Issues@Hand

AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs

May 2017 – The Barna Group partnered with Pepperdine University to explore the lives of faith leaders in today’s complex society. The study, titled “The State of Pastors,” revealed that the average age of pastors is continually rising. And that statistic is raising concern.

In 1992, George Barna’s research landed the median age of Protestant clergy at 44. The average age is now 54.

“It’s not inherently a problem that there are older pastors in positions of leadership,” Barna Group president David Kinnaman said. “In fact, younger generations are often looking for wisdom and leadership from established teachers and leaders.”

“The church is in desperate need of such wisdom in this era of unparalleled complexity,” the research team clarified, “yet God’s people also need younger leaders preparing today for an uncertain future. Older pastors are uniquely situated (and called) to raise up, train, and release godly, capable, and resilient young pastors.”

The pollsters go on to explain that “even the wisest of older pastors is not here indefinitely, and his or her wisdom will be lost to the community of faith unless it is invested with the next generation.”

onenewsnow, 3/5/17