OKLAHOMA CITY – Half of mainline pastors have considered quitting the ministry, Barna reported recently.
Barna’s research indicating 51% of Protestant pastors are considering stepping away from ministry “is the highest we’ve ever seen this particular statistic,” Joe Jensen, Barna’s vice president of church engagement, told The Christian Post.
U.S. pastors are “in crisis and at risk of burnout,” and 38% “indicate they have considered quitting full-time ministry within the past year,” Barna reported after conducting a “pastor poll” in October. That percentage has risen nine points since Barna, a research and resource company founded 37 years ago, asked church leaders the same question at the beginning of 2021.
Ninety percent of the pastors who were polled said they work 55 to 75 hours per week.
Ministers are busy people,” Ray Sanders of Oklahoma City told Southwest Ledger. Sanders is the founding partner of Edify Leaders and a cofounder of Coaching Leaders.
Most ministers “lead churches where they literally do it all,” he said. “Their duties include preaching, teaching, pastoral care, business administration, team development, and leadership, as well as mobilizing volunteers. They are on call 24/7 throughout the entire year,” Sanders told the Ledger. “Many have part-time jobs to help make ends meet. Nearly all of their wives have to work in order for their families to survive.”
Four of every five pastors who were surveyed contend the pastoral ministry has had a negative effect on their families, and the spouses of 83% of them want them to leave the pastoral ministry, the survey showed.
“When asked what gets sacrificed first in their lives, ministers always say family,” Sanders said. “They love their families, but the demands of their jobs require much from them. The result is burnout, feeling alone, depression, exhaustion, and being overwhelmed.”
Deeper analysis of the research data “show that some groups are faring worse than others,” Barna related.
One of the “more alarming findings” is that 46% of pastors under the age of 45 say they are considering quitting full-time ministry, compared to 34% of pastors 45 and older. “Keeping the right younger leaders encouraged and in their ministry roles will be crucial to the next decade of congregational vitality in the U.S.,” Barna wrote.
Another “notable gap” is that pastors from mainline denominations (Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, United Church of Christ, Christian Church-Disciples of Christ) are far more likely to consider quitting than those from non-mainline denominations (51% vs 34%).
The data also showed that many pastors are not faring well in multiple categories of “well-being,” including spiritual, physical, emotional, vocational, and financial areas.
Roughly one-third of pastors who are considering resignation have been in the ministry for approximately 20 years and have been at their current church for seven years, the research showed.
COVID-19 has ‘stretched church beyond capacity’
The coronavirus pandemic “has stretched the church – like most businesses – beyond its capacity,” Sanders said.
COVID-19 has contributed to “the stress of being a minister,” he said. “There are many related challenges: Should the church open or close? Should congregants and church staff wear masks? How to make up for budget shortfalls? Retain staff or lay them off? How to organize and present an online version of their services?”
“We started seeing early warning signs of burnout among pastors before COVID,” said David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group. After nearly two years of the pandemic, coupled with intense congregational divisions and financial strain, “An alarming percentage of pastors is experiencing significant burnout, driving them to seriously consider leaving the ministry.”
More than ever, Kinnaman said, the church “needs resilient leaders who are humble, agile, rooted in prayer and who are committed to being healthy as an essential aspect of effective leadership.”
‘Never seen it this bad’
“For more than a decade we have walked alongside pastors, helping them navigate and process the challenges they face in life and ministry, but, like the report indicates, we have never seen it this bad,” Sanders said.
“We have served more than 125 ministers and spouses from multiple ministry backgrounds. Hearing the crisis report, we knew we had to respond fast. That is why we launched our full-scale online consultation services in addition to our in-person private meetings.”
Edify Leaders has assembled a team of “seasoned and experienced ministry leaders who stand with pastors by providing, encouraging and inspiring private, confidential, one-on-one pastoral care and ministry coaching at no cost to ministers or their churches.”
The organization’s funds “are utilized for pastoral care and ministry consultation,” Sanders said. “We spend one-on-one time with ministers helping them process the challenges and opportunities they face in life and ministry.”
Ministers “need a sounding board and confidant” because pastors “face challenges and opportunities like everyone else,” Sanders said. “It gets very lonely at the top.” Few pastors “have anyone to use as a sounding board for dealing with decisions and troubles they face. We provide a confidential and private setting where ministers can gain prayer support, a listening ear, and broader perspective on all they deal with on a daily basis.”
The results “produce ministers who are refreshed, recharged, and renewed for the work,” Sanders said. “Not one pastor we serve has left the ministry in three years,” he added.
The service provided by Edify Leaders “is no different than the executive coaching we provide through our commercial company, Coaching Leaders,” Sanders said. “The issues are the same except Edify Leaders provides the services for those in ministry. We like to say that even Tiger Woods has a coach.”
Sanders, a Yukon High School and University of Oklahoma graduate, said he has spent more than two decades in ministry “in some form or another.” Previously he was Editor-in-Chief of the Baptist Messenger and was the CEO of “multimillion-dollar organizations with international reach.”
In its October 2021 online Pastor Survey, Barna Group compiled data from 507 Protestant senior pastors from Oct. 12-28, 2021. Participants are all members of Barna Group’s Church Panel. Minimal weighting was used to ensure the sample was representative based on denomination, region, and church size.
Barna Group is a research and resource company located in Ventura, Calif. Founded in 1984, the firm is a research organization focused on the intersection of faith and culture. Barna is a private, nonpartisan, for-profit organization under the umbrella of the Issachar Companies.