Saturday, March 22, 1997

Those who hear call to ministry later in life gladly trade in old careers

By Mark I. Pinsky

The Orlando Sentinel

Deborah Hanson remembers the moment her life was changed. She was in her late 30s, a single mother of a teenage daughter, doing marketing for a family printing business in Minnesota.

"The call came," she said, "and it came suddenly: 'Go. Study. Be a pastor. Now.' "

Ever since Jesus called two fishermen on the sea of Galilee to put down their nets and become "fishers of men," people have been leaving more lucrative careers to join the ministry.

For some, this has meant returning to an early interest in ministry they never pursued. For others, it is an outgrowth of extensive volunteer work at church.

But a common theme among second-career pastors is finding meaning that has been missing from their lives. And it is a phenomenon occurring throughout the country.

Nearly half the people who have entered seminaries in North America over the past decade are older than 35. Although anecdotal indications suggest this trend may have leveled off in the past few years, communities around the country are beginning to feel the impact as these new, middle-aged graduates begin stepping into pulpits.

Those graduates include Hanson, 43, the new pastor at Atonement Lutheran Church in Orlando, Fla.

"I was very strongly called to go to seminary," she said.

Four years later, Hanson has more than $50,000 in student loans to repay and a new profession. She says she will be lucky to pay off the debt by the time she reaches retirement age.

"Some people might not consider it a good career move," she said. "It's more of a gamble."

Hanson attended Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., the largest seminary operated by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a mainline denomination with 5 million members. This school year, half the student body is older than 35.

In the fall of 1995, more than 40 percent of the people studying for the most common pastor degree - master of divinity - in North America were older than 35, according to the Association of Theological Schools in Pittsburgh. This represents a rise of several percentage points since the fall of 1991, according to the organization, which accredits 232 Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox seminaries.

Nearly 40 percent of second-career students in these seminaries are women. Like Hanson, many have grown children or are not married. While Hanson's denomination has ordained women for more than two decades, other Christian faiths have opened their ranks to female clergy more recently. Thus, women in their late 30s and 40s have opportunities not available to them when they graduated from college.

Hanson sees her age as a greater asset to her ministry at Atonement Lutheran, a congregation of about 100 people, than her gender. When providing pastoral care, she said, "You look at your life. Everything that has happened helps prepare you for what you are today."

Some second-career ministers report that, while their income levels tend to drop sharply, so does their stress level.

"I am more at peace with myself now that I am truly serving God the way God wanted me to serve," said the Rev. Tim Daly, 41, a recently ordained priest at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Orlando.

"I'm much happier," said Daly, a former University of Central Florida professor. "I feel that joy every day."

Job satisfaction makes up for the sacrifice, second-career ministers say. The Rev. Anthony Hanna gave up a career as an audio-visual consultant in California to head St. Mary & Archangel Coptic Orthodox Church of Central Florida.

"One hour before the altar, saying the Mass, is worth the whole world," the 39-year-old priest said.

Scott Pryor agrees that the career change is worth the effort.

The 42-year-old attorney gave up his practice in Milwaukee and moved with his wife and three children to attend Reformed Theological Seminary in Maitland, Fla. His goal is to teach at a law school where he can combine Christian ethics and values with his instruction.

"Things came to a point at last that I believed God was leading me to seminary," Pryor said. "I had reached a plateau at work. While I continued to enjoy law, there was a more demanding calling in my life."

The move to Florida and seminary was "tough," he said, requiring considerable adjustment. In order to support his family, Pryor does part-time legal work, and his wife has returned to work.

Because of their relatively late start, second-career seminary graduates often begin in specialized ministries: as hospital or prison chaplains, or as associate pastors of larger churches, frequently for youth or music activities. Those who do take congregational pulpits start at smaller, rural churches. Not all second-career ministers come from the private sector. In fact, some have military backgrounds.

Reformed Theological Seminary student David Temples, 33, had an early attraction to the ministry. "Even as young child I felt I would be a preacher when I grew up."

But Temples accepted an ROTC scholarship to the University of Florida and joined the Marine Corps after graduation.

He heard the call while serving in northern Iraq just after the Gulf War. In a tent that served as a makeshift church, Temples found himself thinking, "I love what I'm doing, but I'm not happy."

Temples took "a step of faith" and resigned his commission in order to attend seminary, and he has no second thoughts about his decision. "I'm happy and I enjoy what I'm doing."

(c) 1997, The Orlando Sentinel (Fla.).

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