Once was a time when congregations that could afford full-time pastors and ministers had no difficulty with staffing. The hardest part was sorting through the large volume of candidates to determine who you believed was “called by God” for the job.
Today it’s not uncommon for churches with well-funded positions to receive little interest. One pastor recently shared that, three months after posting his church’s position, they had not received a single resume. Not long ago I consulted with two churches through their pastor search, both with healthy salary and benefit packages. Both searches extended for two full years. Churches unable to provide benefits or with non-competitive salaries find it’s taking even longer. And for bivocational ministries, available candidates are few.
But why? Why are there so few qualified candidates available to serve? I see four contributing factors.
First, there are not as many younger persons surrendering to vocational ministry to make up for ministers who retire or exit the field. Richard Ross, professor of youth ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, recently said that, when he began at Southwestern 20 years ago, his basic youth ministry classes would have around 30 students, all of them serious candidates for staff positions. Now, he may have ten. In a recent interview with Baptist Press, he said, “From my perspective, there are far more churches searching for student pastors than there are leaders available to serve. At any given moment, I expect that the total number of churches with funded positions exceeds the total number of student pastors by several thousand.” His counterpart in Southwestern’s school of church music and worship, Joseph Crider, gives a similar report concerning worship leaders (see The Baptist Paper article here).
The reasons for this are many. A majority of youth and young adults leave the faith soon after leaving home. The statistics vary, but Barna’s research suggest 3 out of five young Christians depart the faith after age 15. A smaller proportion of those who remain consider whether God has called them to vocational ministry, and fewer answer that call. Among those who do, many become church planters. They would rather start something new than reengineer a traditional congregation. Finally, because so many churches are plateaued or in decline, there’s little interest in preparing for a job that might not exist in only a few years.
A second factor is that, of those who graduate seminary, most don’t last, leaving even fewer candidates. A recent study by Duke University found that 85% of seminary graduates who enter ministry leave within 5 years. A more optimistic study by the Alban Institute places that number at 50%, still heartbreaking. The studies, as noted in the website Ministering to Ministers, agree that 90% of ministers will not stay until retirement. As the article states, “These ministers apparently left to preserve what was left of their families, their sanity, their health and their faith, but the costs to individuals, churches, and denominations cannot be overestimated.”
Third, and this is my personal observation, is that the typical congregation has not grown disciples to the point that they could “call out the called.” When was the last time you heard a pastor extend an invitation for men to consider God’s call to preach, or for anyone to consider vocational ministry or missions? And if they did, would there be people ready to answer?
Many congregations seem to have what I call a “low ceiling” for disciple making. It’s not their stated intention, but their discipleship practice would indicate satisfaction when members attend regularly, give, and avoid scandalous sin. The idea that “every member is a minister” might be stated, but it’s not where their pathways lead. The end result is a congregation made up largely of “religious consumers” reliant on staff to lead. God’s call to Christian service is considered a rare exception for the “super spiritual” rather than a call He places before all Christians. Few, therefore, consider whether the Lord is seeking more.
Finally, let me address the elephant in the room. There are places where committed Christians see how pastors and staff are treated, and others where respected ministers misbehave. In these places, were we to give an invitation to ministry, why would any right minded person, young or old, answer it?
Despite these factors, I see some positive developments.
Christians are answering God’s call to service. The age of beginning ministers is trending older, as adult converts, middle aged career changers, and new retirees consider Christian service and missions. At Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, for example, the largest single age group of students is 35 and over. So the Lord continues calling Christians to ministry leadership.
Many of those answering the call are committed to covocational ministry, which will be increasingly important amidst the changing church economy. As churches seek to reach a younger generation with different financial challenges than their grandparents and those grandparents pass on, most positions today staffed full-time will likely be conducted by covocational leaders, or even volunteers.
Finally, it’s worth noting that the most fruitful congregations of all sizes increasingly develop at least some ministry staff from within. And while this doesn’t give much hope for the church struggling now to fill a needed role, it does point the way to fruitfulness in the future. These congregations invite members to a “high expectation” commitment, a disciple making process with accountability and meaningful service. Such processes allow pastors and disciple making leaders to see members’ faithfulness and to coach their next steps, with many following into leadership and roles formerly filled by paid staff. Both new church plants and thriving traditional congregations give evidence that, ultimately, the resources for ministry are in the harvest.
So, what does the church do when they are dependent today on staff ministers whom they cannot find? Let me offer these suggestions.
First and foremost, pray. As Jesus said, at a time when the need far exceeded the resource, “Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers,” (Matt. 9:38). This isn’t just a quick prayer set someplace in a worship service. It’s an earnest cry to the Lord, by His people, for His provision.
Second, remember that, even with the position vacant, the Lord has given your church everything it needs to follow Him today. Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 12:18, “God arranged the members in the body, each of them, as he chose.” This means, until the Lord provides the right candidate for your position, you can deploy members in ways that meet needs today. We all love it when people show up, called, gifted, and well equipped to serve. When you have these people, put them to work! But every one of our churches would be stuck without the willing Christian who says, “I don’t know if I am able, but I’m willing to serve here.” So deploy the troops you have.
Third, rather than only relying on denominational job postings, seek out healthy congregations with a history of developing ministers and ask, “Is there someone in your pipeline or an associate on your staff ready to lead?” It’s possible to find someone who has experience as a junior leader on their team who would come and serve with you in a senior role. On the other hand, some would rather remain a junior partner on a healthy team than lead a less-healthy one, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Next, if the search runs long, ask if the Lord isn’t leading the church to adjust their expectations of the position. For example, maybe you can sacrifice experience if you have a candidate with a teachable spirit and pastor or other who can help them grow into the role. Often the expectations of the job don’t fit today’s reality, so a change in the job description may be necessary. And, let’s be honest, sometimes there are issues within the church that, when candidates discover them, they move on. If you haven’t addressed these before, do it now.
Finally, be patient. Deploy the members you have for ministry as you patiently await God’s provision. You might have to change how to do certain things, or when you do them. But never compromise integrity or core doctrine, or otherwise settle on a candidate you have little confidence in.
If the Lord wants your church to have this staff member, He will provide, in His time. Until then, exercise due diligence in the search; but, definitely make disciples. Develop God’s people! Then, whether God provides from the inside or out, your church is best positioned for its best next step.
Bro. Jim
For further insight into this issue, consider the following:
The Present Crisis for Church Stagg, Baptist News Global
Why there is a shortage of student ministers and what can be done about it. Baptist Press
Amid music minister shortage, training shifts to emphasis on theology. The Baptist Paper
The Aging of America’s Pastors. The Barna Group
Does an Aging Population Explain High Clergy Ages? Lewis Center for Church Leadership
Clergy Losses Are Massive. Ministering to Ministers
Six Reasons Young Christians Leave the Church. The Barna Group