My parish is also around 35 people, split between two service times. We have a part-time priest who was just ordained this past February. Before that, we had supply clergy. The difference between supply and part-time is night and day—and I think sometimes people hear "part-time priest" and assume it's just a permanent supply situation. But that doesn’t work. If anything, our newly ordained priest was already doing everything except eucharist throughout her discernment and training, as a sort of "lay person in charge" alongside from the senior warden.
Our priest has two callings: one she’s followed for many years as a speech pathologist, and the other—a call to the priesthood—has been with her since second grade. She was 50 before the time was finally right. Honestly, it’s wonderful. We have a mature, wise priest with real-life experience, who’s committed to the area (which really matters in rural congregations).
Do the laity have to take on a bit more? Well, yeah—but small, priestless congregations already do. Is it too much sometimes? Yes. Holy Week is a nightmare for a part-time priest. But the rest of the time? As she puts it, “Where else would I be on Sunday, and pot luck day except church?”. I'm not remotely suggesting that's all she does, but it does help keep perspective on the comitment
And if we need to hire an administrator some of the time—well, that’s still cheaper than a full-time priest (especially with Episcopal health plans, but the less said about that, the better).
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.
My parish is also around 35 people, split between two service times. We have a part-time priest who was just ordained this past February. Before that, we had supply clergy. The difference between supply and part-time is night and day—and I think sometimes people hear "part-time priest" and assume it's just a permanent supply situation. But that doesn’t work. If anything, our newly ordained priest was already doing everything except eucharist throughout her discernment and training, as a sort of "lay person in charge" alongside from the senior warden.
Our priest has two callings: one she’s followed for many years as a speech pathologist, and the other—a call to the priesthood—has been with her since second grade. She was 50 before the time was finally right. Honestly, it’s wonderful. We have a mature, wise priest with real-life experience, who’s committed to the area (which really matters in rural congregations).
Do the laity have to take on a bit more? Well, yeah—but small, priestless congregations already do. Is it too much sometimes? Yes. Holy Week is a nightmare for a part-time priest. But the rest of the time? As she puts it, “Where else would I be on Sunday, and pot luck day except church?”. I'm not remotely suggesting that's all she does, but it does help keep perspective on the comitment
And if we need to hire an administrator some of the time—well, that’s still cheaper than a full-time priest (especially with Episcopal health plans, but the less said about that, the better).
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.