Theology suffers a funding crisis

What does it mean to be rich?

The answer to this question may differ from that given six short months ago. In a nation reeling from swift and sharp economic decline, horrendous corporate corruption and a general feeling of hopelessness, more and more people have found themselves turning away from their bank statements and reading faith statements to help them find the true meaning of wealth.

Churches and their leaders have felt the strain as local congregations in urban and rural communities have attempted to meet the growing needs of people buffeted by economic uncertainty.

Increasingly it is local churches — not local governments or once stock-rich donors — that are stepping forward to care for the jobless, the foreclosed, the depressed and the anxious.

The food pantries, tutoring services, day care centers, sense of community and other services provided by churches in the United States today are a literal lifeline. They desperately need capable leaders to guide them.

But as the number of seminary students interested in congregational ministry has declined, the nation’s congregations are asking, “Who will lead our churches tomorrow?”

Ironically, finding these bright lights has actually been the easy part — they come hungry to serve. What comes next is far more daunting.

Preparing for the ministry today is a costly calling. Rising student debt, an economy in turmoil, unsure job prospects and modest salaries have combined to cause many candidates to question if becoming a pastor – however deep the calling — carries too high a price.

A few statistics tell the story.

? A majority of seminary students now carry educational debt, and they’re borrowing larger amounts than in the past. Graduates confirm that their debt affects their career choices, holds them back from purchasing homes, prevents them from saving for their children’s education, limits their retirement savings, delays health care and creates distress.

? Christian Century magazine recently reported that “churches are paying their clergy proportionately lower salaries today then they did a generation ago, making it more difficult for ministerial candidates to justify the high cost of a graduate degree.”

? Fewer than 7 percent of clergy in most Protestant and Catholic denominations today are under age 35.

The financial challenge of a seminarian’s costly calling comes at exactly the wrong time for America. What toll will Americans and their local communities pay for not supporting future church leaders?

In order to champion economic justice for others, these young leaders must first find economic support for a theological education that prepares them for service.

This year, the Fund for Theological Education will award

$1.5 million in support to students preparing to be pastors and educators.

The need far exceeds what’s available. In 2009, the organization received three times the number of qualified applications it could fund.

In the 2008-2009 academic year, Virginia Theological Seminary, the largest Episcopal Seminary in the United States, awarded $1.2 million in student grants and will most likely award the same amount in 2009-2010.

But even VTS, whose goal has been to cover as much student seminary debt as possible, isn’t immune to the economic times. With a $50 million loss in its endowment, and an increase in housing and health insurance costs, Virginia Seminary must seek additional sources of support to cover student expenses.

Increased investment in theological education can help hold onto these gifted young pastors. Seminary students report that their congregations play a key role in affirming their calling.

But going to seminary takes commitment and money — not just hopes and wishing students well.

Communities that care about the quality of church leadership, and the church’s mission on the streets, must invest in it.

Helping young leaders on a path to parish and public service is likely to bring far more sustaining returns on investment than we’ve seen from the financial markets in some time. And that’s a richness you can bank on.

Trace Haythorn is president of the Fund for Theological Education. The Very Rev. Ian Markham is dean and president of Virginia Theological Seminary.