Mainline Protestant denominations increasingly rely on “commissioned” pastors who do not have seminary degrees to fill the pulpits of small churches and do other, usually low-salaried jobs. Read a study by Barbara Wheeler of Commissioned Lay Pastors in the Presbyterian Church and a report in The Presbyterian Outlook on the implications of the research. In a feature article in Christian Century, Wheeler argues that the widespread use of lay pastors contributes to problems of mainline Protestantism rather than solving them. In an interview in The Presbyterian Outlook, she calls for mainline Protestants to adopt a strategic approach to their situation.