More than half of mainline pastors are seriously considering leaving the ministry altogether, according to a Barna study, which polled over 500 protestant senior pastors.
The report, which sought to look at in part at the burnout rate of pastors in the last year, found that while overall 2 in 5 pastors seriously considered leaving the ministry, that rate was much higher among mainline denominations, which comprised of the usual mix of villainous scripture traitors. Basically the ‘Seven Sisters of American Protestantism’- Disciples of Christ, Episcopalians, ELC, United Methodists, PCUSA, United Church of Christ, and American Baptist Churches- with a couple of other queer-affirming ones mixed in. In this group, 51% said they were considering hanging up their collars for good.
Another group with was more apt to quit were the pastrixes. Barna Reports:
Other significant differences arise among gender, with female pastors being far more likely than male pastors to have considered giving up full-time ministry, and ministry tenure. Specifically, roughly one-third of pastors who are considering resignation have been in ministry for about 20 years but have been at their current church for seven years.
According to David Kinnaman, President of Barna Group:
“This is a growing crisis for church leaders in America. Now is the time for the Christian community to come alongside their pastors to pray and support them so they can continue to lead in healthy ways. Pastors, too, need to proactively guard their health and well-being, taking a holistic assessment of how they are doing….More than ever, 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.”
We’re all for this here at Protestia. As far as we’re concerned, the more mainline pastors and lady preachers quit, the better.
