The high cost of becoming a priest

A new study by the Auburn Theological Seminary in New York reports that the average student loan debt for a new pastor more than doubled in a decade, from $11,043 in 1991 to $25,018 in 2001. The study also reportedly found that nearly one out of every four borrowers postponed health care in order to pay their bills. Are you concerned about these results, especially since some faiths are reporting shortages in recruiting clergy? Could rising education costs sway some from the pulpit?

The fact that student loan debt has soared in the past decade is not unique to members of the cloth. This phenomenon is also prevalent among doctors, lawyers and many other professionals.

Economical trends over the past decade have caused nearly every product and service to double and triple in price and education is not an exception. The fact that borrowers are now forced to choose between education and healthcare is indeed tragic and a solution must be found.

A recruiting shortage of qualified individuals is a serious concern among several faiths, in some more serious than in others. This is also a concern among some Jewish groups who are finding it difficult to ordain competent rabbis. I don't believe, however, that rising costs are particularly to blame for this shortage.

I feel that responsibility for attracting capable people to join our ranks rests squarely on our shoulders -- current clergy. As community leaders, we should lead first by example and then by principle. Religious principles are only as good as the clergy who preach them.

This reminds me of the man who turns to a rabbi sitting next to him during an extremely turbulent plane ride and yells, "you're a rabbi, do something!" To which the rabbi responds, "sorry, I'm in sales, not management."

Let's take our jobs as "salespeople" seriously and make sure that we project our faith positively. If we act as proper representatives of spirituality and communicate the divine effectively, then the chances of recruitment goals being met will be far greater.

RABBI SIMCHA BACKMAN

Chabad Jewish Center

Glendale

I am not concerned about a future shortage of clergy due to rising seminary costs. To those whom God calls, He gives both sufficient provision and an internal "fire" to serve, regardless of circumstances. In their hearts Jeremiah's words echo: "if I say, 'I will not remember Him or speak anymore in His name,' then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones.... "