{"id":8296,"date":"2005-12-26T01:20:37","date_gmt":"2005-12-26T06:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/?p=8296"},"modified":"2011-07-06T08:29:22","modified_gmt":"2011-07-06T13:29:22","slug":"4663","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2005\/12\/26\/4663\/","title":{"rendered":"Filling Pastorates Remains a Challenging Task"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHICAGO, IL (December 26, 2005)\u00a0 – Specialization and economics are among the\u00a0 factors that have made placing pastors in congregations increasingly\u00a0 difficult, says David Kersten, executive minister of the Department of\u00a0 the Ordered Ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church.<\/p>\n

Kersten says roughly 130 pastors currently have identified themselves as\u00a0 open to a call (from another congregation). Each month averages between\u00a0 60 to 80 openings. “But well over half of those are in staff ministry,”\u00a0 Kersten notes.<\/p>\n
Those staff ministry positions continue to be more specialized. Among\u00a0 those are children, family and youth ministries. Church planters also\u00a0 have been in short supply, with some of those pastors now coming from\u00a0 outside the Covenant.<\/p>\n
One of the most rapidly developing specialties is in the area of worship\u00a0 arts, which includes a broad spectrum of needs and skills like soloist,\u00a0 musician, choir leader, worship planner and technical expert, Kersten says.<\/p>\n
“Churches expect a lot in their worship arts person,” Kersten says.\u00a0 “They also want them to be theologically trained.”<\/p>\n
Seminarians usually train for generalized ministry, but pastors will\u00a0 need to do more, especially if they want more opportunities for\u00a0 placement, Kersten says. “Everyone needs to be thinking of a\u00a0 specialization that they can bring to the churches,” he suggests.<\/p>\n
The Covenant is unable to train an adequate number of its own youth pastors, church planters or worship arts leaders, it is noted. The seminary is looking at ways to further develop these specialties, but many seminarians and current pastors are seeking senior or solo roles.<\/p>\n
“We are in a historic time,” Kersten says. “The number of staff and\u00a0 specialized positions outnumber the senior or solo pastorates.” He adds\u00a0 that the Covenant has roughly 1,600 specialized positions and 750 solo\u00a0 or senior spots.<\/p>\n
Some large churches are beginning to hire staff ministers from within\u00a0 and giving them much of their training. When that person fills a\u00a0 position, that means another pastor will not fill it, and more openings\u00a0 won’t occur, Kersten says.<\/p>\n
Kersten notes that a majority of Covenant churches have an average of\u00a0 150 or fewer attendees. “We are undersupplied for small churches and\u00a0 oversupplied for medium and large churches,” he says.<\/p>\n
Economics is a major factor in supplying the smaller churches because of\u00a0 the difficulty in meeting salary, insurance, and pension needs. Economic\u00a0 uncertainty sometimes causes churches to be apprehensive about hiring\u00a0 staff, and for pastors to be nervous about moving their families.\u00a0 Financial concerns could mean that more pastors will need to be\u00a0 bi-vocational.<\/p>\n
On the pastor’s side, moving from one area to another could mean a\u00a0 significant financial loss for the family. Also, a majority of pastors\u00a0 have spouses who are developing their own careers and may need to remain\u00a0 in the same location.<\/p>\n
All of the challenges present their own opportunities and downfalls that\u00a0 the Covenant will have to address, Kersten says. In the meantime,\u00a0 filling openings may continue to take more time.<\/div>\n
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Copyright \u00a9 2011 The Evangelical Covenant Church.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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CHICAGO, IL (December 26, 2005)\u00a0 – Specialization and economics are among the\u00a0 factors that have made placing pastors in congregations increasingly\u00a0 difficult, says David Kersten, executive minister of the Department of\u00a0 the Ordered Ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church. 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