Aging Clergy Could Present Pulpit Vacuum As Millennials Shy Away

The West is experiencing a profound demographic shift as the baby boomer generation enters retirement but one surprising effect is the dramatic increase in the average age of pastors who, in record numbers, are choosing not to retire until much later. 

An aging pastoral population and the reticence for the millennial generation to fill church leadership roles now threatens to create a vacuum in the pulpit in the coming years.

The Barna Group, in partnership with Pepperdine University, recently published the study The State of Pastors 2017 that reveals the startling 'graying' of Protestant pastors in the United States. 

In 1991, George Barna published the book Today's Pastors which placed the average age at 44 years old. Over the past 25 years, the average age of Protestant pastors has increased by a full ten years, going from the original age of 44 years old to an average now of 54 years, edging ever closer to the age of retirement. 

Perhaps even more alarming is the fact that, according to the study which conducted surveys and interviews with 14,000 pastors, a scant 1 in 7 is under the age of 40 now.

Barna President David Kinnaman has called the study's findings significant which points out that, "this is a critical issue if we're going to have the ranks of young leaders filling the pipeline of spiritual leadership today." So why are pastors working longer than ever before? 

The study presents three primary reasons why.

The first reason is economics. Pastors were not immune to the Great Recession and the erosion of retirement savings was felt across the country. 

Kinnaman writes in the study, "Frankly, the most common reason for pastors and staff holding on to their current positions is financial. Like their peers in the secular world, the Great Recession took its toll on their retirement accounts. 

Even worse, too many did not prepare financially for retirement at all." Without a sufficient nest egg, they find themselves forced to continue to lead churches decades past the normal retirement age rather than mentor a younger generation into those leadership roles.

The second reason lies in the shifting attitudes towards aging. Kinnaman writes, "Another reason for delayed retirement is boomers' perceptions of old age. 

Most view old age beginning in the early 70s rather than 65." This fact is, in itself, not entirely negative if pastors can remain vital and able to share their wisdom both with their congregations and the next generation of spiritual leaders. 

This, however, is increasingly not the case as millennial generation pastors are opting for different career paths and older pastors are less likely to move between churches, preferring instead to remain isolated.

The third reason is that today's elder pastors are, increasingly, coming from an earlier career after first working as doctors, teacher, lawyers, engineers or a host of other professions. 

They feel a spiritual calling later in life that often seems to grow stronger rather than wane with the years. While this can imbue older pastors with both the wisdom of life experience and a passion for teaching the Gospel, it leaves little room for a younger generation.

The study found that the number of pastors with children under 18 years old has dropped by almost half in the past 25 years, resting now at 35% of the total. 

When asked about their favorite aspects of the ministry, two-thirds rank preaching and teaching as their number one priority while only 1 in 10 points to mentoring others as their favorite pastoral focus.

The interviews and surveys revealed that nearly half of the 14,000 pastors struggled with depression, 1 in 5 with some form of addiction and 76% have known a colleague who resigned due to stress. 

Age brings knowledge and wisdom, but also new types of struggles.

So, whereas we can be grateful for the wisdom offered by an elder generation of pastors, the report concluded by reminding us, "the bare facts of the matter are that even the wisest of older pastors is not here indefinitely, and his wisdom will be lost to the community of faith unless it is invested with the next generation." 

For this reason, the report adds, "Even more urgent, however, is the prospect of a massive leadership shortage in the coming decades."

With a younger generation increasingly focused on technology, flash, and instant gratification, church attendance has suffered along with the gap in ages between pastors and their congregations. 

Though there are no easy answers, a new calling to the faith is certainly needed if we are to respond to these profound demographic challenges.