The appeal of committing oneself to God is going through a resurgence with both the Anglican and Catholic churches reporting more people joining the clergy. Archbishop of Brisbane Dr Phillip Aspinall told the annual Synod of the Brisbane Diocese that an increasing number of people are wanting to become church ministers.
"I am pleased to be able to say that the efforts of clergy and lay leaders to encourage people to come along and find out more about serving in ministry, has significantly increased the number of ordinands in recent years," he said.
"What we are experiencing, I believe, are the first signs of the turn around from the spiral of decline into the spiral of growth.
"It is my hope that this will lead to more people becoming involved in the life of the church, growth in faith, growth in giving and growth in service."
A spokesman for the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane said it was also experiencing a resurgence in the number of men wanting to join the priesthood.
The spokesman said two priests would be ordained in Brisbane next Friday, while there were 11 men in the Holy Spirit Seminary at Banyo, up on previous years.
"It is a good sign," the spokesman said.
Dr Aspinall said the diocese was in the middle of a "going for growth" strategy and he was greatly encouraged by the number of people seeking to become ministers.
"One of the challenges we have in going for growth is to provide the number of ordained leaders we are going to need over the next decade," he said.
Dr Aspinall said he would like more financial assistance to enable student ministers to move from part-time to full-time study.
He said this would help to promptly fill vacant ministerial positions with qualified ordinands.
"Better financial support for ordinands is what's required so students can relinquish paid employment and give themselves to study and formation," he said.
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