The Fund for Theological Education, an ecumenical foundation based in Atlanta, has awarded theological education grants to 162 top students under 35, at least 16 are Episcopalian.
As a generation of Baby Boomer pastors prepares to retire, interest in congregational ministry is declining among students in North American theological schools. The result is an ecumenical leadership gap that requires investment and intervention to maintain quality and ward off mediocrity in the ministerial profession, according to program officers at The Fund for Theological Education (FTE), an Atlanta-based nonprofit.
FTE seeks to reverse a 20-year decline in the number of clergy under age 35 by attracting and supporting gifted college, seminary and doctoral students whose talents qualify them for any profession but whose passions draw them toward the mantle of ministry or theological scholarship. The Fund also aims to improve diversity on the faculties of North American theological schools.
“Some call Generation Y the most narcissistic generation in recent history, but that’s not what we see,” said Dr. Trace Haythorn, FTE president. “We see bellwether Millennials motivated by a passion for service, deep faith and a heightened interest in social issues. A new generation is stepping up to explore paths of ministry and theological scholarship-but they’re redefining what that means for them and what they seek in the church and its role in society.”
This month FTE awards more than $1.5 million in fellowships and support to 162 top students from 40 U.S. states and Canada-representing more than 30 denominations-to explore or prepare for vocations as pastoral ministers or as professors in the theological academy.
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