Are more Preachers Leaving the Ministry???

[Thad]

Originally Posted by keith4him

I think this to be somewhat true, if there ever was a time in my short ministerial life (since 88) to want to stop pastoring it has been this Summer. Difficult personalities, Saints that don't want to get with it, etc. Burnout!!

I just turned down a secular job making between $75-140 dollars a hour, I think that was a big test the Lord allowed me to go through. Believe me I was tempted, I don't minister for money, matter of fact I need money now, but I think the joys and the knowledge that I am working for the master are payment enough, though I good offering does bring it's own kind of encouragement.

Keith, you have officially been diagnosed Nuts! I hope Jeanie had a frying pan handy.

you should have taken that job. you could have still had a little house church and pleased Jesus

[Pastor Keith]

Originally Posted by Thad

Keith, you have officially been diagnosed Nuts! I hope Jeanie had a frying pan handy.

you should have taken that job. you could have still had a little house church and pleased Jesus

Well she helped me make the decision, I am trying to live what I preach that putting God first is worth it and not sacrificing family at the altar of wealth and materialism.

I realize this has not been a discussion regarding the UPC only, but I have one thing to ponder here. A while back my husband received his latest UPC directory. I remember thinking as I picked it up that it was quite a bit thicker than any of the previous ones. I don't know how many of the minsters in there are Pastors, versus ministers, but it didn't seem to me that there had been a great fallen away, unless the PPH used thicker paper to print this time.
I know that it seems like there are more going away then ever because we hear about so many more than we used to. Information is out there on the tips of everyone's tongues. People are so ready to "tell" what they know and news travels so much faster than it used to. I am not pointing fingers to anyone on this board, I just think we could all benefit, myself included if we weren't so quick to tell what we know all the time.
I knew a a situation many years ago where a minister and wife split up. She was advised to not tell the story around because if her husband wanted to reconcile and come back he would not have to face all these people who already knew her side, and had she submitted to the advise, a lot of ruin could have been avoided. She wouldn't listen and told everyone her side of the story. I am sure there was another side, there always is. He never came back and their marriage was ruined. I often had wondered what could have happened if she had avoided the urge to "tell" her side to as many people as she could.

[pelathais]

I don't think most of those leaving the ministry in Apostolic ranks do so because of a broken marriage or the like; though the strains upon your home and marriage are considerable. From my experience it's people just "burning out." And the burn out is usually unique to each situation.

From my own experience upon resigning after 10 years as an associate pastor; leaving was probably one of the best things I did for my home and marriage. The "machine" that someone mentioned earlier was definately broken in our area and had been chewing up and spitting people out for some time. In fact it continues to do so.

We need a basic change in our paradigm for the way we do ministry. We need to scrap the "entrepreneurial" approach where one man builds himself a kingdom at the expense of everything else around him. When we get more oriented toward teamwork and loose a lot of our egos I think we'd really have something. Right now, the way things are is one guy goes out and builds a fiefdom - sometimes at the expense of other churches in the area. He sacrifices sanity and spouse for the dream of retiring to a horse farm somewhere. And when things get rough that horse farm starts to look better all the time- even if it's only going to be a couple of chicken coops.

I never really understood the "horse farm" paradigm until too late. I always thought we were supposed to be ascetic hermit scholars wandering the earth for souls. So I'd show up to the parties dressed in burlap wanting to parse Greek verbs when everybody else was dressed in Rayon and talking about Louis L'Amour. I'm so clueless.

[triumphant1]

I have read several articles that say the number could be as high as 1500 preachers a month leaving the ministry over moral failure, burnout, and/or contention in the congregation.

[Thad]

Originally Posted by triumphant1

I have read several articles that say the number could be as high as 1500 preachers a month leaving the ministry over moral failure, burnout, and/or contention in the congregation.

why is this occuring ??

I've noticed that less and less young people are going into the ministry too. most are skipping bible school and going to the secular fields

[pelathais]

Originally Posted by triumphant1

I have read several articles that say the number could be as high as 1500 preachers a month leaving the ministry over moral failure, burnout, and/or contention in the congregation.

Do you have any of those articles? That number seems high- unless it covers all "Evangelicals" or something like that.

Just wondering. Links or scans of articles being cited would generally be a big boost.

[Malvaro]

Originally Posted by Thad

I've noticed that less and less young people are going into the ministry too. most are skipping bible school and going to the secular fields

Thaddy makes a very good point....

looking at the current attendance of all of our Bible colleges confirms this, in addition to the Under 35 year old gap provided in one of the other threads....

The UPC, and Pentecost in general, has serious problems with regards to how its developing it's next generation of leadership....

Lord help us all when the oldest generation of preachers begins to retire and/or pass on to meet the Lord....

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by pelathais

Do you have any of those articles? That number seems high- unless it covers all "Evangelicals" or something like that.

Just wondering. Links or scans of articles being cited would generally be a big boost.

Of course it covers all evangelicals or perhaps all US Christianity - there would be no way to explain such numbers otherwise.

[LaGirl]

Originally Posted by Thad

I talked to A Pastors wife last weekend who told me they have several friends amongst their circle that just cannot take the stress of pastoring anymore and the effects its having on their families. she said that many are wondering if it's worth the risk.

in fact, she went on to tell me that some of her friends who pastor are going back to college to get secular degrees and getting out of pastoring all together.

I am thinking that is going to be a growing trend in the years to come



your thoughts

we had a family JUST move to minden. resigned a good church...said he was drained and stressed out.