Beyond the Ordinary

Are you planning to vote?

By Deborah Bruce

In the last days before the mid-term election, let's look at the intersection of faith and politics.  The U.S. Congregational Life Survey asked several questions that reveal how worshipers, pastors, and congregations are involved in the political sphere.

Worshipers vote.  Eight in ten worshipers (83%) reported voting in the last presidential election. In contrast, only about six in ten eligible Americans (62%) voted for president in 2008.  (Read more about this difference)

Voting is particularly common among worshipers attending mainline Protestant churches—nine in ten worshipers in mainline churches (89%) voted in 2008.  Eight in ten worshipers in conservative Protestant churches (83%) and in Catholic parishes (78%) voted that year.

Worshipers donate.  Far fewer worshipers (16%) said they contributed money to a political party or candidate running for office during the 2008 campaign.  More mainline Protestant worshipers (23%) than conservative Protestant (11%) or Catholic worshipers (12%) made political contributions in 2008.

Pastors vote.  More pastors than worshipers voted in 2008.  Nine in ten pastors of congregations participating in the U.S. Congregational Life Survey voted (Catholics, 94%; mainline Protestants, 96%; conservative Protestants, 97%).

Pastors donate.  Pastors contributed to political parties or candidates slightly more often than worshipers (Catholics, 14%; mainline Protestants, 33%; conservative Protestants, 18%).

Congregations inform their worshipers.  Four in ten congregations (38%) informed people during worship services about opportunities to register to vote.  Half of Catholic parishes did so (54%).  Fewer conservative Protestant (43%) or mainline Protestant (30%) churches let their worshipers know about voter registration.

Two in ten congregations held voter registration drives or voter education events in their facilities during the 2008 campaign.  More Catholic parishes (44%) than conservative Protestant (24%) or mainline Protestant (13%) churches did so.

 
This year's election.  We didn't ask if congregations reminded worshipers to vote.  We hope your congregation will encourage everyone to get to the polls next week.  And as for you—please vote! 

To blog or not to blog...that is the question

By Ida Smith-Williams

"To be or not to be" may have been the question of interest proffered by William Shakespeare in 1602, but today's question in many churches may be "to blog or not to blog."  Congregational leaders are wondering whether electronic technology of all kinds has a place in churches.  I can see both sides of the issue.

The facts:  An estimated 266 million Americans use the Internet.  Eight out of ten U.S. adults go online.  The average Internet user is online 13 hours per week.  The social networking site Facebook has over 500 million active users. People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook.  If Facebook were a country, it would be bigger than the United States, but not quite as large as China or India.

The questions:  New media offers many ways to be in touch with individuals—emailing, twittering, blogging, texting, Facebooking. Do they offer something to congregations?  Can they be evangelism tools—a way to bring lost sheep to Christ?  Can they help members stay connected with the church?

The answers:  Many pastors are using these tools in their ministry.  The U.S. Congregational Life Survey (conducted in 2008) revealed that among 693 pastors serving in a random sample of congregations, the majority were wired.  Sending or receiving emails was the online activity that the largest numbers of pastors use (96%).  Blogging is not common—only 6% said they posted at least weekly to a blog related to the congregation.

 But doing all or any of these things takes time, church leaders may argue.  With all of the other responsibilities pastors have, including preaching, teaching, counseling, visiting members, visiting people who are sick or homebound, church administration, and more, how would a pastor find the time?

The same survey asked pastors to report how much time they spent in the previous week in a variety of personal activities such as prayer, reading, using the Internet, emailing and text messaging, family life, physical exercise, recreation and hobbies, watching television, and socializing or eating out with friends.  Using the Internet (including searching the web, reading blogs or online news, downloading music or videos, and using online social networking sites like Facebook) ranked fourth.  On average, pastors spend 5.4 hours per week online—half the time that the average American spends online.

 The survey also showed differences by denomination, gender, and age, with mainline Protestant pastors, women pastors, and younger pastors using the Internet more often.

Should pastors use electronic technology?  I think it has to be a personal decision, one for each pastor to make with his/her congregation.  The role of technology in a congregation has to be one that the pastor is comfortable with and one that fits the needs of the congregation.

The question today may not be whether or not to use electronic technology, but rather a question of when and how, since Internet use in this country has doubled since 2000.  More congregations have an Internet presence today, too. Three in four congregations have websites today—up from just 43% in 2001. It is an issue that is not likely to go away.

For additional information on churches on the web, read Congregational Web sites.

For details about worshipers' use of the Internet, read Surfing for God.

Are you reading the four highest-rated blogs on congregational life?

CRG  has just featured this blog—Beyond the Ordinary—among "some of the very best available to people who participate in congregational life."  We're among the four they graded highest for "readability, usefulness to congregations, originality, and sense of humor."  Thanks!  We're honored to be in this group!

