Preparation in Context
Comparative Outcomes of Alternative Clergy Training in the Elca
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4232559 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nathaniel D Porter (Department of Sociology, The Pennsylvania State University, 211 Oswald Tower, 16802, University Park, PA, USA), Nathaniel Porter (0000-0002-0479-6777, Pennsylvania State University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 58 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 319-338 |
| Publication date | 2016-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Review of Religious Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2211-4866 • E-ISSN: 0034-673X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s13644-016-0246-5 |
| OpenAlex | W2283094958 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 20 |
Training requirements for ordained clergy vary widely between US denominations, but the most common qualifications include the Master of Divinity (MDiv), a 3-year professional degree typically earned in residence full-time at a seminary or school of theology following completion of an undergraduate degree. However, past research has found that denominations with more limited formal training requirements for clergy tend to grow more rapidly and that professionalized clergy may actually contribute to denominational decline. I test this with Cox regression, comparing job lengths of Lutheran (ELCA) pastors with MDiv degrees and those who completed an alternative training program (TEEM) where older students complete less extensive coursework while simultaneously serving a ministry context. TEEM candidates often continue serving in this context upon being ordained. The key finding is a persistent advantage for TEEM program graduates net of demographic controls, regardless of how age and experience are factored in. The advantage is not the result of ongoing embeddedness in a single context, suggesting it may result from a combination of differences in the structure of formal education and the simultaneous contextual application. Both life experience (age) prior to being ordained and experience in ordained ministry also provide some advantage, but the effects are largely limited to MDiv graduates in their first few years of ministry. The results provide further evidence for the promise of alternative ministry preparation programs, and help elaborate previous theories of clergy religious capital
Christian ministry · Context (archaeology) · Coursework · Divinity · Embeddedness · Geography · Pedagogy · Political science · Residence · Social science · Sociology · Sociology of religion · Demography · Law · Psychology · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Society, and Development · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
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Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education
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Creating Shorter Scales to Measure Congregational Vitality
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The First Parish Placement
Denominations as Dual Structures
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |