[Post-Religion Era] ① The Age of Atheists... Clergy Are Disappearing

37% of Adults Have Religion
Lowest Since 1988 Survey
Buddhism 23.5%→16.3%
Protestantism 20.7%→15%
Chongshin University Faces First Freshman Shortfall Since Opening
Jogye Order Monastic Entrants Down 79% in 12 Years
Catholic Clergy Down 36% in 10 Years

Editor's NoteMost religions are experiencing a noticeable decline and aging of prospective clergy. While this is a natural consequence of population decline, the influence of an era that values materialism is also cited as a major reason. How do religious communities perceive and respond to this phenomenon? Furthermore, what role does religion play in our society today, and what impact does it have? We take a closer look at the inner workings of Catholicism, Buddhism, and Christianity.

The population that does not rely on religion is steadily increasing. The number of believers has declined even more sharply since COVID-19. This impact is also evident in the decrease in the number of clergy. It is predicted that soon most religions will face a shortage of clergy.

According to the “2023 Survey on Religious Life and Faith Consciousness of Koreans” released by the Pastoral Data Research Institute, as of 2022, 37% of adults in Korea identify as religious, while 63% are non-religious. This is the first time since the survey began in 1998 that the proportion of religious people has fallen to the 30% range. At the time of the first survey, the proportion of religious people was 53%. The number of people with religion began to decline significantly after 2012. Compared to 1998, the drop by 2022 is -7.2 percentage points for Buddhism (23.5% → 16.3%), -5.7 percentage points for Protestantism (20.7% → 15%), and -2.4 percentage points for Catholicism (7.5% → 5.1%).

The decline in the number of clergy is also clearly visible. Last year, most Protestant theological seminaries recorded fewer new students than their enrollment quotas. The Presbyterian Theological Seminary was the only one to exceed its enrollment quota, but considering the reduction in quotas over recent years, it is effectively considered under-enrolled. The largest seminary in the country, Chongshin University Theological Seminary, failed to fill its quota for the first time since its establishment in 1980. It recruited 343 students for the Master of Divinity program but received only 321 applications.

Buddhism has seen a 79% decrease over the past 12 years. According to the Pastoral Data Research Institute’s “Status of Decrease in Prospective Clergy by Religion,” the number of monks ordained in the Jogye Order dropped sharply from 528 in 2000 to 287 in 2010, 131 in 2020, and 61 last year. The Jogye Order has formed an Ordination Promotion Committee this year to prepare countermeasures. As part of this effort, they recently published ordination guides titled Wise Ordination Life and For You Who Like Buddhism but Are Afraid to Ordain. These books introduce changes such as monks opening meditation centers in the youthful Hongdae district, working as YouTubers, and engaging in culinary research.

Support for Catholic clergy has also decreased by 36% over the past decade. According to the “Statistics of the Catholic Church in Korea 2022” released by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, the number of diocesan seminarians dropped from 1,285 in 2012 to 821 in 2022. The number of priests ordained decreased from 131 in 2012 to 96 in 2022.

While population decline and aging have had an impact, a greater cause is the atmosphere of not feeling the need for religion. According to the Pastoral Data Research Institute’s “Status and Consciousness of Religion among Koreans,” the biggest reasons non-religious people do not believe in religion are “indifference” (40%) and “distrust and disappointment in religion” (28%). These figures have increased by 7 and 6 percentage points respectively since 2017.

Each religion is focusing on increasing scholarship benefits for prospective clergy and strengthening promotion efforts, while working to lower the barriers that make prospective clergy reluctant to enter the clergy. Buddhism is working to improve the perception that “ordination is not giving up but an opportunity” and is promoting various ordained lifestyles. The Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul has formed a task force led by the archbishop to focus on developing measures. Protestant churches are increasing scholarship benefits for seminary students and working to improve the treatment of pioneering pastors who often have to maintain separate jobs to support themselves. However, considering the special nature of clergy work, which requires sacrifice and dedication, it is difficult to expect a sudden surge in applicants in the short term. Moreover, even if the number of applicants increases, there is a dilemma in having to verify their qualifications before acceptance.