More young people are interested in becoming priests in the Anglican Church after a long-term decline in recruitment, the Archbishop of Brisbane Philip Aspinall says.<\/p>\n
Numbers were still low, about eight or nine a year, compared to only one or two, but the new wave of would-be recruits to the clergy were younger, Dr Aspinall told the annual synod in Brisbane on Saturday.<\/p>\n
“The average age of those seeking long-term ministry in the church is now down to 33 – 10 years ago we had an ordination in which nobody was under 40,” Mr McDonald said.<\/p>\n
He said last year 24 people took part in conferences to consider whether to seek vocations, and of those 21 were invited to enter formal training for various ministries.<\/p>\n
“This increase in the number of people inquiring about ordination and entering formation for ordination is very heartening,” Dr Aspinall said.<\/p>\n