Unmarried Pastor, Seeking a Job, Sees Bias

[Liberal_in_LA]

Unmarried Pastor, Seeking a Job, Sees Bias
By ERIK ECKHOLM

Mark Almlie, an unemployed evangelical minister, suspects that being unmarried has hurt his chances to find a new job.
But Mr. Almlie, despite a sterling education and years of experience, has faced an obstacle that does not exist in most professions: He is a single pastor, in a field where those doing the hiring overwhelmingly prefer married people and, especially, married men with children.

Mr. Almlie, 37, has been shocked, he says, at what he calls unfair discrimination, based mainly on irrational fears: that a single pastor cannot counsel a mostly married flock, that he might sow turmoil by flirting with a church member, or that he might be gay. If the job search is hard for single men, it is doubly so for single women who train for the ministry, in part because many evangelical denominations explicitly require a man to lead the congregation.

Mr. Almlie, an ordained evangelical minister who lives in Petaluma, Calif., has also had to contend with the argument, which he disputes with scriptural citations of his own, that the Bible calls for married leaders. “Prejudice against single pastors abounds,” Mr. Almlie wrote in articles he posted on a popular Christian blog site in January and February, setting off a wide-ranging debate online on a topic that many said has been largely ignored.

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In more than 50 interviews, she said, “they often acted like I’m not quite whole because I’m single,” questioning whether she could counsel couples or parents. At the same time, some also asked whether, if she did get married and have a family, she would be able to continue with a demanding job as a pastor.



http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/us/22pastor.html

[msongs]

1. a victim of his own religion....too bad. now he knows how 3/4 of the planet feels nt

[Brickbat]

2. A pastor feeling marginalized, discriminated against and mistrusted because of who he is?

Huh. You don't say.

[onager]

3. Awww...this atheist can only say...

:nopity:

[CC]

4. He is missing the free part of the

labor force, the pastor's wife. Why should they pay for one when they are used to getting two? Actually he should try being a single female pastor if he wants to see bias.

[Dappleganger]

6. Great point, but not all of them do this.

Our last church, the pastor's wife made it very clear she wasn't there to do a damned thing.

[CC]

11. I have to say ...

Good for her. More should tell them no or demand proper pay. Some of the hardest working people I have known were pastors' wives and they got very little credit for all they did. Shoot just putting up with committees without killing someone should qualify some for sainthood. :)

[Dappleganger]

12. It made little difference to me...

but yes, I agree that more should say no but obviously they don't.

[elehhhhna]

7. DING DING we have a winner!

+ 1,000

[Liberal_in_LA]

20. awesome point!

[SoutherDem]

5. I am so sad,

"unfair discrimination, based mainly on irrational fears" I thought that was what the evangelical church was all about. Maybe he should try being a gay man in Alabama. :nopity:

[Liberal_in_LA]

17. lol

[Kat45]

8. I know a lot of clergy, in liberal churches, and they are all married.

This includes folks in their twenties. I have noticed this as I've been involved in churches (as an administrator and as a member) for the past 10 years.

[TlalocW]

9. An evangelical experiencing discrimination...

Can't seem to work up too much sympathy for him. Maybe something good will come out of this, and he'll be unlike the majority of other evangelicals who don't demonize, "teh gay."

TlalocW

[Merlot]

10. BS: "that does not exist in most professions"

I was a temp at a job in the late 90's and was passed over for a perm position because the other temp was married and had a "family to support."

Sorry, discrimination against single people is old news. Car insurance is higher for single people, even if they're over 40.

[Liberal_in_LA]

19. I remember those days - when married folks were valued over single

and men were paid more because the 'had a family to support'

[hunter]

13. If only he was Catholic...

:eyes:

[canetoad]

14. Hard to drum up sympathy

The one characteristic required of evangelicals is charisma. Goodness, holiness, wisdom, good judgement, empathy - none of these need be considered as long as a preacher is charismatic.

A thirty something evangelical must be short on charisma to be unemployed.

[REP]

15. Boo hoo hoo

[Blue-Jay]

16. Call me crazy, but I'd like to see more "unemployed evangelical ministers".

[Liberal_in_LA]

18. +100