This year I turn 60 – which I learnt this week is the average age of pastors in western churches (Source – Carey Nieuwhof). It used to be in the 40’s, but now it has risen to 60… yew… where are all the younger pastors? Where are the crew in their 20’s and 30’s who we will look to as church leaders when we are even older and greyer?

I have been pondering this and I sense there are a few reasons we may not be seeing younger pastors emerge. Let me know which one you believe is most likely, or add your own ideas in the comments:

Pastoring – Youre Kidding Right? – They look at the pastor’s role and think ‘there is no way I want any part of that… They see the workload, the criticism often received and the increase in admin required does not enamour them. Perhaps the ‘job’ itself is not appealing as it once was? Certainly the ongoing decline in church numbers and the ugly public profile of the church post Royal Commission may further dissuade them.

Economics – Most pastors are ‘second career’ people (no – I do not believe pastoring is a ‘career’). By the time they sense a ‘call’ they have completed one degree and have accrued a significant HECS debt. Another 4 years of study is only going to double that. Housing is also a huge challenge. Many 25-35 year olds will already have purchased a house with a significant mortgage (if not a massive ‘ball & chain’ mortgage) so the idea of one (perhaps the primary) wage earner going back to study simply isn’t something they can countenance. If they aren’t handcuffed to their mortgage they are paying an exorbitant amount of rent in this current climate.

I sense many younger couples mentally take themselves out of a possible ministry calling because they have been convinced that it is good to be anchored to so much debt. I remember getting married and living in a 2 bedroom unit in a block that could almost have passed for a prison. It was low budget accomodation and we were ok with that because it was our first place. I sense there is an expectation among younger people that their home will be at least a 3 x 2 with a double garage, but preferably a good sized 4 x 2. Marketing works… and consumerism wins again.

Whose Asking The Question? – This week Neiuwhof raised the point that we no longer seem to challenge people to step up to ministry like we once used to. Maybe we need to return to this more intentionally. I know I have shifted significantly to the idea of equipping people for their everyday life and work rather than any kind of pastoral role, but I know I have also tapped a few people on the shoulder in the last year and said ‘how about it? Maybe you need to change directions…’ We don’t live in an era where there are many large rallies and gatherings where the altar call is made, so the ‘inspirational moment’ is not so much of a component in this. So perhaps we need to consciously identify potential leaders and engage them in considering the possibility early in life.

Getting Out of the Way – maybe some of us older pastors need to get out of the way. I’m a big follower of Australian basketball and right now we are seeing a changing of the guard. Patty Mills and Joe Ingles are aging and on the way out – they are past their best. The team still needs men of their calibre to help raise the next generation, but in different roles. Maybe some younger pastors aren’t emerging because we are standing in their path and restricting their vision.

I remember a few years back sitting in a room with our pastoral staff – most of whom were younger people and just feeling like the Spirit was saying to me ‘get out of the way. Let these people flourish!’ It was a call to step aside from the primary leadership role across both of our churches and to allow others to step up. These days I have no ambition or even desire to lead a church in a permanent senior pastor role, but I do want to offer what I have to help younger men and women emerge. If I can stand alongside someone and help them grow in confidence and capability then my next 10 years will be well spent. Maybe some of us reading this need to see ourselves in this light. Right now the problem is that there don’t seem to be too many younger people emerging to stand alongside.

Church Meh… Perhaps the inherited forms of church do not appeal to younger people and they aren’t sure if they have genuine permission to reshape it significantly. I wonder what church would look like if we set some broad parameters and then left them to create an expression that they believed was appropriate to their culture and generation. Nuiewhof tempered his language around attractional church this week by saying it had ‘peaked’ rather than it was ‘over’, but it still lives large in the imaginations of many of us who were part of it. What does a new expression look like – a church that will fit my kids and grandkids? This was a question we were asking in 2002. I’m not sure we have figured it out yet – nor am I convinced that we (older once) are the people to be answering that.

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I sometimes ask myself ‘if I were 30 again would I jump back in and do it all over again?’ And the answer is an emphatic, unequivocal, resounding YES! I simply can’t imagine living a life without the joy of leading and serving a local community of people. The way my own life has been enriched because of the privilege of being able to pastor churches is not quantifiable in any way but I would not want to do it again any other way.

More recently I have made it an intentional focus of my life to look out for and encourage the younger, upcoming leaders in the hope that we will be passing the baton to them and cheering for them as they lead us on.

So if you are a younger person reading this and sensing that just maybe God could be nudging you towards a life in vocational ministry either full or part time, my encouragement would be to follow that leading and listen to the Spirit – maybe you will be leading us older crew in a few years time! And that would give me great joy!