United Methodist elders under the age of 35 declining
March 27, 2006
NOTE: Photographs are available at http://umns.umc.org.
A UMNS Report By Linda Green*
United Methodist clergy are getting older than the population the denomination is trying to reach, according to a report examining clergy age trends for the past 20 years.
The average age of elders in the church has increased by five years over that time period, the report found. In 1985, the average age of ordained elders was 46.8 years, compared to the 51.5 years in 2005.
The research was conducted by the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at United Methodist-related Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington and the United Methodist Board of Pension and Health Benefits, Evanston, Ill.
Although the denomination seeks to reach new members in their 20s and 30s, the age of clergy is growing in the other direction. The denomination is not attracting clergy from the younger population, the report said.
"Efforts to encourage younger persons to respond to God's call to ordained ministry must be a priority for the United Methodist Church," said the Rev. Lovett H. Weems, Jr., director of the Lewis Center. "Vital and growing churches are a key to attracting such younger leadership."
The study sought to identify clergy age trends among elders in the United Methodist Church over the last 20 years so that church leaders will have background information for monitoring future changes.
There has been a dramatic drop in the number and percentage of United Methodist elders under the age of 35 in the last 20 years, according to the report. The number of elders under 35 declined from 3,219 in 1985 to 850 in 2005. Young elders as a percentage of all elders dropped from 15.05 percent in 1985 to only 4.69 percent in 2005.
The study focuses on the increasing age of elders in the five jurisdictional conferences of the United Methodist Church, but also provides comparable data on deacons and local pastors. Available data on clergy age trends in other denominations are included for comparisons. Support for the study came from the Lilly Endowment, Inc.
Weems says the value in a study examining clergy age trends is needed to know the shape of future leadership of the denomination. Continued research will monitor the trends to see where they lead and how the church is impacted, he said.
"We are hoping that this will give leaders in the church who want to change the trend the information they need to do that," Weems said. All clergy, particularly older clergy need enhanced training to meet the needs of emerging generations, he added.
"Just at the time when the organization needs its best leaders in greatest numbers, the base of new and quality leadership tends to be smallest," Weems noted. "The issue of enlisting younger quality clergy must be seen side by side with the quality and vitality of the church itself. The church's overall health is the most important factor determining who comes into ordained ministry."
Some of the other findings of the report show:
The decline in young elders has been significantly greater than the decline in church membership, number of churches, and number of pastoral charges.
The proportion of elders aged 55 and above has increased from 27 percent to 41 percent.
The median age of elders (half older, half younger) has increased from 48 to 52.
The mode age among elders (single age most represented) in 2005 was 58, the age of the first Baby Boomers to become elders.
The Southeastern Jurisdiction has the most young elders - 42 percent of the total.
The Holston conference has the highest percentage of young elders--with 10 percent. The percentage, however, is still 5 percent less than the denominational average in 1985.
There is a higher percentage of women among young elders than in older age categories, although women are significantly represented across the age groups. Women make up 31 percent of elders under 35, 25 percent of elders aged 35-54, and 23 percent of elders 55 and older.
The percentage of elders, deacons, and local pastors under 35 is generally the same.
"We are not surprised by the survey because it reflects trends we have seen in recent studies," said Barbara Boigegrain, top executive at the United Methodist Board of Pension and Health Benefits.
"The board maintains data on all clergy in our pension and benefit plans and research like this helps us continue to learn about the needs of our active clergy population, which is important to the design and funding of future benefit plans. We try to keep a watchful eye on all demographic changes of clergy and lay workers to continue to support them in their ministry."
*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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