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Project gauges 'pulse' of young adults interested in ministry

Apr. 28, 2005

NOTE: Photographs of the Revs. David Fuquay and Mary Ann Moman and
Bishop Dan Solomon are available in the Photo Gallery at
http://umns.umc.org.

By Terri Hiers*

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)-An initiative aimed at keeping the fingers of
the United Methodist Church on the "pulse" of the millennial generation
has been unveiled to church leaders responsible for helping young people
make vocational decisions.

Staff of the Pastoral Leadership Search Effort, or PLSE (pronounced
"pulse"), debuted resources designed to help congregations and campus
ministries identify gifted young people and encourage them to explore a
call to the ministry. The presentation was made to 100 church leaders
from across the country April 18-19. Research by the now-defunct United
Methodist Council on Ministries indicates that fewer than 3 percent of
United Methodist clergy are between the ages of 25 and 30.

The United Methodist Church is among four denominations in the
cooperative venture, launched by the Atlanta-based Fund for Theological
Education Inc., and funded in part by a $2 million grant from the Lilly
Endowment. The church, through the United Methodist Board of Higher
Education and Ministry, is contributing to the project as part of its
efforts to cultivate a new generation of leaders for the denomination,
reconnect young people with the church, and rebuild the educational
pipeline.

In addition to the United Methodist Church, other partners in the
initiative are the Presbyterian Church USA, the Episcopal Church and the
United Church of Christ. Each denomination has a Fund for Theological
Education coordinator and is conducting PLSE programs in its
congregations.

The conference was "the first national event for United Methodist
leaders responsible for enlistment within annual conferences," said the
Rev. David Fuquay, the fund's United Methodist coordinator.
Participants, including representatives from boards of ordained
ministry, pastors, campus ministers and annual conference staff,
received training on how to use PLSE resources and introduce them to
groups in their areas.

"We have a tremendous opportunity to cultivate leadership in this
generation of young people," Fuquay told the group. His statement echoed
opening remarks by retired United Methodist Bishop Dan Solomon, chairman
of the United Methodist PLSE Advisory Board.

Solomon had referred to Jesus' words, "The harvest is plentiful but the
workers are few," saying that the quotation offers a "theology of
opportunity, not a theology of scarcity. We must focus on 'the harvest
is plentiful.' ... If you begin out of that conviction, the harvest is
waiting to be claimed."

The Rev. Mary Ann Moman, who leads the United Methodist Division of
Ordained Ministry, said she expects the initiative to launch a
grass-roots movement in congregations to "look at God's call to all
people and how we can talk about it." Moman was among the gathering's
organizers.

"It is important to keep encouraging young people as leaders, and to
foster a culture of the call," said participant Jack Terrell-Wilkes,
coordinator of ministerial recruitment and nurture for the
denomination's Oklahoma Annual (regional) Conference. "We must develop
arenas where ministry is seen as a viable vocational option."
Terrell-Wilkes said his conference has been doing similar work for the
past five years.

In a keynote address on the "Culture of the Call," the Rev. David
McAlister-Wilson, president of United Methodist-related Wesley
Theological Seminary, invited participants to connect with United
Methodist seminaries in a cooperative effort to form students as dynamic
church leaders. He also urged participants to allow young people to
teach them how to transform the church's bureaucracy back into a
movement for mission and ministry. "I have seen the future, and it is
Wesleyan," he said.

Fuquay distributed limited-edition versions of a resource package, which
included videos for church leaders and young people, accompanying
leaders' guides, a PowerPoint presentation and text presentations. The
resources, designed to target those ages 16-25, will be widely available
in May.

Along with links to resources and other information, PLSE's Web site
offers interactive access to young people to conduct online chats with
their peers. Fuquay emphasized that the site is monitored for
appropriateness, is accessible only through a protected password, and
includes a database for names of young leaders nominated by their
congregations to participate in the PLSE project.

More information on PLSE is available at the organization's Web site,
www.theplse.org, or from Fuquay at dfuquay@thefund.org or (404)
727-1416. Additional information about the Fund for Theological
Education, which provides fellowships and develops programs for
theological and ministerial support, is available at www.thefund.org.

*Hiers is the executive director for the Office of Interpretation for
the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry in
Nashville, Tenn.

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United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org