The decline of Pastors into the ministry!

https://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2009/july-online-only/pastor-shortage.html

Last week I went to a church to do Jewish Dancing ! I spoke to the Caretaker there and the pastor there is leaving that they are not getting another church there for two years.

My problem has been with church denomations the reason I would never want to enter the ministry is because the fact of compromise of major denomations

Baptists for example! There interfaith statements
https://www.baptist.org.uk/Groups/220648/Inter_Faith_Engagement.aspx

Then URC
https://www.urc.org.uk/about-us/interfaith.html

The other reason I would never want to become a minister is because of scripture

1. I am not married
2. I do not have any children

1 Timothy 3

2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

Titus 1
7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;

9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:

11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.

12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, the Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.

13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;

14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

I think it is impossible to get married at this point!

Only 1 in 7 Senior Pastors Is Under 40
https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2017/january/only-1-in-7-senior-pastors-is-under-40-barna.html

According to statistics that most church pastors are ageing so that means in a few generations churches will die out! not unless God does something!

My Dad was formally a pastor of a church that disbanded and I know what roles pastor have to go through !

I know in England that because Congregations are ageing this is a problem!

Do you think that it may be that the Lord would have the saints function as a body instead of an organization? As a PK, you certainly saw a lot. I’d wager that your interpretation of the requirements for elders and deacons is not based on a wider interpretation. We know that Paul referred to himself as an elder but he was not married. My take on that passage is that an elder is not to have more than one wife and that it does not mean he can not be single. The core message of the passage is the requirements of character for church leaders. Because most people are married and because married couples are seen as one, it is vital that the character be consistent across the whole unit.

Hi Delta,
Im interested in ur title "into the ministry".
The problem is how we the congregation see ourselves and how we see the "Pastor"
All christians should see themselves as "in the ministry" and the Pastor "role" needs (for the want of a better term) needs to get back in its box and become a "gift" again.
I asked a Pastor friend how does he feel about being called by his Job for instance when u call them Pator mike or Paster John .Its ridicualas when u think about it.The Pastor as we have it today is totally unbiblical and definitely effects Gods ability to work in the Church.Basically what Im saying is the structure is wrong and needs correction but before it gets correction it needs to be recognised as wrong ,interesting post urs staff

The reason is that all the church buildkngs that are on every street corner in the states will be converted to mosques and shopping centres and every other thing imaginable as most of the major denomationions hold those buildings
With a decline in church attendance to an ageing population those building will be sold of

The reason I do not like the major denomationions is there compromise on truth on major biblical issues thats why I would never sign up to be a church of England reverend or a Pentecostal leader even on things like biblical innerancy and homosexuality, evolution and other things

Compromise to the world has cost the church dearly

This is the exact problem because we have our own requirement of what a pastor should be and not abiding by any biblical standard anything goes and that is the state of the church anything goes

In my humble opinion, the Lord has declined the amount of pastors in the world, it's the muslims or unbelievers. If the Lord cannot get what HE wants out of a church and the pastor, then I believe He'll allow the consequences of letting go until it closes. A lot like allowing the very rocks to cry out because we won't.

I don't worry about what statistics say because there is a remnant out there and I'm part of it!! Thank you Jesus!

God bless,
Lisa