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Young Clergy Forge Bonds Among Peers, Seek Church's Respect

Episcopal News Service. June 23, 1998 [98-2184]

Tim Cherry

(Episcopal Life) As the old joke goes, "There's good news and bad news." The good news is that almost half of all Episcopal clergy under age 35 recently gathered for a successful three-day conference. The bad news is that they all fit into one seminary chapel.

Of more than 8,000 priests nationwide, only about 300 -- less than 5 percent -- still can look forward to their 35th birthday. Meanwhile, the average age of seminarians hovers around 40 -- and a significant block of clergy are nearing retirement.

These sobering trends led a small group of younger clergy to organize the "Gathering the NeXt Generation" conference at Virginia Theological Seminary in early June. From the beginning, they envisioned an opportunity for peers to gather, share experiences and get acquainted. After all, this group will serve as colleagues for the next three or four decades.

Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold also spoke to the group and, with his wife Phoebe, joined in informal conversations. He charged the gathering to carry on the bonds of respect and care they had built during the conference. "This diverse community is raising tender concerns very respectfully, without being polemical... modeling to the church mutual affection that will serve us well if we continue it," he said.

The first day began on an upbeat note with Bishop Peter James Lee of the Diocese of Virginia welcoming the 134 participants on behalf of the seminary's board of trustees. He asked each participant to seek out one college-age person who should be encouraged toward holy orders. "Many called and qualified young adults never consider the priesthood because we do not ask them to," he told them.

The organizers intentionally planned the gathering to promote fellowship and dialogue, not debate issues. That wish was honored by the diverse group, although the dialogue was certainly lively.

Guest speaker Dean Paul Zahl of Birmingham, Alabama, presented a paper on Anglican identity and evangelism. The resulting discussion highlighted the tension between tradition and innovation, boundaries and tolerance. Most of all, the group recognized the great gap between Anglo-centered traditions and the forms of Anglicanism now practiced throughout the world.

As one Latin American priest remarked to more than a little laughter, "Being Anglican is a way of being Christian. But when you define Anglicanism too narrowly, you cease to be Anglican."

Other topics ranged from identifying new models of ministry to balancing two-career marriages to promoting social justice. Also raised was the painful question of allowing some struggling parishes to die out in order to nurture newer ones.

Griswold spoke as one who, as a young priest, felt "on the edge" of the institution. Now, as presiding bishop, he looks back to realize that, as a priest, "What you shy away from often is what you are called to embrace." He also spoke to the need for ongoing spiritual growth: "The more you put on externally [trappings of priestly or episcopal offices], the more you are called to take off internally through a greater intimacy with Christ."

That warning hit home with many. Participants were reminded several times that one-third of them may one day serve as bishops, in a church that probably will look remarkably different than it now does.

A bias against youth

Perhaps the most profound moments involved comments that resonated throughout the room as younger priests, who often serve in areas without peers, realized that they shared many of the same difficulties. "This is the first time since I graduated from college that I have been in a group of people my own age," said one. "My congregation was so excited to get a younger priest. They said they wanted to grow, to attract young families and children. But whenever we discuss doing anything new or different, all I hear is no!" said another, evoking many sympathetic nods.

Another added, "It can be hard to be taken seriously as a younger ordained person. The first comment I often hear is, 'She's too cute to be our priest.'"

In remarks to the Executive Council meeting immediately after the conference, Griswold suggested that the church should redirect its thinking by making a place for young clergy in church councils. He also called on diocesan commissions on ministry to re-examine their process with a view to eliminating what he called the "inhospitality" of the ordination process, reporting that he heard stories of "adversarial relationships" with diocesan commissions on ministry whose members had questioned candidates' calls to ministry. He also urged senior clergy to present their profession in a more positive manner, saying he heard stories from young clergy that ministry was being presented by some experienced clergy "in a climate of depression and despair."

Seeking common ground

Griswold said that he was impressed by the respect for widely different backgrounds and experiences represented at the conference. "The most amazing thing was the diversity within that group," he told the council. "People spoke from the heart and what they said was honored, it was received with a graciousness of spirit not often seen in the more senior age group of our church."

The young priests did not pretend that important and divisive issues do not exist; they simply refused to give them center stage. Participants came from every wing of the church -- conservative and liberal, female and male, traditionalist and progressive, high church and low, but priests all.

"This week has given me the opportunity to gather and discuss things with others who may hold positions I truly dislike or even detest," remarked Kathleen Sturges from Charlottesville, Virginia. "But we can talk without my detesting the person. There's great hope in finding a way to hang together in the future."

Lawrence Harrison of the Diocese of Fort Worth enjoyed a different but related experience. "Community and communion both depend on having common ground to share. There is an open question as to whether or not there is enough of it left for all elements of the Episcopal Church to stay together. This conference was a very positive first step for this generation of priests to determine that."

By the end, how and whether to deal with underlying issues became part of the "what next" question. Some voiced a desire to "take a stand" or lobby for wider recognition, while others shied away from action in favor of maintaining the focus on community and fellowship.

Many priests noted that how the group defines itself will determine its future. Will it remain an under-35 club, with its members moving up and out with age? Or will the group that gathered in June stick together to help support each other and soon to mentor the true "next generation" of clergy now in college?

As with the wider church, much remains unclear. Perhaps the best course was charted by Christine McSpadden, one of the organizers, in her closing sermon. She spoke of finding ways to translate and communicate an unchanging gospel in a rapidly changing world, of remaining rooted in the Spirit and the presence of the risen Lord throughout an uncertain future. She also sounded a hopeful note for revitalization and new life amid dire warnings of struggling parishes and internal strife.

"Some of us may be called to help congregations die," she offered. "But we are not euthanizers. Instead, we are midwives."

[thumbnail: Griswolds attend conferen...]