wfn.org | Relocate? Not in this Economy, Some ELCA Pastors Say

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Title: Relocate? Not in this Economy, Some ELCA Pastors Say
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

>May 28, 2009  

Relocate? Not in this Economy, Some ELCA Pastors Say
09-125-SH

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Tim Bupp put his Pennsylvania
house up for sale last November. He started a new ministry
position in South Carolina two months later.

The house still hasn't sold, though he's dropped the price
three times.

"Property is like an anchor to me right now," said Bupp,
pastor, Zion Lutheran Church, Lexington, S.C. "We can't get
approved to buy a new house until the old one sells."

The nation's economic downturn is making it difficult for
some pastors to relocate or even retire, according to leaders of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Some
congregations are choosing not to fill vacancies, or they call
pastors require smaller salaries.

"People are not moving," said the Rev. Rudy W. Mueller,
assistant to the bishop, ELCA Indiana-Kentucky Synod. "The whole
call process seems to have slowed down to some degree."

Some pastors who were thinking about retiring are putting it
off, synod leaders said. Those departures would normally open up
vacancies for other pastors.

"It's an issue for us," said the Rev. Floyd M. Schoenhals,
bishop, ELCA Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod. "Pastors who were thinking
about retiring are having second thoughts because their pension
accounts are not at the level they were a year ago."

The Rev. Gary Benson put his home in Rochester, Minn., up
for sale in May 2008 after he accepted a position in Arizona.
While he became pastor of American Lutheran Church of Sun City,
his wife continued her teaching job in Minnesota.

The plan was for her to move as soon as the house sold.
Summer came and went, as did Thanksgiving, Christmas and New
Year's Day. The house finally sold in February 2009 at nearly a
$40,000 loss. Benson's wife is moving after her school year ends
in Minnesota.

"If I would have been 41 with young kids, this would have
been a disaster," said the 61-year-old pastor. "People who want
to move feel kind of stuck."

Pastors and congregations in Southern California are feeling
squeezed, said the Rev. Gordon D. Peterson Jr., assistant to the
bishop, ELCA Pacifica Synod. "It's been somewhat of a perfect
storm," he said.

The drop in home prices makes moving difficult for pastors
who purchased a home in the past five years. The idea of a spouse
looking for a job in this economy is also a factor, he said.

Many pastors caught in the economic crunch say they don't
want pity. They point out that numerous Americans are without
jobs or in worse predicaments.

When the Rev. Lara Janssen graduated from seminary last
year, she imagined herself at a congregation with multiple
pastors. Those opportunities were few and far between in
California. She accepted a solo position at a congregation facing
financial hardships, membership losses and a transitioning
neighborhood where her bilingual skills were helpful.

"I am what they can afford in terms of experience," said
Janssen, pastor, Church of the Cross Lutheran, Rialto, Calif.
"It's definitely been an adventure. I'm very passionate about the
priesthood of all believers and that fits this congregation's
vision. I am hopeful about the ministry possibilities within the
congregation and the community."

Some synods and pastors say the economy isn't a hindrance. A
few months ago, the Rev. Larry Isbell moved to Indiana from
Pennsylvania, where he'd lived in a parsonage.

"We didn't have to worry about selling a house," said
Isbell, pastor, First Lutheran Church, Columbus, Ind. He
purchased a two-story home in Indiana at a mortgage rate of just
over five percent.

Bupp says he has no regrets about leaving Pennsylvania
though his home hasn't sold. He believes the move to South
Carolina was God-inspired.

"The market will do what it does," he said. "But I must do
what I am called to do, even at the risk of losing house and
home."

For information contact:

John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog