A Pastoral Identity Crisis?!
Second posting in series on developing a theology of ministry.
It is clear that the ordained
ministry is experiencing an identity crisis.
Predictions of clergy shortages, brought on by a number of factors that
include the expected loss of large numbers of clergy to retirement as well as
by simple attrition, as significant numbers of clergy leave the pastorate because of stress and disillusionment, along with
dwindling numbers of people entering the pastoral ministry (especially among
younger people), are coupled with declining numbers of church members making it
more difficult for clergy to find congregations able to pay for an educated
professional ministry. Colleges that once focused on training young
people for vocational ministry can no longer sustain themselves by offering
courses and programs in ministry. Many
seminaries survive only because second career people are enrolling in larger
numbers than ever before, but many of these who are attending seminary do so
not out of a call to ministry but as part of a quest for spiritual answers to
life’s questions. Although some of these
seekers will enter the pastorate, not all do so. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many
seminarians look to the church only as a last resort. Those who choose to remain in pastoral
ministry often discovered that the ordained ministry is not a glamorous
occupation. For the amount of education
required the pay is often low and job security is often tenuous. In many ways it’s not even a very respectable
vocation. Few pastors or religious
leaders rank among society's most admired people. A Gallup poll suggested that only 52% of
Americans considered clergy honest, fourth among professions.[i]
Though we would like to think that
there was a time when the clergy were admired and respected, this vocation has
always ranked below higher paying and socially acceptable professions in terms
of attractiveness. Remember that in the
middle ages the oldest son got the land and the youngest son was sent off to be
a priest or monk. Frederick Buechner, a
pastor and novelist, describes three popular views of pastors or
ministers. The first stereotype suggests
that pastors are "nice people" who try to make sure you know that
they have their feet on the ground like everyone else. They try not to offend anyone. A second view offers that clergy "have
their heads in the clouds" and don't get too involved in the real
world. You get embarrassed around them
if you use "bad language."
However, they are supposed to have "a lovely sense of humor and get
a kick out of it every time you ask if they can't do something about all this
rainy weather we've been having." In this view pastors know their business is
religion and leave other matters (important matters?) to those who know
better. Finally, there are those who see
pastors being as "anachronistic as alchemists and chimney sweeps. Like Tiffany Glass or the Queen of England,
their function is primarily decorative."[ii] They do the marrying and the burying, but not
much else.
Pastoral ministry does not have to
live up to its stereotype of the holy person, who as Donald Messer suggests is
"a breed apart, oddly different from the rest of humanity, needing special
care and treatment." Equally
untrue is the stereotype of the pastor who is a "colorless, joyless,
sexless creature."[iii] Such stereotypes as these can make for
lonely, separate lives, but does the life of those who enter pastoral ministry
need to be like this? I don’t know about
you, but as someone who is ordained, none of these stereotypes sound
inviting! With such bleak perceptions of
ordained ministry, it is no wonder that so many are deciding for other more
rewarding careers.
Pastors are human beings. They are no different from their
parishioners, only their calling and type of ministry differ. They need a sense of financial security,
family time, relaxation, renewal. There
is no room for double standards of ministry or morality among God's
people. Whether we are clergy or laity,
though we each have our own ministries, the expectations of holiness and grace
are present for both.[iv]
Despite everything we read, many
still hear the call and respond to it.
Some hear the call as young people and begin preparing to take up their
calling early in life, as I did (although I did not enter the pastorate until I
was forty, thirteen years after my ordination.
Others hear this call much later in life, and make incredible sacrifices
to get their education.
If there is an identity crisis
brewing among those who enter pastoral ministry, how do we who have either
begun the journey toward ordination, or who currently are engaged in pastoral
ministry not just endure, but thrive? If
we are moving into a non-hierarchical age where, as Tony Jones suggests, the
church is flat, where do we fit? Or
putting it differently, if we start with the premise that ministry is something
that is shared among all believers (priesthood of all believers), where
ministry is rooted in one’s spiritual gifts, where does the ordained ministry
fit? Such a prospect can be threatening, but it can also open new opportunities
for ministry, so that those called to this form of ministry are not serving
alone, but do so as part of a much larger team of ministers. Yes, there may be need for the expertise and
leadership of a pastor or ordained minister, but what will this look like and
on what theological basis will this be developed?
[i]“Clergy Ratings at Lowest Point Ever Survey finds low
trust in the church” Christianity Today,
47 (February 2003): 21. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/002/12.21.html.
[ii]Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking, (San Francisco:
Harper-Collins, 1992), 73.
[iii]Donald Messer, Contemporary
Images of Christian Ministry, (Nashville:
Abingdon Press, 1989), 13.
[iv]Messer, Contemporary
Images of Christian Ministry, 13.
Comments
One anecdote: In discussing with a highly placed seminary administrator why pastor's who agree that GLBT's are wrongfully treated in our churches don't speak up, I said, "This issue for me is a hill to die on." His response: "Pastors today have no hills they are willing to die on." Pathetic!
If they are not among the elect, their perdition is unavoidable. Why not let them enjoy their delusional faith life in peace?
And if any of them are among the elect their salvationmismassured, and perhaps their chosenness will serve as a blessing for others who are less fortunate.
Bob has plenty of leash to "offend". I think you're wrong though Steven, and he's not actually intimidated by our small family.