Students Flock to Seminaries, but Fewer See Pulpit in Future

[CornField]

ATLANTA — Among the important things Kirkland Reynolds has figured out in his three years in the seminary is that he does not want to be a church pastor.

...

Across the country, enrollment is up at Protestant seminaries, but a shrinking portion of the graduates will ascend the pulpit. These seminarians, particularly the young ones, are less interested in making a career of religion than in taking their religion into other careers.

Those from mainline denominations are being drawn to a wide range of fields from academia to social service to hospital chaplaincy, said the Rev. Daniel O. Aleshire, executive director of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. Students who are evangelical Protestants, meanwhile, often end up at advocacy groups, sometimes called parachurches, which have defined the priorities and solidified the influence of conservative Christians.

...

So far, the shrinking interest in pastoral ministry has not created a shortage of ministers in the mainline denominations, partly because they have adapted. The United Methodist Church has added licensed ministers, who have completed training programs rather than the seminary and who can perform the functions of an ordained minister except for participating in the denomination's decision-making bodies. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has long required seminary graduates to do three years of pastoral ministry.

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060317/ZNYT02/603170442

[opihimoimoi]

1. Licensed Ministers??? They are Trained to FOOL so they can RULE

[trotsky]

2. I'm not quite sure how...

...but I'm certain that this MUST be the fault of secular liberals. We're to blame for nearly every conservative/religious trend, from what I can tell.

[Javaman]

3. That's because there's more money in the private sector now...

by being the TV evangelist of the week while taking donations from the poor.

[Silent3]

4. We have production line efficiency for disseminating religion now

TV ministries, megachurches... who needs all of those preachers in the pulpits anyhow?

I personally don't need any of them anywhere, but that's another matter. :)