This project began as a conversation around student debt
between fellow clergy at a retreat. What I became aware of was that we had
little or no context for our situation and that for many of us breaching the topic
was problematic. As I drove home I asked myself if there was a simple mechanism
for placing our conversation into some context. The answer that came to me was
a roll out survey on Facebook.
A roll out survey would not give us a clear picture of
actual statistics around student debt for Episcopal clergy; such would take, at
the least, a randomized survey. All it can do is provide us with some dots on a
map and some very initial information. My hope would be that it would provide
enough information to encourage fuller, and more systematic, study.
In forming the survey I kept several thoughts in mind. I
wanted to insure it would provide context for those who took part in the
initial conversation, all of whom were clergy between the ages of 20 and 50, a
group that overall makes up roughly 30% of our current clergy. I wanted it to
be able to differentiate on issues of gender, race, LGBTQ+, and ordination status. I wanted
it to take about a minute to fill out.
Outside of demographic questions the survey only sought
three points of information. The total amount of student loan debt an
individual had upon graduating seminary, regardless of source; the amount of
one’s income currently going to pay off student debt; and the number of years
post seminary it would take an individual to pay off their student debt at the
minimum rate required by the lender.
The survey was exceptionally well received and within four days exceeded the amount of entries I was able to freely view by the survey host, 150. Of these responses 121 provided useable data for the study. Others expressed situations outside the studies expectations such as loans being in deferment on account of PhD studies, inheritance or other means had been used to rapidly pay off loans, or filing for bankruptcy. A handful of responses were incomplete.
Recognizing the limited number of responses I would be able to view, the hope to give context to what is a minority population of our clergy, and the nature of roll out surveys, I requested that only clergy under the age of fifty respond. The reality of student loan debt on clergy over the age of fifty soon overwhelmed that request and it became apparent that individuals over the age of fifty were filling out the survey and responding as individuals between the age of forty-five and fifty. This makes the data I report on minsters over the age of forty-five less contextual than that of the other age brackets
Before presenting the information I want to again note that this data is not representative. It provides us some context to what is going on in regards to student loan debt for ministers in the Episcopal Church. Actual objective and representative data will take more research than one individual using a free survey service and promoting it solely through Facebook. My hope is that presenting this information will be a catalyst for that needed further research.
The first column shows the various demographics. The second column the percent of that demographic with student debt. The other columns deal just with those individuals with debt, marking average debt, the range of debt in that demographic, the average percent of income going towards paying off that debt, and the average number of years post seminary it would take to pay off that debt at the minimum rates.
The survey was exceptionally well received and within four days exceeded the amount of entries I was able to freely view by the survey host, 150. Of these responses 121 provided useable data for the study. Others expressed situations outside the studies expectations such as loans being in deferment on account of PhD studies, inheritance or other means had been used to rapidly pay off loans, or filing for bankruptcy. A handful of responses were incomplete.
Recognizing the limited number of responses I would be able to view, the hope to give context to what is a minority population of our clergy, and the nature of roll out surveys, I requested that only clergy under the age of fifty respond. The reality of student loan debt on clergy over the age of fifty soon overwhelmed that request and it became apparent that individuals over the age of fifty were filling out the survey and responding as individuals between the age of forty-five and fifty. This makes the data I report on minsters over the age of forty-five less contextual than that of the other age brackets
Before presenting the information I want to again note that this data is not representative. It provides us some context to what is going on in regards to student loan debt for ministers in the Episcopal Church. Actual objective and representative data will take more research than one individual using a free survey service and promoting it solely through Facebook. My hope is that presenting this information will be a catalyst for that needed further research.
The first column shows the various demographics. The second column the percent of that demographic with student debt. The other columns deal just with those individuals with debt, marking average debt, the range of debt in that demographic, the average percent of income going towards paying off that debt, and the average number of years post seminary it would take to pay off that debt at the minimum rates.
| Participants | % with debt |
Average Debt |
Debt Range |
Average Percent Income |
Average Years |
|
| All | 121 | 72.00% | $61,101.21 | $5-296K | 13.45% | 24 |
| Under 45 | 96 | 72.00% | $66,465.58 | $8-296K | 13.48% | 24 |
| Over 45 | 25 | 76.00% | $55,736.84 | $5-125K | 13.42% | 24 |
| Male | 56 | 70.00% | $64,505.71 | $6-296K | 13.71% | 25 |
| Female | 65 | 82.00% | $63,913.68 | $5-157K | 13.30% | 23 |
| LGBTQ+ | 23 | 83.00% | $59,421.05 | $6-120K | 12.63% | 24 |
| P of C | 7 | 88.00% | $51,616.67 | $30-95K | 17.50% | 22 |
| Lay | 13 | 77.00% | $96,800.00 | $35-157K | 15.00% | 30 |
| Ordained | 108 | 72.00% | $59,963.14 | $5-296K | 13.27% | 23 |
| 20-25 | 1 | 0.00% | $0.00 | 0K | 0.00% | 0 |
| 26-30 | 14 | 57.00% | $63,125.00 | $20-125K | 15.00% | 19 |
| 31-35 | 35 | 69.00% | $70,986.96 | $18-100K | 13.26% | 25 |
| 36-40 | 31 | 77.00% | $69,978.26 | $8-296K | 14.35% | 24 |
| 41-45 | 15 | 93.00% | $52,780.36 | $24-120k | 11.79% | 23 |
I must stress, again, how these numbers are not representative of the church. The demographic numbers themselves show this to be true. All they provide is some context for various demographics. Taking into account the nature of a roll out study, and the varying sizes of the various demographics, no demographic has an exceptionally different context.
The context of ministers under thirty appears to be better overall than those over thirty. How much of this is on account of better funding possibilities, versus a hesitancy of younger individuals with student debt to enter into or get through discernment is unknown. It also appears that the contexts of women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community are slightly more problematic than the overall average context discovered. Again what is causing this reality, and how the church is or is not contributing to it, is unknown.
Overall these numbers present more questions than they do answers. The goal of the project was not to gain answers but to get a better context from which to answer questions. To that end I hope it brings about better and more robust research so that we can understand what is obviously an issue for the majority of Episcopal Clergy.
The context of ministers under thirty appears to be better overall than those over thirty. How much of this is on account of better funding possibilities, versus a hesitancy of younger individuals with student debt to enter into or get through discernment is unknown. It also appears that the contexts of women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community are slightly more problematic than the overall average context discovered. Again what is causing this reality, and how the church is or is not contributing to it, is unknown.
Overall these numbers present more questions than they do answers. The goal of the project was not to gain answers but to get a better context from which to answer questions. To that end I hope it brings about better and more robust research so that we can understand what is obviously an issue for the majority of Episcopal Clergy.
Before I became a seminarian, I was a fundraiser for my diocese. We did an annual appeal for the seminarian fund and $64,000 was the figure we used for the average debt load of a graduating seminarian (nationally.) I don't recall off the top of my head where that figure came from, but it wasn't something we just made up. In other words, I think your results are pretty valid.
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