No, not me. I'm 27, and (yippee!) ordained. But otherwise, I very much related to this article: "SWF, 26, Seeks UM Ordination", written by my friend from seminary for United Methodist Relay, the newsletter of the Greater New Jersey AC.
Here's an excerpt:
I cannot reminisce about Carter’s presidency, the days before “U” was added to “MYF,” or a time when polio was a threat to children in this country. Contrary to popular belief, I do not need others to remind me of these obvious truths. I grew up with color TV, barely remember the Reagan years, and started using a computer at age four. Even so, I still have a story. Just because my story is only 26 years long does not make it any smaller than 62 or 97 year stories.
There is a subtle, “What can you possibly offer beyond that textbook knowledge you’re so proud of?” floating in the air. Is this how we approach all young adults in the church? We as a denomination have not found a good place for these persons in their graduate or post-college years who still define “family” as family of origin.
I consistently feel welcomed in the church. Congregations seem to enjoy the novelty of a young woman titled Reverend. (I am one of 93 female local pastors under the age of thirty in the world.) I have found people to be pleased to give me a place in the pulpit (whether or not I have any authority is another matter entirely). From my perch in the chancel I note the lack of twenty- or thirty-somethings in the pews. If young adults are not welcomed, what is to keep them from seeking extra-church agencies when answering God’s call to ministry?
(Karen's bio info: The Rev. Karen G. Puckett, M. Div., certified candidate and ordination-seeker, is assistant pastor at Mt. Fern Church, Randolph. She may be reached by e-mail at karengpuckett at yahoo dot com)
I relate to the sometimes uncomfortable place of being a young clergy person. Throughout my candidacy process, I constantly ran into places where the process clearly was meant for those who were second-career, and already serving churches as local pastors during candidacy. I run into people who ask if I have a family - I say yes, I have family that lives nearby, and they tell me: "No, I mean a family of your own." Oh. A tricky place to be sometimes.
Any other young clergy, single clergy, have stories to share?
Here's an excerpt:
I cannot reminisce about Carter’s presidency, the days before “U” was added to “MYF,” or a time when polio was a threat to children in this country. Contrary to popular belief, I do not need others to remind me of these obvious truths. I grew up with color TV, barely remember the Reagan years, and started using a computer at age four. Even so, I still have a story. Just because my story is only 26 years long does not make it any smaller than 62 or 97 year stories.
There is a subtle, “What can you possibly offer beyond that textbook knowledge you’re so proud of?” floating in the air. Is this how we approach all young adults in the church? We as a denomination have not found a good place for these persons in their graduate or post-college years who still define “family” as family of origin.
I consistently feel welcomed in the church. Congregations seem to enjoy the novelty of a young woman titled Reverend. (I am one of 93 female local pastors under the age of thirty in the world.) I have found people to be pleased to give me a place in the pulpit (whether or not I have any authority is another matter entirely). From my perch in the chancel I note the lack of twenty- or thirty-somethings in the pews. If young adults are not welcomed, what is to keep them from seeking extra-church agencies when answering God’s call to ministry?
(Karen's bio info: The Rev. Karen G. Puckett, M. Div., certified candidate and ordination-seeker, is assistant pastor at Mt. Fern Church, Randolph. She may be reached by e-mail at karengpuckett at yahoo dot com)
I relate to the sometimes uncomfortable place of being a young clergy person. Throughout my candidacy process, I constantly ran into places where the process clearly was meant for those who were second-career, and already serving churches as local pastors during candidacy. I run into people who ask if I have a family - I say yes, I have family that lives nearby, and they tell me: "No, I mean a family of your own." Oh. A tricky place to be sometimes.
Any other young clergy, single clergy, have stories to share?
Comments
I, too, have found that the candidacy process isn't well setup for those of us who are not yet married, are coming out of college, and have very different life experiences than those who might be a little older. But unfortunately, the process is reflective of those who go through it, and those who go through it are reflective of the make-up of our congregations. The church is still operating on a ministry model that is 30 years behind the times, and as a result, we are going to lose out on reaching young people.
This is one of the topics of conversation that comes up alot for me as I continually discern my own call to ministry and where God might take me.
lgs is right - he NEVER would have asked a second career person that question! Grr!
Then there is also the expectation that becase I am a "young" clergy, the congregation I serve (mostly over 60) assumes that I am going to draw in more people who are young. But as a single person, and as a person who grew up (and stayed) in the church, I am already not like most of the people my age. Double grrr.
You (and all who have commented) might be interested in the newly developed UM Young Adult Network as a part of the Division on Ministries with Young People of the GBOD. Check it out:
http://yanet.invisionzone.com/index.php?showforum=7
I think, sometimes, the term "young adult" implies a lower, not-quite-there-yet status. I know that I have a lot to learn and experience and I'm still growing but I think because the "young" is the precursor to the "adult" there is some prejudging going on by the older population.
I agree with Pastor Laura in her sentiments about bringing in other young adults. I am a PK who was always heavily involved at all levels which automatically separated me from others in my age bracket. I had no idea how to draw them in.
This article idea came from the March/April 06 issue of Circut Rider and statistics recently published by the Lewis Foundation. Those stats can be found here:http://www.churchleadership.com/. There's fascinating info about clergy age trends in the UMC and how we compare to other denominations. Check it out.
Thanks for all the great comments, and Karen, for the great article!
As a 17 year-old about to be Highschool Senior, who is in the process of trying to get her DS to allow her to start the candidacy process (yes, technically per the BoD I can), I see a lot of this first hand. As a young person (in the frame of beginning the candidacy process, one might say I'm an extremely young person)-- and a female on top of that! -- who believes she is "called" to ordained ministry in the UMC, I have to say that quite often I feel there is no place for me or other young people.
The stereotype of an ordained UM minister has been allowed, most of the time, to become the only prototype. Personally, I've been told that because I am not old(er) I have nothing to offer the church. I beg differ.
I believe the entire candidacy process is in dire need of being revamped, but I wonder, who will do it??