Why the Dearth of Young Preachers? (Part 2)
As part of a study on why it is becoming increasingly difficult for churches to find young pastoral candidates, the president of Barna Research, David Kinnaman noted, “There are now more full-time senior pastors who are over the age of 65 than under the age of 40.” A shortage of young gospel ministers is not a potential problem, but rather a present reality.
As mentioned in my earlier article, a few years ago I led a round-table workshop at a state-wide pastor’s conference to discuss this issue. No formal survey was taken. However, the younger preachers participating offered several causes for this situation. Two were identified as the most significant. Previously, I discussed the problem caused by the financial obstacle of student loan debt. Today I will discuss another, perhaps more serious, issue. Young men are not entering the ministry because they have guilty consciences.
In his first letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul gave his young protégé a charge or a commission. And he told him that “holding faith and a good conscience” was necessary to fulfill the ministry entrusted to him. (I Tim. 1:19) “Holding faith” means having a firm hold on the faith. A man in the ministry must have a good grip on Christian doctrine. It is essential that he be believe correctly and be able to “rightly divide the word of truth.” (II Tim. 2:15)
But theological education is not enough. A man may have a clear understanding of the Bible and be well trained in hermeneutics, counseling, and church administration, and yet lack an essential qualification for ministry. A man desiring the office of a bishop must have a good conscience. Of course, the conscience is the moral awareness that God has placed in each man. It needs to be biblically educated so that it is accurate. And it must be obeyed.
It has been my privilege, in addition to pastoring my church, to serve on the boards of three different Christian ministries. Recently the director of one of these ministries shared with me an application he received from a ministerial student. The application included questions regarding character and morals. “Have you ever viewed pornography, and if so, how long ago?” The answer was, yes, just days prior to filling out the application. I suppose I should have at least been encouraged by the young man’s honesty. The director of this ministry informed me that the overwhelming majority of the applicants confess to recent and even habitual viewing of pornography. As we discussed the matter he said bluntly, “If our Christian colleges expelled all the young man who look at pornography, they would be girls-only schools.” His answer was not intended to be sarcastic. The reality is that young Christian men — including men training for the gospel ministry — are plagued by this now-ubiquitous sin of pornography.
When I was young “preacher-boy” I never had trouble with pornography. Some might conclude, “Well, you had character and convictions.” I cannot say whether I would have had trouble like most young men do today, because when I was young there was no pornography with which to have trouble. This kind of material was kept hidden behind the counter of liquor stores. I was never tempted by it. Today, it is found wherever there is internet access, and that means everywhere.
According to the younger preachers I spoke with at the pastor’s conference round-table, countless young men have a bad conscience because of this recurring sin. Their consciences torment them with guilt. Peter says just Lot was “vexed with the filthy lifestyles of the wicked.” (II Pet. 2:7) How many young men never hear the call of the Holy Ghost and desire the work of the ministry because their life is stained with this sin? How many never consider entering the gospel ministry because they think themselves unfit?
Whether viewing pornography is a permanently disqualifying sin is a discussion for another time. Surely, all would agree that it is at least temporarily disqualifying. No one wants a pastor who looks at dirty pictures! A man who has a pornography habit is not blameless; he is not sober (I Tim. 3:2), and he knows it. A sad reality is that many men in the ministry are struggling with this sin and are trying hide it to protect their testimony and situation. But many young men who have “answered the call” and have become ministerial students later deem themselves disqualified, and then do not enter the ministry because of this issue. I admit my surprise when these young preachers told me they had peers in this condition; that they thought this was by far the number one reason why so few young men are entering the ministry.
What can be done? As with the financial obstacle to ministry, this issue of conscience has no easy solution. But there is a solution. It begins by recognizing the problem and dealing with it forthrightly. There must be accountability. Structures must be put in place and relationships established to assist young men to walk worthy of their vocation. And there must be a greater emphasis on living the Spirit-controlled life; dying to self, and depending on the sanctifying power of God. There is forgiveness, grace, and victory.
When I was in college, I used to pencil on the flyleaf of my Bible brief quotations that I would hear in chapel or class that I thought were particularly wise and helpful. One was, “A great preacher must first be a great Christian.” How true. My first concern cannot be my academic studies, my ministry, or even my family. It has to be the sanctification of my own soul. A ministerial student growing in grace, progressing in Christlikeness, and possessing a good conscience, is a very likely candidate for a lifetime of faithful ministry. Many churches are seeking this young man.
David A. Oliver is the pastor of Ashley Baptist Church in Belding, MI.