From Seminarian to Minister

As mentioned previously, the total time spent seeking a call can only be determined once a person is ordained. What trends are we seeing among those who are still seeking? This chart illustrates the distribution of candidates reported as "active" in the process and cleared to seek a call at the end of the third quarter of 2022.

In general terms, the lower percentages in the shorter time ranges are consistent with what we have seen in the data regarding time-to-ordination; since most candidates secure a first call within a year, there are proportionately fewer candidates actively seeking a call within the lower time ranges.

What is at first glance surprising--and perhaps somewhat alarming--is the high proportion (43%, or just over 2-in-5) who are reported as having been seeking a call for more than four years. However, we also know from the under-reporting of ordinations data (see again the chart at "Trends"), that number is inflated by persons who have been ordained but whose candidacy profiles have not been closed. It likely also includes some who have stopped actively seeking a call, having taken positions that did not require ordination to the ministry of the Word and Sacrament, but also have not been reported as having withdrawn from the process (for example, while in mid-October 2022 there were more than 316 "active seekers" in the inquirer/candidate database, the Church Leadership Connection applicant report showed only 84 personal information forms for persons seeking a first call).

Nevertheless, both this data and the data on time-to-ordination do suggest that if a person has been seeking a first call for more than four years, the likelihood of receiving a call that would require ordination as a minister of the Word and Sacrament decreases significantly. It does happen, but the numbers are small.