Children of the parsonage

This article reports on a retreat and survey done with twenty-three youth, all of whom were children of clergy in the Louisville Annual Conference, the United Methodist Church. It explores their opinions and attitudes toward various facets of parsonage life, including general satisfaction, parsonage moves, family and church expectations, etc. It discusses the need for increased study of parsonage children and outlines common features of their experience.Robert M. Stevenson received his Ph.D. in Theology and Personality from the School of Theology at Claremont. He is the Director of Pastoral Care and Counseling for the Louisville Conference, the United Methodist Church. Reprint requests should be addressed to him at 134 Chestnut St., Bowling Green, KY 42101.