This list reads differently when you're a woman who has been overlooked solely because of gender. It happened to me years ago and happened to a friend this year. It's not a problem that has gotten better over time. Refusal of "egalitarian" churches to review the resumes of female candidates leads them to imagine a dearth of GenX candidates, many of whom have been pushed out of the church as they are told they can be pastors/leaders, just not here. When half the church is excluded from senior leadership, male pastors are hired from the marketplace over trained female ministers, who are then expected to then train their new bosses.
It leads females to parachurch organizations or to leave church altogether. Women aren't leaving for better opportunities; they're leaving for opportunities.
Your experience and strategic insights shine through in this article David. It will help many identify the problems. Thanks for writing it. I look forward to reading more (and how we address Priscilla’s important points).
COVID (masks versus no masks), the George Floyd tragedy in Minneapolis, and the presidential election between Trump and Biden were all very divisive and caused pastors to be heavily criticized as they navigated these divisive challenges. A number of pastors who may have stayed in ministry for a longer period of time decided it was time to retire or even take an early retirement rather than fight these battles. I believe this has been a significant contributor to the pastor shortage.
so true, Jack. I know a goo number of pastors that were on the edge before the key moments you mention (which constitute perhaps the hardest season for ministers in a century) just couldn't make it through that time... the "great resignation" I spoke of was dramatically influenced by them all for some .
This list reads differently when you're a woman who has been overlooked solely because of gender. It happened to me years ago and happened to a friend this year. It's not a problem that has gotten better over time. Refusal of "egalitarian" churches to review the resumes of female candidates leads them to imagine a dearth of GenX candidates, many of whom have been pushed out of the church as they are told they can be pastors/leaders, just not here. When half the church is excluded from senior leadership, male pastors are hired from the marketplace over trained female ministers, who are then expected to then train their new bosses.
It leads females to parachurch organizations or to leave church altogether. Women aren't leaving for better opportunities; they're leaving for opportunities.
Very well said. This is exactly true and your final line is key.
See part two where I talk about this being a primary solution to the problem.
Your experience and strategic insights shine through in this article David. It will help many identify the problems. Thanks for writing it. I look forward to reading more (and how we address Priscilla’s important points).
Thanks bunch Dr Bob.
(Although I think you have two doctorates, should I call you Dr Dr Bob?)
I hope the sequel (linked above) addressed some of the ways those searching can adapt—including how often women are left out of the search pool.
COVID (masks versus no masks), the George Floyd tragedy in Minneapolis, and the presidential election between Trump and Biden were all very divisive and caused pastors to be heavily criticized as they navigated these divisive challenges. A number of pastors who may have stayed in ministry for a longer period of time decided it was time to retire or even take an early retirement rather than fight these battles. I believe this has been a significant contributor to the pastor shortage.
so true, Jack. I know a goo number of pastors that were on the edge before the key moments you mention (which constitute perhaps the hardest season for ministers in a century) just couldn't make it through that time... the "great resignation" I spoke of was dramatically influenced by them all for some .