What was my impetus for returning to finish my seminary education? There were several contributing factors, but this is certainly one of them: > "At the time of writing, the OPC's list of vacant pulpits has twenty-nine openings–about one-tenth of all OPC congregations and the highest number in several decades... Our brothers and sisters in the Presbyterian Church in America have calculated a need for 220 new ministerial candidates _annually_ over the next ten years... Twenty percent of the pulpits in the United Reformed Church are vacant. The Evangelical Presbyterian Church, with over 600 congregations, reports that nearly 50 percent of its ministers plan to retire in the next five years." - New Horizons Magazine, July 2025. Article by David S Veldkamp, titled 'The Laborers Are Few: Addressing Needs in the OPC and Beyond' This is not good for maintaining the purity of the church. Desperation for ministers may cause churches to settle for men who are not firmly rooted in Scripture and the Reformed system of doctrine, as summarized in the Reformed confessions and catechisms. Where once presbyteries would not allow exceptions to the doctrinal standards, they may begin to look the other way, to get a long vacant pulpit filled, because there just aren't any better candidates available. Without solid men willing to step up and answer the call, this situation could be a recipe for some previously faithful Reformed denominations to slip toward liberalism, which some could argue is already happening as we speak. #Reformed #Christian #catholic