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The Rev. Timothy Cargal, Ph.D., serves as the Interim Coordinator, Preparation for Ministry/Exams for Mid Council Ministries of the Office of the General Assembly.
“... the Land that I Will Show You” is the blog of the Office of Preparation for Ministry/Examinations of the Presbyterian Church (USA). This blog is designed to serve as a resource for those discerning and preparing for a call to the ministry of Word and Sacrament as ordained teaching elders of the church. It will also provide a place for reflecting on and dialoging about the changing context of pastoral ministry in the early 21st century.
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Some Year-End Snapshots
Like many folks in many lines of work, the approaching end of the year signals for me not only preparations for Christmas but drawing together a number of annual reports. So in the spirit of many publications’ “year in review” stories I present here some snapshots drawn from the Inquirers and Candidates Database at the close of 2012.
- The presbyteries currently have a total of 2047 individuals under care. There are slightly more “candidates” (1076, or 52.5%) than “inquirers” (970, or 47.5%).
- Women out number men both among inquirers and candidates. Women are 51% of all inquirers, and 57% of candidates.
- About 15% of those under care have not chosen to provide racial/ethnic demographic information. Among those who have, about 81% identified themselves as Caucasian. The current proportion of 19.6% (roughly 1-in-5) who chose some other racial/ethnic identification is up from 14.7% (roughly 1-in-7) who did so in 2004.
- Among those for whom a birthdate has been reported, almost half (47.6%) are under age 35. Of the remainder, 19.4% are between the ages 35-44; 17.7% are in the age range 45-54; and 15.2% are age 55 and older.
- About 1-in-4 inquirers and candidates (24%) have not reported information about where they completed their theological studies. Among those who have …
- Almost two-thirds (63%) of all those currently under care either attend or have graduated from one of our Presbyterian Church (USA)-affiliated seminaries.
- Based upon those who project graduation dates in 2013 or later, only about 1-in-5 (19%) are currently in seminary. That means that about 4 out of every 5 inquirers and candidates (81%) have already graduated seminary.
So as you look at these “snapshots” from our family album, what do you think? Any of these numbers stand out more than the others for you? What do you make of the observation that our mythical “average” individual under care is a Caucasian woman candidate in her thirties who has already graduated from seminary?
- Posted at 4:37 p.m.
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Good questions, David. See my next post for more information about the issues you raise.
by Tim Cargal
PC(USA) Staff
December 27, 2012
Looks grim. Four times as many candidates as there are total positions available. It would be interesting contrasting these numbers to that of those in their first call. It might be their are more women out of seminary looking for a job because males are getting called more frequently.
by David
December 24, 2012