Maryland's Mount St. Mary's Seminary.
The desire to teach others about religion doesn’t fade out after college, at least according to the rising number of Baby Boomers jumping into seminaries as their next career move.
Seminaries of all denominations across the U.S. now report that Boomers make up 20% of their classes. It’s still far less than your typical 20- or 30-year-old student, but it’s definitely a significant bump from the roughly 12% seen just a handful of years ago, according to the Association of Theological Schools.
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While folks in their 40s and 50s may finally be reaching the career choice they always wanted, looking for a bit more meaning in life or simply following a newfound direction, the new mix of students makes for an interesting, and rich, mix of classroom discussions, Rev. hip Aldridge of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington told CNN. Boomers, who have often already experienced at least one career, raised a family and simply lived more life, mix with recent college graduates who have likely traveled abroad, learned more about cultures and languages and embraced technology to a greater extent. The resulting conversations provide both sets of students with new outlooks.
And while some students work studies around a day job and others dive in full-time, they already understand the realities of working in today’s economy, which can help them as they take over churches that can only pay part-time. Having another career already in the works, or at least the money saved from one, can offer some flexibility.
“We’ve got a lot of churches that would not have been able to have a full-time pastor unless these baby boomers are returning to study and are raising their hand and saying, ‘Send me to those churches because I’m ready for something quiet in the country or outside the beltway,’ ” Aldridge tells CNN.
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