By Sarah Pulliam Bailey Jan. 23, 2014 7:26 p.m. ET After spending 16 years in government-related jobs, Alan Felton gave up an income of about $90,000 to return to school in 2010. He quit his job in North Carolinas department of revenue and moved his wife and two teenagers from a 4,000-square-foot home to a 1,800-square-foot parsonage while he was attending a seminary. Like many people who decide to start a second career in middle age, Mr. Felton saw a chance to pursue an interest closer to his heart. Now 46, he is preparing to graduate from Duke Divinity School in May and sees his age as an advantage. While finishing his masters of divinity, he has worked for a small Methodist church with 50 parishioners and moved on to a church of 300. Churches dont necessarily want a young, hip pastor; they want someone who is available and involved, he says. By delaying entering the ministry, you have more life experiences to draw on for illustrations. Students under 30 still make up the largest age cohort in seminaries, according to the Association of Theological Schools. But older students are growing in representation among 74,000 or so students pursuing a seminary degree from an institution associated with the agency that accredits graduate schools of theology. The percentage of students over 50 enrolled in a seminary rose to about 21% in 2011 from 12% in 1995. The percentage of students under 30 has hovered at around 30% during the same period. Older students bring some advantages to churches, including congregations that may not be able to afford a pastor who seeks a sizable salary, says Daniel Aleshire, executive director of the Association of Theological Schools. Older pastors may have a pension from a previous career and may not carry as much debt as younger candidates. Those who are older identify with what people who are going through because they bring a lot of life experience, Mr. Aleshire says. They may not have the energy, but they may be more skilled overall. When he became president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Albert Mohler set out to lower the average age of the student body, so the seminary could maximize its influence over each student. But he sees a change in the motivations of those seeking to join the ministry at a later age. Twenty years ago, a person finding a second career ministry might have indicated a trauma in the first career, says Rev. Mohler. Now many feel like theyve accomplished what they set out to accomplish in another career, so they begin a new one. The growth of church-planting across the United States may be creating a higher demand for younger pastors because of the energy required to start a new church. But there are plenty of well-established churches that appreciate older candidates, says Mark Labberton, president of Fuller Seminary. There are probably a burgeoning number of churches who do want the young, hipster pastor who comes alongside the church-planting subculture, Mr. Labberton says. On the other hand, there are churches going through transitions that are looking for a different life experience. Ingrid Faro began pursuing a masters of divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School outside of Chicago two years before her husbands death about a decade ago. She owned an insurance agency for 20 years before deciding to pursue ministry at 45. I knew I didnt love what I was doing, she says of her insurance career. It was out of a sense of obligation to earn a living for our family, which Ive heard from a lot of women. Im glad I disregarded the feelings of Im too old. Ms. Faros husband, who was disabled during most of their marriage, died by suicide after his illness spread and became too painful. Around the same time, when she was starting her third year of seminary, someone embezzled money from her company, and she lost almost everything she owned, including her house. Ms. Faro continued her education by pursuing a Ph.D. in theology, focusing her dissertation on the theology of evil. I went from a millionaire on paper to losing everything, Ms. Faro says. Gods desire is to rescue me from the shadow of death, not for me to camp out there. She has been an adjunct teaching Hebrew and the Old Testament for seven years and speaking at retreats and conferences, and was recently ordained in the Fellowship of Christian Assemblies. Now in her 50s, she finished her Ph.D. in December. Age can be a detriment to hiring, Ms. Faro says, but she has never felt more productive. I can see the rest of my life spent encouraging people who are going through hard times. My life is every bit of a message, as is the knowledge that Ive gained. Ms. Bailey is a national correspondent for Religion News Service.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Jan 2014 00:44:20 +0000
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