Get Religion: What Is Considered ‘Success’ For Pastors In A Stressful World?
(ANALYSIS) Every decade or so, perhaps during a global pandemic, it's common to see news reports about pastors leaving pulpits in search of less stressful work.
Consider the 2024 Hartford Institute for Religion Research poll in which more than half of pastors said they have, at some point, seriously considered quitting, with 10% admitting this often crossed their minds. According to 2022 polling by the Barna Institute, the main causes for anxiety were strong job stress (56%), feeling isolated (43%) and current political tensions (38%).
These reports are sobering but complex, noted Ryan Burge of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis. But it's important to note the other side of the equation when studying how clergy view their work. Five years ago, the National Survey of Religious Leaders found that, when asked if "in most ways" their lives were ideal, 21% of pastors "completely" agreed, 50% said “moderately” and 17% “slightly.” Only 2% “completely” disagreed and 2% said “moderately.”
“The long and short of it was this — I can't find another population group that scores higher on this metric than clergy,” noted Burge in his Graphs about Religion Substack.
In fact, “I'm pretty confident in saying that clergy seemed pretty content with their station in life (or at least this was the case before the pandemic).”
No one doubts that pastors face significant stress, said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. The key is whether the clergy and laity have clear understandings about what is expected from pastors and their families.
For example, what does the word "success" mean? Is that defined by growth in the congregation's size as well as its facilities, staff and budget?
Lifeway has done a number of surveys on topics related to the life of pastors and, for most, “success” means “they are seeing lives changed, people following Christ more closely, troubling sins being avoided, people serving the Lord in ways that they have not done before,” said McConnell, reached by telephone. “I think most pastors see some of that every year, but they always want to see more.”
In a new survey, Lifeway asked former pastors why they decided to leave their jobs. The most common response == by 40% of those surveyed — was "a change in their calling." Often, this means switching to another form of ministry, such as chaplaincy work.
An important finding in this survey was that only 1% of pastors in America leave congregational ministry each year. The pastors in this study were the senior, or the only, pastor in churches in the Southern Baptist Convention, the Assemblies of God, the Church of the Nazarene and the Wesleyan Church denominations.
Other than a “change in calling,” 18% of those leaving these jobs cited conflict in their church, burnout (16%), family issues (10%) personal finances (10%), illness (6%), being a poor fit in a church (6%), the inability to find a "good fit" in a new church (4%) or denominational issues (4%). In a few cases, churches closed. Also, 3% of the resignations were linked to moral or ethical issues. Also, 42% of the former pastors claimed that the search teams that hired them failed to accurately describe problems and challenges in these congregations.
However, McConnell noted, only 2% of the former pastors said they would advise current pastors to quit. Many urged pastors to devote more time to their own spiritual health, in prayer, Bible study and fellowship with their spouses, other pastors and believers. However, Lifeway researchers have seen troubling signs that more pastors are, if anything, trying to shake their problems alone.
It's crucial for pastors to be realistic about their strengths and weaknesses in terms of preaching, leadership, fundraising, evangelism, attracting newcomers, counseling and other tasks. Also, it's crucial for pastors to get feedback from people they trust, he said.
“Being a pastor is a fascinating job, in terms of the number of tasks you have to be an expert in, or that some people will expect you to be an expert in,” said McConnell. "If you don't figure out a way to include your own faith and spiritual needs into all of that — while discovering your own gifts -- things can get pretty overwhelming — quick.”
COPYRIGHT 2025 ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION
Terry Mattingly is Senior Fellow on Communications and Culture at Saint Constantine College in Houston. He lives in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and writes Rational Sheep, a Substack newsletter on faith and mass media.