Religion News Service publishes every day a quote of the day. Here's the latest:
Tim Ryan, a former children's minister at West Shore Evangelical Free Church in Mechanicsburg, Pa., who lost his job last year and is now working as a carpenter, the biblical profession of Jesus. He was quoted by The Wall Street Journal.
The Wall Street Journal reports "While the economy appears to be recovering from the worst downturn in generations, more clergy are facing unemployment as churches continue to struggle with drops in donations. In 2009, the government counted about 5,000 clergy looking for jobs, up from 3,000 in 2007 and 2,000 in 2005.
"Church staff are feeling the pinch, too. In an October survey, about one in five members of the interdenominational 3,000-member National Association of Church Business Administration said they had laid off staff amid the recession."
Read the full story: Joblessness Hits the Pulpit
