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What Will We Do About Seminaries?

The nation’s seminaries are in an enrollment crisis: Long-term challenges existed for theological schools before the economic downturn. The damage to seminary endowments in 2008 threw those problems into sharp relief, and there has been little overall improvement as the economy improved, said Stephen R. Graham, senior director of programs and services at the Association […]

The nation’s seminaries are in an enrollment crisis:

Long-term challenges existed for theological schools before the economic downturn. The damage to seminary endowments in 2008 threw those problems into sharp relief, and there has been little overall improvement as the economy improved, said Stephen R. Graham, senior director of programs and services at the Association of Theological Schools. The association, which accredits theological schools and seminaries, has grown in the past five years despite the economic challenges.

Many of those new members have been evangelical seminaries. But the economic struggles of seminaries cut across the major divisions in American Christianity, affecting evangelical, mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic seminaries alike, Graham said.

Among the biggest factors causing the crisis: declining interest in attending seminaries. Seminary enrollment has been falling since 2005, and since many seminaries are small — the median head count for a member of the Association of Theological Schools is 155 students — the margin for error is small as well.

Explanations for the falling enrollments vary. Many denominations are seeing their populations decline or at least level off. The loss of denominational support, a trend that began decades ago, has also passed costs onto students, and prospective seminarians are more concerned about debt than they have been in the past. Borrowing is increasing, and while students who take out federal loans are eligible for income-based repayment, those who go into ministry are ineligible for public service loan forgiveness.

Plus, as we know, institutional religious affiliation is declining among Americans. More:

For most seminaries, ensuring long-term survival also involves asking difficult questions, said Ruger, of Auburn Theological Seminary. “It’s very, very complicated, and there are a lot of intense feelings,” he said. “Sooner or later you do have to ask: What is our mission? What are we trying to do and how can we best accomplish it? There are very deep questions about what our identity is, who we are, what we do.”

What liberal Christians will say is, “Be more liberal!” What conservative Christians will say is, “Be more conservative!” Neither strategy seems suited to the nature of this crisis.

Anybody have any ideas? Seriously. Let’s talk about this.

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