Gordon T. Smith, author of books on calling, vocation, leadership and theology (and executive director of Christian Higher Education Canada) reflects on what some call the "pipeline crisis."
The narrative goes something like this: Churches in Canada, especially those that self-identify as evangelical, are facing a major pastor shortage. The Boomer generation is coming up to retirement age, and Canadian churches will need more than 600 new pastors each year to fill pulpits and leadership positions vacated by this tsunami transition.
Faith Today published such an article, Waking up to the pastor shortage, in 2024.
The language of “pipeline crisis” is often used to frame the problem – not enough pastors are coming out of the colleges and seminaries here in Canada to staff the leadership positions being vacated by these retirements.
Denominational leaders and college and seminary presidents met in a Calgary consultation in 2023 sponsored by The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada where this issue was a resounding concern. There’s talk of another consultation in May 2026 on the topic, one of the reasons I’m now writing this.
Quick critique
Let me make three quick observations and then a longer overview of what might be emerging.
First, the pipeline metaphor is profoundly flawed. This is not a factory or an assembly line. These are people, women and men being formed in faith and competency for pastoral and priestly leadership. They are not widgets or automobiles or washing machines. They are people.
And it is not merely about training or competencies or skills. It is an exercise in theological formation that equips for life, ministry and congregational leadership.
Second, much of the discussion I’ve heard so far refers to 65 as the average retirement age, which is also problematic. While 75 may not be the new 65, it’s likely many will serve into their late 60s and perhaps even longer and do so quite effectively. Are we not creating a false sense of crisis by using a retirement age that is no longer quite so standard or taken for granted?
And third, the blame for this shortage is often placed at the feet of the colleges and seminaries that have historically prepared candidates for ministry. And yet, might it rather be the case that while these theological schools are given the task to form leadership for the church, the awareness of calling and the discernment of vocation has not typically happened there. Rather, it does and it should emerge in local congregations.
And so, rather than first of all looking to revise our theological training systems, let’s ask together, as denominational leaders and as colleges and seminaries, “Who is God calling into vocational Christian ministry? And how might we best serve the process – church and seminary – so that a person is adequately equipped for vocational Christian ministry?”
How can churches in particular be communities of vocational discernment where those called into vocational Christian ministry are encouraged and equipped for that to which the Spirit is leading them?
Different narrative
Consider the possibility of a different narrative around this whole set of concerns. Let’s assume the Spirit of God is well aware of this potential shortage and further that the Spirit is actually calling men and women into ministry.
Thinking this way means we do not need to ask, “What is the problem or the lack?” and “Whose fault is it?” Instead we ask, “How and where and who is the Spirit calling into ministry?”
In the past many of us assumed a person’s calling emerged in their teen years or perhaps early 20s. But fewer young people seem to sense this call to vocational ministry. Is this a concern to bemoan, or is it perhaps not a problem in the long run?
Perhaps it is for the good. Most young people in their early 20s simply lack the emotional, social and intellectual maturity to provide pastoral leadership for a congregation. Terms such as deferred or delayed adolescence are often used to describe changes to our society that relate to this.
Responding to the call to vocational Christian ministry is very much an adult decision. In the past this young adult demographic was the primary source for new pastors, but perhaps that is not where the Spirit is giving primary attention today.
Here are three ways in which it’s clear the Spirit is very much in the business of prompting and encouraging emerging leaders to consider pastoral office and ministry.
Called in mid-life
First, consider the remarkable number of individuals who sense a call to ministry in mid-life. My parents felt this call in their teens and headed off to Bible school and from there to foreign missionary service. In my case, like most of my peers, the call emerged as a university student in my early 20s. All good.
But what we are observing now is the remarkable number of individuals in mid-life and mid-career who are heading off to seminary to test the waters, take a course in Bible or theology as part of discerning whether they are called to serve in credentialed ministry in the church.
Some might respond that this is unfortunate in that they are already older and so have a limited number of years to serve, and so their contribution to addressing the problem of the lack mentioned above is only temporary.
Such a fear is not warranted if we make space for a few other considerations. If we accept that those in mid-life will likely serve into their 70s, that takes some pressure off. Also, we don’t need to worry if we trust the Spirit is in control – others will soon emerge.
