The following is the most recent of a series of special reports by Rev. Jeff Nelson for the Statistical Profile dealing with Search and Call. Rev. Nelson is Minister for Ministerial Calls and Transitions with the Ministerial Excellence, Support and Authorization (MESA) Ministry Team.
The 2021 UCC (United Church of Christ) Statistical Report included a special report on how the COVID pandemic was affecting the Search and Call process. To assess possible impacts, records of concluded pastoral positions were pulled from the UCC Data Hub from March 2020 through April 2021. For comparison, the same data was pulled from 2015-2019. The results showed no substantial rise in positions removed over the course of March 2020 through April 2021. Numbers for these months were not noticeably higher than the average for the previous five years. For the 2022 Statistical Report, these numbers were updated and data for how many new positions had been added during the same period were included. The results suggest that 2021 ultimately may have been an outlier, with 2022 figures closer to 2020 numbers than to 2021 numbers, where fewer positions were removed and an even smaller number of positions were added than removed during that time, possibly indicating that there was a smaller than typical number of available candidates for open positions in that particular year amidst a general decline in both positions removed and positions added. This year’s report provides an update of this data.
Several caveats apply for this analysis. First, the month in which a ministry position was recorded as ending in the Data Hub only reflects when a Conference staff person was able to log that information and not necessarily when the position concluded. Second, the results could not be parsed out to account for retirements, position eliminations, deaths, and other factors.
For comparison, the number of new pastoral positions added in the Data Hub over this same period (these pastoral positions include interim and supply pastoral positions) are shown in the table. The line graph gives a more visual representation of the trend.
Over the last 8 years, the number of pastoral positions removed has trended downward, though less so in recent years. 2021—a year theorized to show a greater difference due to pandemic-related effects—shows a marked slowdown in positions removed but is a modest outlier.
The number of new positions added has also been trending downward and has been lower than the number of removed positions every year since 2015. As pastoral positions conclude, they are not being filled in the same way or at the same rate.
There could be several possibilities for this. First, there could be fewer open positions available due to downsizing or restructuring of church staff, e.g., the elimination of a position after a minister’s departure. Second, the pool of candidates for local church positions may be shrinking as Members in Discernment seek non-pastoral positions (a special report on Ministers in Specialized Settings may give more insight to this), or current authorized ministers opt for other employment, take a leave of absence, retire, etc. Finally, ministry settings are experiencing longer search processes due to this smaller candidate pool.
Overall, these numbers show a new reality emerging in Search and Call. Among other needs, this moment will entail greater patience and creativity as ministry settings seek to fill their open positions.
Vital Signs and Statistics 