Don’t Make Your Pastor a Statistic
Yesterday at the 9Marks blog, Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile shared some alarming statistics about pastors. Having been a pastor for a dozen years, and having ministered to pastors for over fifteen years, though these statistics are alarming, they are not surprising.
Read Pastor Thabiti’s article Don’t Make Your Pastor a Statistic.
Read the original article from the Schaeffer Institute: Statistics on Pastors.
Some Summary Pastoral Statistics
Hours and Pay
• 90% of pastors report working between 55-to-75 hours per week.
• 50% of pastors feel unable to meet the demands of the job.
• 70% of pastors feel grossly underpaid.
Training and Preparedness
• 90% of pastors feel they are inadequately trained to cope with the ministry demands.
• 90% of pastors said the ministry was completely different than what they thought it would be like before they entered the ministry.
Health and Well-Being
• 70% of pastors constantly fight depression.
• 50% of pastors feel so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.
• Only 23% of pastors report being happy and content in their identity in Christ, in their church, and in their home.
Marriage and Family
• 80% of pastors believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families.
• 80% of spouses feel the pastor is overworked.
• 80% of spouses feel left out and under-appreciated by church members.
Church Relationships
• 70% of pastors do not have someone they consider a close friend.
• 40% of pastors report serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month.
• The # 1 reason pastors leave the ministry: Church people are not willing to go the same direction and goal of the pastor. Pastors believe God wants them to go in one direction but the people are not willing to follow or change.
Longevity
• 50% of pastors will not last 5 years in the ministry.
• Only 10% of pastors will actually retire as a minister in some form.
• 4,000 new churches begin each year and 7,000 churches close.
• Over 1,700 pastors left the ministry every month last year.
• Over 1,300 pastors are terminated by their local church each month, many without cause.
Join the Conversation
How could praying and living Hebrews 13:17 help to change the lives of pastors and their families?
“Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
These statistics are sad, yet very accurate in some churches and parsonage homes. My husband and I were in ministry for more than twenty five years, when the Lord called him home after a massive heart attack at age 49 on 3/28/11. Although life and death are in God’s hands, many factors influence these things. Stress was definitely one contributing factor. We must learn to be responsible Christians and respond correctly/Biblically to that stress in a away that honors Christ. As, a church, we must learn to trust our pastor and those in authority over us, as we trust God who has placed them in that position.
Tami, I am so sorry for your loss. I am praying for you. If you want to connect, please feel free to email rpm.ministries@gmail.com and then we could arrange a time to talk by phone. My wife would be glad to talk with you also. I am praying for you. Thank you for sharing. I pray that many will listen to your words and respond. In Christ’s Grace, Bob
I absolutely agree with these statistics. After 27 years of full time ministry, two years ago my husband decided that he DID have other ways to make a living and life was too short to continue being miserable. Most of the reasons stated above were true for us. We are enjoying this new chapter of our lives so much and God is blessing in ways we never imagined!
Tami’s husband, Ray Thompson, was a great man who gave his life for the church.