Instead of focusing on empty pulpits, what if we focus on the maturity and wisdom and gravitas that those called in mid-life will bring to the ministry that is urgently needed in our churches? They will leverage their experience teaching public school or running a business or raising children and tending to the domestic arts and move into a ministry position bringing experience, competency and maturity into pastoral ministry from day one.
We must be careful not to class all these individuals as Jonahs, thinking they missed their original call. Sure, there might be some who resisted or rejected a calling when they were younger. But for most, the calling did not emerge and did not intersect their hearts until they were in mid-life and mid-career.
Instead of thinking of them as Jonahs, we can think of them like Moses. They were called while at the top of their craft – in Moses’ case as a shepherd.
They likely have lots to learn, of course. If they come out of the world of business, they will need to take care not to run the church like a business. All still need a full and complete grounding in the faith, and they need to learn the essential skills or capacities of ministerial leadership.
But most will be quick learners and come into this new season of life and work and ministry with humility and a generous posture towards themselves and others.
The increasing diversity of this population is also worth noting. More of the mid-career cohort exploring both theological studies and vocational Christian ministry are women. Many are not of northern European descent, but rather Chinese Canadians and Vietnamese or Korean or Nigerian first- and second-generation Christians eager and willing to serve Christ in a Canadian congregation. They are ideally suited to ministry in a multi-ethnic social and cultural context.
If congregations and denominations are assuming a flood of young men of European descent, then they will assuredly not see and appreciate the new work of the Spirit.
Multi-vocational calling
There’s another assumption that needs to be questioned: that pastoral ministry is a full-time occupation for which one is compensated with enough salary to afford a house and have the means to raise a family. Two things to consider here.
First, many churches simply do not have the capacity or the resources to hire one or more pastors and pay them an adequate wage for life in Toronto or Calgary or Vancouver or just about anywhere.
Sometimes the ministry to which we’re called is not one that can also fund our ministry. It may be a calling to serve among a demographic or community that is among the poorest of the poor. A pastor in such a role needs another source of income. Sheer pragmatics.
We can all picture these communities – often in rural settings or in downtown inner cities where the economic situation leaves most living hand to mouth. They cannot afford a pastor.
This is not a flaw or inherent problem; it is rather a different financial reality. And this shapes the way we think about pastoral ministry and calling. The Apostle Paul was a tentmaker and church planter. He had a dual calling – perhaps out of necessity, but the point is that he was both/and.
A dual calling
In some cases a dual calling it is not just due to necessity and limited budgets. Some people are intentionally co-vocational in their identity and sense of calling. This is who they are. It’s not a flaw in their sense of call. It’s not a compromise they’re making that waters down their notion of being all in. Not for a moment.
For years I was both an academic administrator and a theological author. Both/and. Each was inherent in who I was and am. Neither involvement compromised the other point of engagement. I was a university president who also wrote books on Christian spirituality. I was a writer while also an administrator.
Sometimes, I’d put my writing on hold while my day job was all consuming – perhaps in the days or the weeks leading up to a board meeting. But as a rule there was a comfortable rhythm between the two. My writing was that of someone thick into an administrative role, and my administrative ministry was all the better for the time I took to tend to a writing project.
Similarly, might a person be called into business and pastoral office? Both? At the same time? Could it be that if you are called to be a pastor in the hinterland – say Churchill, Manitoba – you will likely be co-vocational? Might it follow that to serve that community you will also need to find a job at city hall in Churchill, or start your own business or teach part-time in a local school? Is this a problem, or might it be that many are co-vocational if not actually multi-vocational?
We might come to see this is not a problem or somehow a lesser version of pastoral ministry and calling. Instead of saying, “Unfortunately, I have to take on a job as the manager of the local grocery store,” we can celebrate this duality is inherent in the make-up and calling of this particular person. They are co-vocational. (In fact I argue most of us are multi-vocational in Your Calling Here and Now: Making Sense of Vocation, IVPress, 2022.)
If we affirm this as a trajectory for calling to vocational Christian ministry, it expands exponentially the kinds and numbers of individuals who could provide quality leadership within our churches.