Read more.

Now about that lower score for humor . . . Did you hear the one about a rabbi, a priest, and a pastor?

First-career or second-career pastors?

By Cynthia Woolever

Two out of three Protestant senior or solo pastors worked full-time in some other occupation before entering the ministry. Working elsewhere before serving in a local church is far less common among Catholic priests (only 30% had a previous occupation).

What did they do before becoming parish pastors? Most were engaged in some type of professional employment—teachers and professors, managers and administrators, lawyers, judges, or legislators (66%). However, one in five worked in some clerical, factory, or craftsman-related job. The median number of years pastors worked int heir first job was 8 years.

Once in parish ministry, did they stay? Not all pastors did. One in four said they left parish ministry for a time to work elsewhere. Half of those who left ministry for a time took a secular job. The other half worked in a non-parish ministry (such as chaplain or specialized work for their denomination at a regional or national level).

Again, Catholic priests follow a slightly different work pattern than Protestant clergy. Slightly fewer Catholic priests (one in five) left parish ministry for a time. Of these, only 1% left the parish to work ina secular position. Keep in mind that these statistics are for pastors who are currently serving in a local parish and do not include pastors who left parish ministry and never returned!

The average parish pastor has served more than two decades in ministry (median is 23 years). The majority have invested heavily in their preparation for ministry as well. Four out of five parish pastors hold an advanced theological degree (such as Bachelor or Master of Divinity, Master of Arts, Master of Theology, Master of Sacred Theology, or other master's degree; Doctor of Ministry, Doctor of Theology, or Doctor of Philosophy). Among Catholic priests and mainline Protestant pastors, more than 90% hold such theological degrees.

The percentage is much lower among conservative Protestant pastors—about 54% have advanced theological degrees. Their preparation for ministry sometimes involves "on the job" training in the church where they eventually become the pastor. This was true for one in five conservative Protestant pastors in the study.

The rising number of second-career pastors arises from several trends. First, mainline denominations are attracting more women into ordained ministry. Often women delay theological education and entrance into ministry until after child-rearing and family responsibilities lessen. Second, an increase in life expectancy enables many people to consider major mid-career changes. Third, low salaries and the high demands of parish ministry discourage some individuals from entering ministry in their twenties or early thirties. Individuals, who retire early from a first career or who enjoy a spouse's financial support, may find it easier than those without such financial benefits to serve in parish ministry.

Whether first-career or second-career, effective pastors use their ministry preparation, prior work and life experience, and sense of call to serve their congregations. Their joy in ministry is captured in the words of Lillian Daniel, a United Church of Christ pastor: "I do love being a minister. I love the agility it calls forth in me and the chaos that only Jesus could organize into a calling.”[i]  

---

[i] “Minute Fifty Four,” Lillian Daniel, What is Good Ministry? Resources to Launch a Discussion, Report from Pulpit & Pew and the Fund for Theological Education (www.pulpitandpew.duke.edu).

Clergy support groups—what do they look like and what is their impact?

By Deborah Bruce

Participation.  Eight in ten key leaders (pastor, priest, rabbi, etc.) in congregations participating in the U.S. Congregational Life Survey report meeting regularly in the previous five years with other ministers or pastoral leaders in a small group for continuing education and support. Participation in clergy peer groups is somewhat more common among pastors in mainline Protestant congregations (84%) than in Catholic (78%) or conservative Protestant (73%) congregations.

Length of participation.  Among pastors participating in peer groups, half have participated for one to three years. One-quarter have done so for five years or longer.

Group meetings.  Typically these groups meet monthly for about two hours at a time. But there is wide variety in peer group formats—some meet for weekend retreats several times yearly, and others convene weekly.

Group structure.  One-half of participating pastors say that group members decide what the group does. Others (one in ten) report that a sponsoring organization—such as a denomination, judicatory, or seminary—decides on the curriculum or focus of the group. Two in ten are part of peer groups that have a trained facilitator or a group leader.

Purpose.  Clergy peer groups have many purposes. Six in ten pastors participating in such groups say their group's primary focus is sharing ideas and resources. Half report that sharing personal concerns and struggles is the main focus of their peer group. And one-third indicate that the key purpose is biblical or theological reflection.

Outcome.  Six in ten pastors who are involved in clergy peer group say the congregation and its members have been positively affected by their participation in that group.

Evaluation.  An evaluation of hundreds of clergy peer groups that were funded through the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence program was recently completed, including a survey of more than 2,000 group participants and focus groups with smaller number of participants. Highlights include:

• Peer groups are important to pastors, their families and friends, and their congregations.
• Involvement in peer groups is related to numerical growth in the pastor's congregation.
• Quality leadership in peer groups enhances positive outcomes.

Review the complete results.

Another look at the study results.