Editor's note: This essay is excerpted from Comparative Statistics 1998. The first installment appeared in the last issue.
| $104,000,000 |
|---|
Congregations reported that they received a total of $104,249,481 from bequests in 1998. In 1990, the total was $75 million--equivalent to about $94 million in 1998 dollars. This is additional evidence that Presbyterian congregations still have resources that can be used for ministry. Our loss of members has not resulted in a denomination without resources. Rather, our resources are increasing every year.
| 6 |
|---|
Congregations report that almost 94 percent of the denomination's members are white. Only 6 percent of members are from other racial-ethnic backgrounds. In one sense, this is a number that we should forget. For a growing number of Presbyterians, the old categories no longer make sense. I suspect a growing number of our members are of mixed racial or ethnic backgrounds. I know there are many members who do not want to be labeled as a member of a particular race or ethnic group because they don't fall neatly into one category. At the same time, we need to remember this number, because it shows that the denomination needs to do a better job of reaching out to racial-ethnic persons.
| 8 |
|---|
Presently, 8 percent of our clergy are from non-white racial- ethnic backgrounds, a percentage that is only slightly higher than that for members. A study is now underway to identify steps the denomination can take to attract more racial and ethnic individuals to the ordained ministry of Word and Sacrament. This study has suggested that some racial-ethnic women may be having more trouble than their male counterparts receiving calls from congregations.
| 23 |
|---|
The percent of active clergy who are women is 23 percent. Members and elders who have trouble accepting women clergy need to know that this number has increased and will continue to rise rapidly. Currently, almost 50 percent of Presbyterian students enrolled in an M.Div. program at a Presbyterian seminary are women. Soon women will make up almost 50 percent of the denomination's active ordained clergy.
| 29% or more |
|---|
The percentage of parish clergy who are at least 55 years of age is 29 percent. Currently, the median age of seminary graduates is 42 years of age. With 29 percent of pastors already over 55, retirement claims a larger percentage of clergy every year. It appears that just as we are facing difficulties attracting and keeping young persons as members, we are having difficulties recruiting younger persons for the ministry. That does not bode well for the future and provides another hint of a coming clergy shortage. In fact, some people think the clergy shortage is already upon us. If you're an optimist, you might believe that the increase in the number of retired clergy represents a possible solution to the increase in small congregations without pastors, but this assumes that a significant number of retired clergy would be open to a part- time call serving a small congregation. It also assumes that this would be good for the small congregations.
Numbers by themselves are neither good nor bad. Different congregations will interpret these numbers differently. Nonetheless, in most cases, ignoring numbers will probably hurt individual congregations and ignoring the numbers above will certainly hurt the denomination. I don't believe the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is ignoring these numbers, but it needs the help of as many members, elders, and clergy as possible to address the situations presented by these numbers. Talk about these numbers. Discuss them with other Presbyterians and see what they think these numbers mean. Don't hide your light under a bushel basket.
For more: Copies of Comparative Statistics 1998 may be purchased for $5 from PDS at (800) 524-2612 and ask for PDS#65100-99022. Additional information from the booklet is also available on line: Comparative Statistics 1998 -- Table of Contents (with links to actual tables, figures, and text)
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