through discipleship training and other ministries, would have understood call in a theological sense. That is no longer the case. If we do not understand the meaning of call, how can some of us discern any particular kind of call, including a call to ministry? This crisis means that we desperately need a new conversation about the meaning of call.
There are clearly also congregational causes for the shortage of good people entering the ministry. Conflict in churches, unreasonable expectations many people have of ministers, and low compensation when compared to other professions combine to form an environment that does not encourage people toward ministry. How many congregations actively or intentionally encourage young people to consider a call to ministry? When was the last time you approached someone who demonstrated the kinds of gifts the church needs? It is essential that churches seek to become communities in which all people can more readily hear God’s call. We need to help each other discover the ways in which God has gifted us, so that we can each find the way we can most faithfully participate in the mission of God and the life of the church. Call discovery is not an individualistic experience; rather, it occurs in communities of nurture and encouragement.
Many reasons contribute to the present crisis in the number and quality of people entering the ministry. The theological and congregational causes raise issues we can address. We will not be able to change the larger cultural forces. Such a time as this will be challenging for the church, but it can also be powerfully renewing. The way forward will not consist of a sentimental journey to bygone glory days. Instead, faithfulness to God’s mission at this time will require a new vision, prophetic imagination, compelling courage, and the best kind of leadership. Encouraging a new generation as they awaken to God’s call is the first faithful task of renewal.
Paul A. Baxley is director of congregational ministries at the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, Virginia, and director of The Samuel Project. To learn more about The Samuel Project, visit www.helwys.com/samproj
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