Religious Workforce Project

The Religious Workforce Project was an effort to understand the nation’s religious workforce in a comprehensive way. The Project included a national meta-analysis and a qualitative study in the Washington, DC, metro area. Funding for the project is generously provided by The Lilly Endowment, Inc. This project sought to answer the following questions: Given today’s changing religious landscape, how are leaders of U.S. congregations adapting? How do these changes shape the staffing, financial models, priorities, and the work of U.S. congregations? And what is the state of the religious workforce today?

Trends in the First Two Decades of the 21st Century and Implications for the Future

Congregational Trends Impacting the Religious Workforce

• Declining Church Attendance
• Fewer New Adherents
• Aging Church Membership

Congregational Trends Become Congregational Challenges

• Increasing Numbers of Smaller Churches among Protestants
• Church Finances and Personnel Spending

Congregational Challenges Lead to Workforce Changes

• Churches with Multiple Clergy
• Part-Time Pastoral Leadership
  • More Churches Served Part Time
  • Stability in Churches Served by Shared Pastors and Retired Pastors
  • Increasing Interest in Bivocational Ministry

Lay Pastors and Workers

• Protestant Lay Ministry
• Roman Catholic Lay Ministers

Workforce Changes Impact Seminary Education

• Changes in Seminary Enrollment Patterns

Changes in Clergy Demographics

• Clergy Gender Trends Across Christian Traditions
• Clergy Race Trends Across Christian Traditions
• Clergy Age Trends Across Christian Traditions

Qualitative Findings: What Challenges Are Congregations Facing Today and How Will They Need to Staff for Ministry in the Future?

Papers:

• What Clergy Leaders Wish They Had Been Trained to Do
• Unique Challenges for Churches in the National Capital Area
• Post-Pandemic Realities: How Will Churches Staff for Ministry in the Future?