Rick Hiemstra is a former Wesleyan pastor who now directs the Centre for Research on Church and Faith (at The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada in Ottawa). He and host David Guretzki reflect on increasing concerns over upcoming pastor retirements and the shrinking numbers of future pastors. They consider issues around training, educational structures, public reputation around pastoral careers, and the need for Christian communities to be more intentional and explicit in raising conversations about vocation.
This conversation is also available in our audio podcast episode 250.
Rick Hiemstra's 2024 article in Faith Today: Waking up to the pastor shortage
A response by Gordon T. Smith from 2025: Rethinking Canada's congregational leadership crisis