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Leaders needed: Apply here

It has been predicted that the Church will have a shortfall of ministers by 2010 due to the number of retirements. Josephine Reader investigates the impact of an ageing minister population on the future of the Church.

As many of our congregation members move into their twilight years, our ministers are heading in the same direction. With ministers’ average age at 55, the upward trend in retirements is expected to continue. In recent years the number of ministers retiring has out-stripped the number graduating from the School of Ministry by about four to one.

Receptions from other denominations (both within New Zealand and from overseas) must be taken into account, as these help off-set the number of people retiring. With an average of just under four receptions per annum over the past five years – although with 11 requests last year alone, this average may be on the way up – there still appears to be a need for more ministers.

Convener of the Church’s Leadership Subcommittee the Rev Martin Baker believes that we will only have a shortage of ministers if the forms of ministry and number of parishes stay the same over the next decade and beyond. Mr Baker advocates liquefying some of our assets, such as investments and property, and using these resources to support the new forms of ministry that he believes are needed to take the Church into the future.

Assembly Executive Secretary, the Rev Dr Kerry Enright, suggests that the model of one minister serving one parish will be the exception rather than the rule in the future. He suggests that an increase in the number of part-time ministry roles, ministers who resource a range of congregations and localities, and ministers undertaking a different range activities are among the possibilities for how we will be ministering in the future. He believes that the Church should be “actively and assertively recruiting for new forms of ministry” now to help prepare for the next decade and beyond.

Congregations’ capacity to afford full-time stipended ministry is expected to be a significant factor shaping both the forms of ministry and number of ministers needed in future. While no detailed analysis has been completed, based on an estimate that income of $100,000 pa is required to sustain full-time ministry and mission, it is estimated that approximately two-thirds of our parishes may not be in a position to finanially support a full-time minister.

The financial situation of parishes is only one factor having an impact on retirements. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there are high levels of dissatisfaction among ministers with the current level of stipend. This may also be a factor in people retiring from ministry. A recent survey found that the stipend was not the primary source of income for 53 percent of Presbyterian ministers, which suggests that many people are choosing to use their training in other professional fields.

So, what is the Church doing to stem the flow of ministers leaving ministry? Mr Baker and Mr Enright both say that development of new ministry solutions for today’s environment is a big part of ensuring we have sufficient leaders to take the church forward in the future.

Mr Baker says: “We can’t continue with the same models that we’ve had. We need to think about fundamentally different ways of being. We need to be bold and courageous and make strategic decisions.” Some of the other things the Church is doing (or planning to do) to support the development of leaders in the future include:

A review of the stipend. This is underway and fi ndings are due to be reported to the wider church shortly;

Plans to remove the compulsory retirement age provision in the Book of Order, although this is subject to General Assembly approval;

Th e development of alternative ministry models, such as local ministry teams and local ordained ministry;

Updating the training models and material used by the School of Ministry to help prepare ministers for ministry in a changing environment;

A greater emphasis on training lay people for ministry. Encouraging more people to enter ministry is also part of the solution.

Mr Enright and Mr Baker agree that a proactive recruitment campaign to attract people to Ministry of Word and Sacrament is needed. The Otago University School of Theology reports that the number of people studying theology has remained relatively steady over the past ten years. While no specific data is available on the number of people entering ministry training across all denominations, anecdotal evidence suggests that there has been a decline over the past 20 years. So while people continue to be interested in theology, this is often not accompanied by a call to ministry.

Mr Baker says recruitment of ministers is one of the priorities for the Leadership Sub-committee. “Our overall vision is supporting ministry to enable the church to grow and flourish in the future, and this means we need to rethink the models that underpin our recruitment, training and support.”