BONUS BLOG: Your New Pastor

Sky McCracken is a colleague who’s an online friend in the ginormous category of People I’d Love to Have Coffee With But Live Too Far Away. Here he brings painful truth to you and me that we’d best not ignore —

In the American Church (esp the United Methodist Church) – my prediction in 10-15 years:

More and more pastors and/or theologians will not have the luxury of (a) having a full-time position to make a livelihood, and unless they have a rich aunt or uncle (b) they won’t be able to be classically trained and educated in such. We have to do a pedagogical shift in how we educate and train clergy – and pivot quickly.

Anyone doing either will need a vocation for additional income, and commit themselves to an artisan/apprentice and mentor/mentee model of being trained and educated pastorally and theologically.

I would probably be an electrician or a plumber. There’s good money in welding, but I’d never be happy with a less-than-perfect bead. But that’s me.

Boards of Ministry and seminaries – you need to be ready for this reality much, much sooner rather than later, and design theological education to fit context and need. Unless and until the denomination is willing to fit the bill for a seminary education, you’ve got to adapt. The current model is not sustainable.