Rethinking Ministerial Ideals in Light of the Clergy Crisis
In: EcclesiologySearch for other papers by Paul Kolbet in
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Abstract
The profile of American clergy is rapidly changing, especially when gauged in terms of their increasing age and the small number of young people who begin ministry in their twenties. This article contends that the problem of recruitment is the result of a destabilization of the profession that has occurred in recent decades and has called into question the value of the clergy's traditional skills and knowledge. Understanding the real root of the crisis explains the prevalence of ministerial ideals that instruct clergy, above all, to use their profound understanding of their own life experience to make their ministry meaningful to contemporary people. Such an approach has a number of shortcomings, not the least of which is that it has little to say about how those who lack life experience are to be qualified for ministry. Rather than appealing to life experience, it will be more fruitful to focus on the recovery of the clergy's confidence in the intellectual content of their profession and the intrinsic value of its fundamental practices.
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| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Rethinking Ministerial Ideals in Light of the Clergy Crisis
In: EcclesiologySearch for other papers by Paul Kolbet in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
The profile of American clergy is rapidly changing, especially when gauged in terms of their increasing age and the small number of young people who begin ministry in their twenties. This article contends that the problem of recruitment is the result of a destabilization of the profession that has occurred in recent decades and has called into question the value of the clergy's traditional skills and knowledge. Understanding the real root of the crisis explains the prevalence of ministerial ideals that instruct clergy, above all, to use their profound understanding of their own life experience to make their ministry meaningful to contemporary people. Such an approach has a number of shortcomings, not the least of which is that it has little to say about how those who lack life experience are to be qualified for ministry. Rather than appealing to life experience, it will be more fruitful to focus on the recovery of the clergy's confidence in the intellectual content of their profession and the intrinsic value of its fundamental practices.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 354 | 55 | 2 |
| Full Text Views | 30 | 1 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 18 | 0 | 0 |
