Slipstream - Leaders - in - formation

Age of Ministers 

Statistics from some surveys looking at the age of ministers.

• 2005 Church Census
• • Average of a minister is 54.
  • Average age of adult church goers is 55.
  • Greater proportion of female ministers in their 50's than men but proportionally less women in the other age groups.
  • 40% of ministers in their 30's are leading in churches that are growing. For the 40's age group the figure is 36% in charge of a growing church. For leaders aged 50+ 33% are leading growing churches.
  • The smaller the church the older the senior minister is likely to be with the average age of a minister in a church with less than 11 people being 57, whilst for a church of 100-150 people the average age of the senior leader was 52.
  • 25% of ministers under 40 were leading churches that had seen very fast growth between 1998 and 2005 whereas the figure for ministers over 60 was 17% leading a fast growing church.
  • Younger leaders are more likely to be in charge of city centre churches; older ministers are more likely to lead churches in rural areas.
  • 54% of ministers in their 30's and 40's lead churches that offer regular midweek youth activities.
  • 33% of ministers aged 60+ lead churches that offer regular midweek youth activities.
  • 45% of young people attending midweek youth activities regularly attend Sunday services.

• Church of England Diversity Audit 2005
• • Church of England clergy from minority ethnic backgrounds are younger than their white counterparts.
  • 10% of white clergy are under 40 compared to 14% of clergy from minority ethnic backgrounds.

• Licensed Ministers 2006 Statistics
• • In 2006 90 candidates aged under 30 were recommended for ordination in the Church of England.
  • Whereas in the same year 355 candidates aged 40+ were recommended for ordination.