Going the 70's way.

I was reading a friend's blog who posted this article from another source.
Ah, how conveniently timely this article came about.

"During the 70s, responding to the full-time calling as a late teen (between 17-19 years old) was the "in-thing" among the churches I was associated with. Today, many denominations have shyed away from that model, prefering more matured people who holds at least a Bachelor's degree and have worked a number of years in the secular world. Theortically, it seems to be a good direction to go but in reality, how many young adults in their mid-twenties would be able to respond to full-time calling? Reason is very simple: most of them at this age would have gone into the workforce having a car loan to service. For those who are already hitched, they would also be making plans for their big day and possibly have a joint house mortgage to pay back. basing on the present low salary that most churches offer, no sane person in this age bracket would go full-time! Hence, we still need to challenge young people to view full-time ministry as a career path. Church leaders at the same time should draft out a proper career path for them which involves training in theology, management, leadership, etc and also financial remuneration.

I would also like to highlight an idea that I got while reading Fred Smith "Learning to Lead". How can a young pastor help an auto mechanic, a stock-exchange remiser or a sales executive? It's difficult for a young pastor to have the depth of the necessary understanding that can only be accumulated through years of knowledge and experience. But he can point people to the appropriate resources i.e. older in-house advisers esp. if they are elders of the church. In business, they have staff advisers, consultants and specialists that they can call upon to meet particular needs, why can't we apply the same principle in the church? The church board must stand behind their young pastor and groom him to lead the church. Of course he will make mistakes (plenty of them!) but the wise leader will stand with him."

(NECF Leadership Commission - Read the original text here.)