Why Pastors Leave the Ministry

Why Pastors Leave the Ministry

Why Pastors Leave the Ministry

by Fuller Institute, George Barna and Pastoral Care Inc.

* 1,500 clergy leaving pastoral ministry each month. - The Barna Research Group
* 61% of congregations have forced a pastor to leave. - Christianity Today
* 83% of clergy spouses want their spouse to leave pastoral ministry. - Hartford Institute for Religious Research
* 90% of clergy in all denominations will not stay in ministry long enough to reach the age of retirement. - U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics
* 50% of pastors indicated  that they would leave the ministry if they had another way of making a living. - Hartford Institute for Religious Research
* 90% of the pastors report working between 55 to 75 hours per week.
* 80% believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families. Many pastor's children do not attend church now because of what the church has done to their parents.
* 33% state that being in the ministry is an outright hazard to their family.
* 75% report significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry.
* 90% feel they are inadequately trained to cope with the ministry demands.
* 50% feel unable to meet the demands of the job.
* 70% say they have a lower self-image now than when they first started.
* 70% do not have someone they consider a close friend.
* 40% report serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month.
* 33% confess having involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with someone in the church .
* 50% have considered leaving the ministry in the last month.
* 50% of the ministers starting out will not last 5 years.
* 1 out of every 10 ministers will actually retire as a minister in some form.
* 94% of clergy families feel the pressures of the pastor's ministry.
* 66% of church members expect a minister and family to live at a higher moral standard than themselves.
* Moral values of a Christian is no different than those who consider themselves as non-Christians.
* The average American will tell 23 lies a day.
* The profession of "Pastor" is near the bottom of a survey of the most-respected professions, just above "car salesman".
* Over 4,000 churches closed in America last year.
* Over 1,700 pastors left the ministry every month last year.
* Over 1,300 pastors were terminated by the local church each month , many without  cause.
* Over 3,500 people a day left the church last year.
* Many denominations report an "empty pulpit crisis". They cannot find ministers willing to fill positions.

#1 reason pastors leave the ministry - Church people are not willing to go the same direction and goal of the pastor. Pastor's believe God wants them to go in one direction but the people are not willing to follow or change.

Statistics provided by:  The Fuller Institute, George Barna, and Pastoral Care Inc.

Our Question is Why and What should we do to help?

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10 comments

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David Isbell

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10 Responses

  1. Emmanuel Zyambo
    Many pastors today are In to ministry genuinely but there members and leaders doesn't care for them Pastors work is a heavy task But people have taken it so easy
    Reply
    September 29, 2020
  2. D.
    This is a very sad commentary on the state of the church as well as the ministry! We are retired from pastoral ministry and we experience d quite a few of the things on your list. Our children were negatively affected but have been able to remain faithful to God. All praise to God alone!
    Reply
    October 13, 2020
  3. Gary Brant Whitlatch
    Alot of oversight unfortunately cultivates hyper over sensitivity. Which in the end hurts the congregant. And, as they "beat" the junior pastors, it becomes just like the world. "I'm offended" gets people thinking they can just unforgivingly get what they want by getting the oversight to drive assistant pastors right out the door.
    Reply
    October 15, 2020
  4. Dedes Earl Batucan
    It is the pastor who guides his sheep not the sheep guiding the pastor. All you do is obey the words of the Lord which is spoken by a pastor for the word of God is everlasting.
    Reply
    October 17, 2020
  5. spike4287
    I don't understand how you only "Pastor" because that is all you know. But you would do something else if you could. In my humble opinion, those types of Pastors should not be Pastoring. Willing to bet they are the ones who fall into folly and are the reason statistics look so bad.
    Reply
    October 22, 2020
  6. Spike4187
    Looking at these frightening statistics is plain sad. First, anyone who is a Pastor of a church and would leave if he could do anything else should not be Pastoring a church in the first place. I mean really. Look at what Christ and the disciples went through to bring the glorious gospel to the world. These men sacrificed and what we know, most of the disciples died horrible deaths for the cause of Christ. They had it in their hearts to reach the world so people could be saved from fiery eternal judgement. This is what it is about. It is messy, your dealing with people and when you deal with people it can be messy. Fear not! The Lord is with you....press on!!!!! The church has become to ritualistic and routine. Looking at the early church what did they do? They met in each others homes or other places (after they were driven from the synagogues) they strategized to reach the world for Christ. They sang hymns, helped each other out with physical needs, they prayed for one another, encouraged, taught, ate together and unfortunately bled together. Today, the American churches have lost their way, (not all of them) church is more like a place where people go for emotional hype with little or no sound doctrine at all. A place where you can get a feel good.......then go home and see you next week. Don't dare go beyond an hour service or the congregants will get angry. Very few want to roll up their sleeves and get involved to reach the lost with the hope the gospel provides. The problem with the church is the heart of the people who attend, from the Pastor on down. They don't attend for the right reasons. Any wonder Jesus said, "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which , leads unto life, and few be there that find it." Matt 7:14 Prosperity gospel has taken over Christian programming and has deceived so many Christians to the point where they left the church. Preachers who won't preach about the end times because its too controversial, and preachers who, or the church board who want to steer the church to conform more to the world and then in doing so lose the spirit. The church is under attack, recognize the enemy people, roll up your sleeves and be a good soldier for Christ. Amen.
    Reply
    October 22, 2020
  7. Pastor's Wife
    The ministry is not a profession; it is a way of life that permeates the lives of pastor and pastor's wife. In your community, among your parishioners - you are "all things to all people." Eventually, there is nothing left - you're all used up - hollow and empty. You just want to step off the face of the earth. You want to become "nameless and faceless." No more expectation to be the one to lead, the one with the answers; you just want to be normal.
    Reply
    November 7, 2020
  8. Bruce Austin
    A.I.M. for High Ground is a collection of one pastor’s true stories of Christian leadership in crisis and in joy. These stories relate experiences you don’t ordinarily receive in Bible College. As you read each story you will be impressed that God still does remarkable things and brings remarkable people into your life resulting in remarkable lessons learned.
    Reply
    November 12, 2020
  9. steve
    I am so weary of attempting to be faithful to God as a leader. 8 yrs in my current pastorate. many successes, but much turmoil. I want to quit, but what will happen to the people?
    Reply
    December 12, 2021
  10. David Isbell David
    I pray you are staying with it Steve. Sorry we didn't answer your comment earlier. Our webpage is fixed now and we pray you are doing well. Yes, it gets tough but God is good and He will help. We cannot do His work by ourselves. He will do His work through us as we let Him have full charge of all we do. SW is praying for you. God Bless you and be with you.
    Reply
    September 15, 2022

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