Yesterday, I put up a blog post entitled: “USA Today: Teens Losing Interest in Church and Church Camp.” The USA Today article offered bad news for churches and their connection with younger people.

But, last Monday, USA Today ran an article with good news for churches concerned about the next generations. “More young adults going into ministry” detailed the surprising change in seminary participation. In recent decades, the average age of a person in seminary had gone up considerably, representing the aging of new clergy. But, according to research from the Center for the Study of Theological Education at Auburn Seminary, the median age for a seminarian has dropped by two years in the last decade. This bodes well for the future of the church, and represents an unexpected trend in theological education.