Theological education and pastoral training are in a state of flux. Many seminaries are slashing budgets and laying off faculty in response to declining enrollment.
This is just the beginning. All institutions of higher education are bracing themselves for the demographic cliff (the number of high school students across the country is about to decline rapidly). Seminaries anticipate fewer graduates pursuing ministry degrees. There’s already a shift away from the cherished Master of Divinity, as more and more students opt for degrees with less stringent requirements. The prevalence of online courses and digital delivery has dramatically reshaped expectations around cost and convenience. What’s more, the anti-institutional ethos of our age combined with the diversity of political and social views among students, faculty, staff, and alumni—even those who adhere to the same confession of faith—make leadership in this era fraught with peril, ever vulnerable to controversy.
Seminaries are groaning and fracturing beneath the weight of this pressure. Some schools will close. Others will consolidate with larger or sister institutions, as denominations consider more efficient ways to share resources. Some will continue to survive, but just barely, while a few will no doubt thrive in the new landscape.
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