Pastor counsels denomination against part-time clergy

EINDHOVEN – Local pastor Mirjam van Nie, in an article in Woord & Daad, a publication of the Protestant Church in the Netherland (PKN), argues against the increasing frequency of congregations in the merger denomination to appoint part-time ministers. The practice has developed over budgetary concerns in an age when churches face a graying as well as a dropping membership. Van Nie suggests that councils will just have to find a way, even if it involves one with a neighbouring congregation or a solution on a regional level. Spiritual care needs such as situations involving illnesses and burials cannot be adequately provided by part-timers, she states, while fulltime ministers also are able to develop a better relationship with their church.