Because theological faculty are relatively old, they are very senior in status and highly tenured. Two-thirds of all faculty in theological institutions that give tenure are tenured. Such high levels of seniority and tenure often serve to hold the status quo . The high rate of departures in theological education, however, counters this situation. New appointments can be made to support revised educational goals without the added costs of early retirement programs and other forms of faculty buy-outs.
Rapid turnover can, nevertheless, threaten the quality of a theological faculty.
If a school cannot replace key faculty with others with the same teaching strengths, programs may be weakened. The vacated positions may be critical ones that cannot be eliminated without damaging the integrity of a school's program. We predict that demand for persons prepared to teach in the practical subject areas will increase . It will be especially intense for the small number of persons who have earned doctorates in these areas. And some schools will feel the impact of retirements in these areas more strongly than others.