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PASTORAL STATISTICS

Pastoral Statistics

At the time of this writing, there are reportedly more than 500,000 pastors serving churches in the U.S.[1] Of this mass number, consider the following statistics that let us know that we need to become attentive to the state of those we love so much: 

Pastoral Statistics

  • 94% feel pressured to have an ideal family.[2]
 
  • 90% work more than 46 hours a week.2
 
  • 81% say they have insufficient time with their spouses.2
 
  • 80% believe that pastoral ministry affects their family negatively.2
 
  • 70% do not have someone they consider a close friend.2
 
  • 70% have lower self-esteem than when they entered ministry2
 
  • 50% feel unable to meet the needs of the job.[3]
 
  • 40% + report that they are suffering from burnout, frantic schedules, and unrealistic expectations.[4]
 
  • 33% consider pastoral ministry an outright hazard to the family.[5]
 
  • 33% have seriously considered leaving their position in the past year.[6]
 
  • Roughly 30% to 40% of religious leaders eventually drop out of the ministry and about 75% go through a period of stress so great that they seriously consider quitting.[7]
 
  • Most pastors are expected to juggle 16 major tasks at once.[8] And most crumble under the pressure. For this reason, 1,600 ministers in all denominations across the U.S. are forced to resign each month.  [9] Over the past 20 years, the average length of a pastorate has declined from seven years to just over two years![10]


[1] This figure comes from Barna Research Group (East Hillsborough Christian Voice, February 2002, p.3). Half of these churches have fewer than 100 active members (“Flocks in Need of Shepards”, The Washington Times, July 2, 2001).

[2] 1991 Survey of Pastors, Fuller Institute of Church Growth, Pastors at Risk, H. B. London, Jr. & Neil B. Wiseman, Victor Books, 1993, p. 22 and As mentioned in the book Pastors at Risk by H.B. London & Neil Wiseman.Victor Press. 1993.

[3] 1991 Survey of Pastors (Fuller Institute of Church Growth) quoted by London and Wiseman, Pastors at Risk, Victor Books, 1993; “Is the Pastor’s Family Safe at Home?,” Leadership, Fall 1992; Physician Magazine, September/October 1999, p.22.

[4] Compilation of surveys from Focus on the Family Pastors Gatherings.

[5] Fuller Institute of Church Growth (Pasadena: Fuller Theological Seminary, 1991).

[6] “Flocks In Need of Shepherds,” The Washington Times, July 2, 2001.

[7] “Pastoral Pressure,” Clergy/Leaders Mail List No. 850, June 25, 1999.

[8] [6] East Hillsborogh Christian Voice, February 2002, p.3

[9] [7] Ibid. From July 2nd to July 6th, 2001, The Christian Citizen (November 2000) reported that 1400 Pastors leave the pastorate each month.  In the same vein, The Washington Times ran a series of five articles on the “clergy crisis” that is sweeping America (by Larry Witham).  It stated the following: Very few of the clergy in this country are young.  Only 8& are 35 or younger.  Of the 70 ,000 students enrolled in the nation’s 237 accredited theological seminaries, only a third want to lead a church as a Pastor.  The pastorate draws more older candidates.  Usually those who arrive after dead end jobs or divorces.  In like manner, a clergy shortage has hit most mainline Protestant churches in Canada.  “While it may be personally enriching to minister to a flock, it’s also daunting- for not a lot of money- to meet expectations as theologian, counselor, public speaker, administrator, and community organizer all are one” ( Christian Century, October 10, 2001,p.13).

[10] [8] Vantage Point, Denver Seminary, June 1998, p.2

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