I love so much about this. And I also cringe at the idea of normalizing clergy work as involving the piecing together of an income from multiple part time jobs. For some, especially the entrepreneurial and the especially gifted, this is ideal. For many others, I fear it's unsustainable and irreconcilable with the stability (of income etc) required to sustain a family and decent livelihood. If this becomes the standard model for ordained ministry, I suspect that few would choose it.
and ... this is not about choice at this point in the life of the church.
It's not as if most clergy have the choice between full-time parochial ministry and some other way of serving their ministry.
Instead, it's either full-time parochial ministry that is 90 hours a week and doesn't pay enough to live on (much less support a family)
or
multiple part-time clergy roles that are basically 'full-time work with (less than) part-time pay' each.
or
Secular work to pay the bills and ministry that doesn't pay at all.
or
Quitting ministry altogether because it's not sustainable.
We are past the time when we can just choose the old way - it's not working.
I don't think this is the *only* way to re-imagine how we serve God and the church. But I think we *must* serve in new ways. We no longer have a choice.
I love so much about this. And I also cringe at the idea of normalizing clergy work as involving the piecing together of an income from multiple part time jobs. For some, especially the entrepreneurial and the especially gifted, this is ideal. For many others, I fear it's unsustainable and irreconcilable with the stability (of income etc) required to sustain a family and decent livelihood. If this becomes the standard model for ordained ministry, I suspect that few would choose it.
I understand what you're saying.
and ... this is not about choice at this point in the life of the church.
It's not as if most clergy have the choice between full-time parochial ministry and some other way of serving their ministry.
Instead, it's either full-time parochial ministry that is 90 hours a week and doesn't pay enough to live on (much less support a family)
or
multiple part-time clergy roles that are basically 'full-time work with (less than) part-time pay' each.
or
Secular work to pay the bills and ministry that doesn't pay at all.
or
Quitting ministry altogether because it's not sustainable.
We are past the time when we can just choose the old way - it's not working.
I don't think this is the *only* way to re-imagine how we serve God and the church. But I think we *must* serve in new ways. We no longer have a choice.