Yes, they still need theological formation. But perhaps those who have both an MBA and MDiv, or those who have a dual degree like a BA in business administration and a BTh in Bible and theology, are wonderfully suited for the kind of congregation into which they are called.
Admittedly, some reject such thinking. In Vietnam, even the spouses of pastors are not permitted to have any outside employment or income. Perhaps that works in Vietnam, though I know of many who question the practice.
But in my opinion that Vietnamese model is not an option in Canada. Many who are in pastoral ministry are called into circumstances that are not in themselves able to fund a full-time paid position.
And so either from sheer pragmatics – to pay the bills – or because a person is themselves co-vocational, we need to be open how the Spirit is calling those who will come to the life and witness of the Church with this appreciation of the nature of their calling.
Shifting away from clericalism
Then also, we likely need to re-think the character of the pastoral role itself, especially in relation with the lay members and leaders of the congregation. What is the role of the laity? Have we become overly dependent on paid professionals? Are we giving enough attention to the substantial contributions to congregational life and mission that can be given by those who have no particular interest in being ordained?
Imagine if the so-called shortage forces us to empower more and more laypersons to take up significant ministry roles in the church – involvements that in the past we assumed would be carried by clergy.
Might we come to see that the pastoral role and office actually includes identifying the gifts and capacities of members of the congregation who have a significant capacity and the potential to make a noteworthy contribution?
And they join others on the pastoral staff and team in their shared accountability to the board of elders or the church council. Perhaps they study theology and ministry. Perhaps they do take a course on how to preach or how to lead worship. Perhaps they become quite proficient in elder care. And more.
The main point is that there are those who are eager to serve who have no particular interest in being ordained.
I’ve seen many congregations in Asia and North America who simply assume the elders board should hire a pastor and pay that pastor, and now that pastor does the work of the church. That is what they’re paid to do.
Clericalism, in other words, is a default way of thinking not only for pastors but for many lay persons as well. We all need to work to embrace this model of congregational life, ministry and leadership.
As the congregation and the parish move away from a clergy-centred understanding of ministry, they foster a dynamic of shared ministry and mutual empowerment. Some will no doubt wonder if there can be real accountability when a person is not on the church payroll. We will need to be clear and forthright on this.
Whether clergy or lay, whether ordained or not, we can all do ministry in a way that is collaborative and accountable. We just need to be up front about it. Just because you are not being paid does not mean you are not called to excellence and accountability for the quality and character of your ministry.
Conclusion
Can we imagine that one person could be referenced in all three developments? In mid-life they sense a call to ministry, but they do so while hiring someone to manage their small business or moving into an arrangement where they are only part-time in the local school. So, they are co-vocational. And then they only agree to serve on the condition that laypersons are eagerly welcomed to partner with them in the life, mission and ministry of the congregation.
Two points by way of conclusion. First, we still need theological education – formation for the life and ministry of the church. But all of this means theological schools are going to shape and design their programs to align with what it means to teach and form for ministry those women and men who are in mid-life or those who have a dual calling – so that they can prepare adequately for the challenges of congregational leadership.
And second, we need to foster the capacity of pastors and congregations to think this way, while asking how can pastors and congregations discern who is being prompted by the Spirit to move in this trajectory. We need pastors who look for the Spirit’s prompting of mid-life parishioners to consider a shift of life and work.
We can stop bemoaning the perceived crisis or feeling alarmed by lack of those coming through the supposed pipeline, which easily is a form of nostalgia. Instead we can embrace what the Spirit is actually doing now.
Bemoaning is framed around what is not happening. It can be more productive to discern what is happening – the where and how and who is being called into vocational Christian ministry. We can share examples of where this re-think is happening. Let us be attentive to the ways in which the Spirit is doing what is uniquely the role of the Spirit in the life of the Church and in the lives of each person called into vocational Christian ministry.
Gordon T. Smith of Victoria, B.C., is author of multiple books on calling, vocation, leadership and theology (GordonTSmith.com) and executive director of Christian Higher Education Canada. This article comes from a book he is working on with New Leaf Press and three other authors: Rev. Clara King, Rev. Karis Li and Amy Bratton. Photo of three friends by Omar Lopez on Unsplash.