ELCA NEWS SERVICE May 28, 2009 Relocate? Not in this Economy, Some ELCA Pastors Say 09-125-SH CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Tim Bupp put his Pennsylvania house up for sale last November. He started a new ministry position in South Carolina two months later. The house still hasn't sold, though he's dropped the price three times. "Property is like an anchor to me right now," said Bupp, pastor, Zion Lutheran Church, Lexington, S.C. "We can't get approved to buy a new house until the old one sells." The nation's economic downturn is making it difficult for some pastors to relocate or even retire, according to leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Some congregations are choosing not to fill vacancies, or they call pastors require smaller salaries. "People are not moving," said the Rev. Rudy W. Mueller, assistant to the bishop, ELCA Indiana-Kentucky Synod. "The whole call process seems to have slowed down to some degree." Some pastors who were thinking about retiring are putting it off, synod leaders said. Those departures would normally open up vacancies for other pastors. "It's an issue for us," said the Rev. Floyd M. Schoenhals, bishop, ELCA Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod. "Pastors who were thinking about retiring are having second thoughts because their pension accounts are not at the level they were a year ago." The Rev. Gary Benson put his home in Rochester, Minn., up for sale in May 2008 after he accepted a position in Arizona. While he became pastor of American Lutheran Church of Sun City, his wife continued her teaching job in Minnesota. The plan was for her to move as soon as the house sold. Summer came and went, as did Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. The house finally sold in February 2009 at nearly a $40,000 loss. Benson's wife is moving after her school year ends in Minnesota. "If I would have been 41 with young kids, this would have been a disaster," said the 61-year-old pastor. "People who want to move feel kind of stuck." Pastors and congregations in Southern California are feeling squeezed, said the Rev. Gordon D. Peterson Jr., assistant to the bishop, ELCA Pacifica Synod. "It's been somewhat of a perfect storm," he said. The drop in home prices makes moving difficult for pastors who purchased a home in the past five years. The idea of a spouse looking for a job in this economy is also a factor, he said. Many pastors caught in the economic crunch say they don't want pity. They point out that numerous Americans are without jobs or in worse predicaments. When the Rev. Lara Janssen graduated from seminary last year, she imagined herself at a congregation with multiple pastors. Those opportunities were few and far between in California. She accepted a solo position at a congregation facing financial hardships, membership losses and a transitioning neighborhood where her bilingual skills were helpful. "I am what they can afford in terms of experience," said Janssen, pastor, Church of the Cross Lutheran, Rialto, Calif. "It's definitely been an adventure. I'm very passionate about the priesthood of all believers and that fits this congregation's vision. I am hopeful about the ministry possibilities within the congregation and the community." Some synods and pastors say the economy isn't a hindrance. A few months ago, the Rev. Larry Isbell moved to Indiana from Pennsylvania, where he'd lived in a parsonage. "We didn't have to worry about selling a house," said Isbell, pastor, First Lutheran Church, Columbus, Ind. He purchased a two-story home in Indiana at a mortgage rate of just over five percent. Bupp says he has no regrets about leaving Pennsylvania though his home hasn't sold. He believes the move to South Carolina was God-inspired. "The market will do what it does," he said. "But I must do what I am called to do, even at the risk of losing house and home." For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog