U.S. · Data Center · Axios
The intrigue: Campbell-Reed and Good Faith Media showed 96,000 clergywomen in the U.S., or 23.7% of all clergy
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Fewer Americans want to become pastors, accelerating a leadership vacuum inside one of the country's oldest civic institutions.
Key facts
- U.S. Master of Divinity enrollment at accredited schools under the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) fell 14% from 2020 to 2024
- The intrigue: Campbell-Reed and Good Faith Media showed 96,000 clergywomen in the U.S., or 23.7% of all clergy, an all-time high
- Case-in-point: Last month, the Diocese of Oakland announced it would close 13 churches in its region due to financial struggles and declining parishioners
- Fewer Americans want to become pastors, accelerating a leadership vacuum inside one of the country's oldest civic institutions
Summary
As the pastor role becomes lower-paid, higher-risk and less trusted, the U.S. isn't losing clergy, it's losing a key layer of local leadership, especially in rural and Black communities. U.S. Master of Divinity enrollment at accredited schools under the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) fell 14% from 2020 to 2024. Graduate-level and college-level enrollment at Catholic seminaries were down significantly in the 2024-2025 academic year, t he Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University said. Black Protestant enrollment in ATS Master of Divinity and professional M.A. programs fell 31% from 2000 to 2020.