This study explored the early-career attrition of 17 seminary graduates. A high rate of seminary graduates leave ministry within five years of graduation. Teachers, nurses, lawyers, mental health workers, student affairs professionals also leave at high rates during the beginning years of a career. The present study is an attempt to understand some of the influences on decisions to persist or quit. Using the construct of perceived fit (Kristoff-Brown & Billsberry, 2013), I explored the career trajectories of nine graduates who persisted in ministry and eight graduates who left ministry. Perceived fit was complex but influenced decisions about whether or not to accept an initial assignment. Persistence in an assignment was shaped by the meaningfulness of work.The goal was to discover how life experiences contributed to the ways seminary graduates thought about ministry during an at-risk career phase. Key life experiences included mentoring, seminary faculty relationships, laboratories, self-care strategies, and managing student loan debt. Other important findings included the role of early church experiences, college leader interaction, the need for supportive organizational cultures, and a reimagination of the ministry license process. There were key differences between graduates who persisted in ministry and graduates who left ministry. Two key differences were the early clarification of call and personal initiative. Furthermore, this study provides a context for future discussions related to the cost of a graduate education, future career decisions available to seminary graduates, and the burden of school debt on the decision-making processes of ministers. This study suggests seminaries should consider providing financial literacy training to all students, include a more realistic picture of potential income as a pastor, and give greater attention to encouraging personal initiative in ministry training and development. Additionally, seminaries should consider broadening the scope of theological education to include persons who are not pursuing pastoral ministry.
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