The other issue effecting over-all clergy and in extension denominational health is the binding of clergy and church to the Board of Pensions. The BOP still assumes a post WW2, Industrial-factory floor methodology and paradigm to clergy careers. That all active clergy will work from ages 25 to 65 on average, fully employed in one mode or model of work, and will be at highest five years of earning approaching 65 than say, 45. Further the policy of reduction of benefits starting at 55, and the rule of 70, dis-incetivises clergy from transitions before 60, further depressing over-all opportunity down the age and employment scale. The end result being a clergy population that is far older, far more unhealthy from a variety of both mental and physical health metrics.

The problem of clergy under and unemployment will only become worse as the economic refugees from the great recession of 2007-8 now out, and soon to be out of theological education, are dumped on the street. The truth starts with COMs and CPMs being honest with both the fresh young faces and older 2nd, 3rd career folks in their 50's. The odds of you finding a paying job with benefits as a pastor in the PCUSA are slim, and will not be improving in the passing of time. The fact that you may feel a call from God does not mean you can hope on making a living from it, or a "career".
Service to the Lord comes in many, many forms and setting.


Further the BOP needs to stop penalizing those who wish to transition at 55 and those who have extended career breaks in church employment over a working life. It needs to do away with the straight-jacket defined benefit plan in favor of a fully portable 403(b) with church and clergy match to IRS rules. In terms of health care, allow clergy to purchase policies in the open market to their specific needs, with church and clergy "both" paying into the system. Clergy needs to get their skin in that game. I can hear the shreaks of howl now from the establisment. But the church can no longer afford you, and your health care plan now as it is.

Change is hard, and sometimes painful. But it will happen ,with our without your permission

The issue of clergy skill-sets needed for the 21st century is really a matter of the crises of theological education in 2011. The 12, 14, whatever, PCUSA related seminaries excel in producing two types of people, "system administrators", educated to run and program for a church in the 20th century, and in essence keep the wheels going of that which already is.

The other is career academics, seminary professors who excel at turning out more, career academics on their way to PhD's in the liberal arts, and more careers of adjunt teaching and community college contract work. All hoping for that next assistant professor of New Testament position at Austin to open up.

As stated prior, the PCUSA (1983-2011) is no more, 1 out of 3, 1 out of 4 clergy employing churches will merge, close, go away in 5-7 years, demographics and population trends are destiny. What is needed is indeed clergy who have the business sense, drive, risk taking ability to indeed be "religious entrprenturals". Those who either grow their own religious communities or plant new fellowships in the dry ground, and amists the dry bones of American Protestantism.

Sadly this risk taking skill set is absent in most theological education which is still geared to training clergy to take over youth programs, at the ever smaller pool of employing churches available. Where the Assemblies of God and Church of Christ for example will do 300 church plants a year, fully expecting 100 to fail in 5 years, the former PCUSA will only do 10, 15 any given year, and gets cold feet when their 1 or 2 fail in a presbytery and then everybody bunkers-down awaiting the better days that will never come. Sad indeed.