1. Reflections for the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
Theological Education in North America: the State of the Enterprise in 2013
Reflections for the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

2. North American Religious Perceptions
Theological Education in North America: the State of the Enterprise in 2013 1
North American Religious Perceptions
And Participation

3. Religious Commitment and Wealth
This chart has been reprinted from “World Publics Welcome Global Trade—But Not Immigration,” Pew Global Attitudes Project, 2007.

4. Confidence in Institutions, 1973–2011 Percent saying they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence
Question wording: “Now I am going to read you a list of institutions in American society. Please tell me how much confidence you, yourself, have in each one—a great deal, quite a lot, some, or very little?”
Note: Data not available for Congress in 1987.
Source: Gallup News Service Survey, conducted June 9–12, Based telephone interviews of a national sample of 1,020 adults.

5. A Declining Percentage of American Population Identify as Protestant53 48
Source: Aggregated data from surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, 2007–2012.

6. An Increasing Percentage of American Population Identifies as Religiously Unaffiliated
Source: Aggregated data from surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, 2007–July 2012.

7. Believe in God or Universal Spirit
The Religious Sentiment of People by their Pattern of Religious Identification:
Believe in God or Universal Spirit
Net 97 68 38 81
Source: Pew Research Center/Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly survey, June 28–July 9, Figures may not add to 100 percent due to rounding.

8. Reported Frequency of Prayer by Pattern of Religious Identification
Source: Pew Research Center/Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly survey, June 28–July 9, Figures may not add to 100 percent due to rounding.

9. Theological Education in North America: the State of the Enterprise in 2013
Students and Faculty
(All Data in the Figures in this section are from the COA Data Base unless noted otherwise)

10. Twenty-Year Total Enrollment in ATS Member Schools by Degree Programs Source: Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools

11. Two Decades of Enrollment in Member Schools by Race and Gender Source: Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools

12. Growth of Racial/Ethnic Students in All ATS Member Schools, 1977–2012 Source: Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools

13. 2010–2050 Projection of US Population by Race
Source: US Census Bureau

14. Two Decades of Enrollment by Ecclesial Family Identification of Member Schools Source: Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools

15. 2012 Enrollment of Racial/Ethnic Students in ATS Member Schools by Ecclesial Family Source: Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools
Evangelical
Mainline
Roman Catholic
Total
63%
28% 9%
Asian
80%
12% 8%
Black
49%
48% 3%
Hispanic
64%
20%
16%
Visa
69%
18%
13%

16. Fifteen Years of Enrollment in Member Schools by Age Source: Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools

17. Trends in Enrollment by Educational Pattern Source: Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools

18. Summary Statistics on Educational Debt Incurred by MDiv Graduates Source: Auburn Center for the Study of Theological Education (2011 data are preliminary and not for publication)
1991
2001
2011
Percentage of MDiv Students with debt
47%
64%
Percentage of Students with More than $30,000 of Debt 1%
36%
Average Amount of Debt for Students with MDiv Debt Only
11,043
25,018
38,526
Average Debt of All MDivStudents (including those who did not borrow in seminary
5,267
15,559
24,747

19. Faculty Size and New Faculty Additions Since 2008 Source: Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools
Year
Total Number of Faculty
Total of New Fculty
2003
3550
2004
3665
2005
3697
2006
3737
2007
3725
2008
3676
420
2009
3624
339
2010
3570
226
2011
3562
251
2012
3573
270

20. Faculty Perceptions Regarding PhD Training and Current Work Responsibilities (-2 - not at all effective or important / 2 - very effective or important) Source: ATS Informal Faculty Survey
Faculty surveyed (138; 78 returned, 56%) asked to rate each area from 1 (not at all effective/important) to 5 (very effective/important).
Rather dramatic gaps in teaching, student formation, service, and administration.
Important information about what it means to be a “theological educator.”
Crucial importance of faculty searches, hires, orientation and development.
Importance of ATS (and Wabash) work in faculty development.

21. Financial Status of ATS Member Schools
Theological Education in North America: the State of the Enterprise in 2013 3
Financial Status of ATS Member Schools

22. Revenue Sources in ATS Freestanding Schools Source: Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools
Endowment represents a 5 percent from long-term investments.

23. Two Decades of Expenditures for Education, Institutional Support, and Scholarship in Freestanding ATS Member Schools Source: Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools

24. Expenditures per FTE by School Size Source: Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools

25. Percent of Freestanding Schools in Surplus or Deficit across Past 16 Years (Adjusted Revenues—Expenses) Source: Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools

26. Theological Education in North America: the State of the Enterprise in 20134
Summary
Reflections

27. Over Time Enrollment and Financial Attainment Source: Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools
Evangelical
Mainline
Roman Catholic
Orthodox
Percent of Freestanding Schools with Cumulative Three Year Operating Surplus
51% of all schools
40 of 67
60%
30 of 74
41%
23 of 40
58%
Percent of Schools with five years of Sustained or Growing Enrollment
40% of all schools
44 of 97
45%
32 of 97
33%
20 of 38
53%

28. The New Normal—for the Time Being
Religious participation is changing > congregations and denominations are changing>theological education is changing
There is no one story line for how these fundamental changes are affecting ATS member schools
Leadership and mission are more crucial now than they have been in the past fifty years