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According to eurweb.com Pastors affiliated with the United Methodist Church could find themselves in the unemployment line.

According to The Tennessean.com, the long-standing practice of guaranteed jobs for pastors could come to an end.

Methodist bishops and two denominational committees want to end job security for ministers, known as guaranteed appointment. And shrinking membership and budgets may give Methodist leadership what they want by default.

But as membership has dropped, so has the number of churches able to afford pastors. In 1960, United Methodists claimed about 10.8 million members.

Today, membership is at 7.8 million. Average Sunday attendance is about 95 people. And half of Methodist churches draw 50 or fewer people to Sunday services.

A church needs about 125 people to support a full-time minister. In some cases, elders serve two or more churches at a time. Many churches are served by part-time or local pastors who have no job security.