Boomers and theological schools: a match made in heaven

“Divine calling” Reprinted from the June 2011 issue of the AARP Bulletin, a publication of AARP. © 2011

Boomers may be acting holier than thou for a reason: They’re the fastest-growing age group in US divinity schools, increasing from 12 percent of students in 1995 to 21 percent in 2010. “Many boomers are looking to spend their time in ways that hold greater meaning and make a positive difference in the world,” says Eliza Smith Brown of the Association of Theological Schools. The Rev. Robert Fellows, who earned his theology certificate in 2007, says he didn’t feel the call to ministry until he was 55. “I had been involved in the church, but I felt a strong tug back to ministry and to work for social justice,” says Fellows, 61, pastor of Community Congregational Church in Greenland, New Hampshire. 

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August 8, 2011
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