Evening star., 1951-04-15
Need Grows
For Pastors
Churches Demands
Way Ahead of
Seminary Output :
By AdeIoide Kerr

religious interest which has zoomed
church membership to an all-tirneI
high Of 81 million.
Little churches all over the
country are crying for help. Many
had to close their doors for lack
of a minister. Some towns which
mushroomed during World War II
have neither enough churches nor
pastors. Growing city churches
need more ministerial assistants.
Institutions need more chaplains.
On the other hand. more men
are studying for the ministry to-
day than ever before-almost 49,
900 in Protestant seminaries, 25,-'
900 in Catholic seminaries and
about 300 in rabbinical schools.
Many War Veterans
Many of these are veterans, who
never dreamed of entering the
ministry until they saw at first
hand the suffering and horrors of
war.
Meanwhile, the churches are re-
cruiting thousands more. The Ma
tional Council of Churches Of
Christ in the United States of
America reports the Methodist
church has launched a four-year
drive for 10000 ministers; the Dis
ciples of Christ seek 5000 in three
years. The Presbyterian church Of
the United States of America has
1000 parishes without ministers,
the Episcopal church needs 600
and other denominations varying
numbers.
Msgr. Thomas j. Mccarthy, di-
rector of the Bureau of 1nforma-
ton of the National Catholic We'll
fare Conference, says the Catho-
lie church "could use three or four
thousand more priests and that
vocation groups throughout the
country are working on the prob
lem.
There is one outstanding excep-
ton to the shortage. Protestant
authorities say that a dozen
fundamentalist sects, which grew
up in the last so years and whose
membership increased as much as
tenfold, have no lack of ministers.
Leading Protestant, Catholic
and Jewish churchmen believe the
chief cause of the shortage is
I17-million gain in church mem
bership in the last decade. Some
think the low salaries paid min
listers may have played a certain
part, although they do not con-
slider it a major issue.
"The average Protestant min
ister receives $1,000 year and a
parsonage" said one. Compare
this with $500 which New York
City pays experienced men for
cleaning streets. However, a man
, who really feels a call to the min
istry won't be stopped by that.
There are other rewards in the
ministry" Churchmen's judgment
of other causes of the shortage
vary.
This is the most serious min
isterial shortage of the century,"
says DR.. Henry Van DuSen, presi-
dent of (the PROTESTANT Union
Theological Seminary, New York,
who visited virtually all sections
of the country to check on short
ages.
I'VE are, in a sense. reaping
the spiritual harvest of the jazz
age and the depression period,
between the two world wars.
They were periods Of spiritual
lebb-and during them not enough
ministers were produced for nor
MA! replacement. Parents did not
encourage their sons to enter the
ministry then. AS a matter OF
fact they are not encouraging
them now. The men who are
coming into the ministry today
lare coming of their own accord.
However, most of those who be-
gan to study since the war ended
have not had time to get into
active service yet.
Another reason is a great re-
surgence of religious interest that
began with the war and increased
with Korea. When people have a
gun pointed at their heads they
grow serious They are f1ocking
to the churches seeking the an
swers to many questions. This
means that many pastors need
assistants"
Population Growth Cited
Msgr. Mccarthy thinks the
present shortage is neither new
nor alarming.
There has been a shortage OF
priests since the waves of i'm
migration to this country began, u
he says. "It has increased as the
population and the number of
Catholics increased, even though
the number of priests has doubled
in the past 20 years"
DR.. Nelson Glueck, president OF
tic Joint Rabbinical Seminary,
L -ew Union College (Cincin-
na.D and Jewish Institute of Re-
lion CNew York;, considers the
dis -ocation caused by war con-
tri',uting factor.
The population Of certain areas
Increased greatly during World
War II and people remained there
afterward," he says. This meant
q need for more churches and
ministers. Also there has been g
widespread educational campaign
to draw people into the churches
throughout the country"
Protestant churches are using
various means to combat the
shortage. In some, more womer
are doing the job. Even in de.
nominations where they cannot bt
ordained, women schooled in re-
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