A Bullseye On Their Back

Another gem from the Ministry Best Practices webblog.

It’s not easy being a pastor.

Here are some stats why:

• 50% of pastors’ marriages will end in divorce
• 80% of seminary graduates will leave ministry in the first 5 years
• 70% of pastors are grossly underpaid (compared to the amount of work they do)
• 80% of pastors’ spouses believe their spouse is overworked
• 50% of pastors feel unable to meet the needs of the job
• 80% of pastors say they have insufficient time with their family
• 56% of pastors’ spouses have no close friends
• 80% of pastors’ kids seek professional help for depression
• 80% of pastors feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastors

Here are some more stats:

• 50% of pastors are so discouraged they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.
• 85% of pastors said their greatest problem is they are sick and tired of dealing with problem people.
• 90% of pastors said the hardest thing about ministry is dealing with uncooperative people
• 95% of pastors do not regularly pray with their spouses
• 70% of pastors do not have a close friend, confidant or mentor
• 66% of pastors and their families feel pressure to model the ideal family to their congregations and communities
• 5 years – the average tenure of a pastor at a church
• 1500 pastors leave ministry each month due to moral failure, burnout or contention in their churches
• Pastors who work fewer than 50 hours a week are 35% more likely to be terminated
• The average church member expects the pastor to be able to juggle 16 major tasks
• Approximately 4,000 new churches begin each year while more than 7,000 churches close down each year.

I guess we should be praying for our pastors then!

Are you?

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