FILM FAQ
How did this project start?
My name is
Jenny Smith and I'm a MDiv student at
United Theological Seminary.
I've felt a call into ministry since I was 16 years old. I'm now almost 26.
Many of us have wondered if the United Methodist Church could be relevant to
our generation. There were moments recently where I was ready to jump ship.
Starting my own church looked awfully tempting.
I started surfing around and came across people asking the
same questions
I was. I decided I owed it to the church that raised me, paid for my
college and seminary to ask the tough questions.
That was April 11, 2008.
In just a month, over
200 young clergy and
candidates for ministry from around the United States have signed up on
Facebook to lend their voice to this project. A movement of hope is
rising. Right in front of our eyes.
Who's partnering on this project?
Several bishops, pastors, denominational agencies, conferences,
Annual Conferences and churches have expressed a desire to share this with
their communities.
At this time, the official partner is
United Theological Seminary
who is providing work-study time and equipment.
What will the finished product look like?
There are currently two parts to this project.
There will be a
documentary looking at the upcoming young
clergy shortage, what young clergy currently face and how we can move
forward.
They will likely be in 15-20 minute short segments so groups can view them
in shorter segments at meetings, conferences or online. The final product
will be posted here at
UMC Young Clergy.
We also hope to publish a
photo essay book that documents
the lives of today's young pastors. We want young people considering a call
into ministry to open up this book and SEE themselves as pastors.
How can I get a copy?
We are still working on this details. One idea is to tell them to
raise money for a seminary overseas or another project that develops young
pastors.
What's your final goal?
Our final goal is to inspire a new generation of young pastors. We
believe many young people and young adults have unique gifts for ministry
but no one names it in them.
We want to
initiate the tough conversations that
are needed for this denomination to reverse its decline.
We want to bring the stories of young clergy to light so more experienced
pastors can learn the nuances of working with younger clergy.
