umc young clergy

Blog posting about results of the UM pastors meeting held August 2008

The eighty churches present in Atlanta committed, over the next eight years, to start 370 new faith communities (satellites, second campuses, new venues and new congregations), to raise up 1,000 young people who will begin seminary during this period of time, and to contribute $256,000,000, over and above our apportionments, for missions and ministries to the poor and to eradicate diseases of poverty. We also committed to call our congregations to prayer for renewal of the United Methodist Church, and to be a positive voice working for the revitalization of the church.

A Great Next Step for Young Clergy/Candidates:

Start a Facebook group for other young clergy & candidates in your conference. Let us know so we can pull a list together on this website. UMC Young Clergy group

More and more people are talking about wanting to get young clergy together from around the country. Or even in different regions. If God's nudging to get that started, go for it! Let us know how we can help.

Project Update:

We gave a UMC Young Clergy presentation to the new Board of Ordained Ministry chairs & registrars in Nashville on Monday, August 18, 2008. These are the people who organize & pass candidates into ministry in each of our conferences. It's crucial that we start to discuss some of the reasons why our numbers of young clergy are declining.

I'm very interested to see how God will move among people as we realize this problem is solvable. And a HUGE thanks to all the people involved in these videos who put their heart and passion on the line to help advance this conversation.

Thank YOU.

General Conference insights

Some are experiencing audio issues on parts of this clip. We apologize for the inconvenience! It seems to be working on some computers and not others.

Statistics & hope

What young clergy love about the UMC & ministry

Candidacy Process

Naming the Elephants for Young Clergy

To Younger & Older Clergy

Closing Reflections

Next Steps Highlights

Call it professionalism, call it excellence, call it collegiality - but it needs to happen. Without it, we will continue to see young adults leave our ministry process in droves (as already happens) for years to come. Several conferences are already streamlining, reorganizing, and coordinating the process to make it as simple and uniform as possible--this work needs to happen throughout our United Methodist family.

The young clergy need the wisdom of those who have come before them and the older clergy need the insight, vision and energy of a group of people who might better understand the needs of this generation.

...Because people are living longer, we have more generations present in the life of the church than ever before...

...All I know is this: in the darkest moments of a desperate and hopeless life, I met Jesus. I have spent every day since offering every breath as a very inadequate attempt to say, "thank you."

download the handout

Are you comfortable with being uncomfortable?

Now, here’s the reality. Most churches in America are designed for an older audience. In fact, the more-seasoned folks in those churches are sitting on committees telling the students and young adults how they can and can’t do ministry. The result? Younger people are leaving churches in droves.

Here’s what I know to be true. If the church is going to continue to reach the next generations:

I have to be willing to give leadership to people younger than me…and let them make mistakes.
I have to be willing to let younger folks lead me in worship…even when it’s not my favorite style of music.
I need to embrace new methods of ministry…even though it makes me uncomfortable.
I need to pray and encourage and finance the next generation church…and stop trying to make church a place that I like to attend.

It’s not about me. It’s about the people who desperately need to know the hope, love and forgiveness found only in Jesus Christ.

For the ministry of the local church to remain effective, I need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Next Steps for those supporting young people in ministry...

Join the conversation and network on Facebook

Create a Facebook group for your Annual Conference's young clergy

Mentor young leaders in your conference

Download this Next Steps handout and pass onto others

Empower young leaders to develop covenant groups among their peers

Send your young leaders to GBHEM Next Steps