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A Crisis on The Horizon

YES we have moved from 3-n-10 to 2-n-5 pastors are giving serious consideration of leaving the ministry completely. This is a vocational exodus! When you consider there are approximately 350,000 protestant churches in America  with 38% considering leaving, this will become a crisis of spiritual leadership within our nation. This is 133,000 Pastors considering their departure today. To give a perspective on this number consider there are approximately 35,000 McDonalds in America. The possibility of spiritual leadership loss in American is greater than the iconic McDonalds fast food chain. 

Let’s examine some of the underlying points of data and discussion.

•We must reach back to 9/11 to see demographics at this level where people are considering leaving their current career.

•Understand, this is not a FAITH EXIT. It is however a career exit•Bi-vocational ministry has real potential for the future. There are huge pressures being exerted on pastor’s families and futures. This could be a beginning of significant changes in shaping what church looks like and how it will be conducted in the future.

•Currently, Pastoral Ministry is VERY HARD work with only ½ or less return for such incredible effort being exerted. Hard work with ½ return creates frustration.

•Pastors that are under the age of 45 have a 46% likelihood of quitting. Pastors over the age of 45 are 36% more likely to quit the ministry.

•When it comes to “Well-Being” there are six categories: Relational, Spiritual, Physical, Emotional, Vocational, and Financial well-being. One-third of all ministers stated they were below average to poor in these six essentials of Well-Being.

•Only one-n-three pastors say they are healthy in terms of Well-Being matrix.

•Healthy Pastors are defined as those who selected “Excellent” or “Good” as their response to the Well-Being matrix.

•Overall, the Pastors that are contemplating quitting are less healthy in all the well-being categories compared to Pastors who not contemplating quitting.

•We need to be careful about allowing correlation to be a means to causation. 

•The warning bells started sounding in the 2017 State of the Pastors study.

•After 18 months of the pandemic, along with congregational divisions, financial strain an alarming number of pastors are seriously leaving the vocational ministry for other pursuits in life.

David Kinnaman, President of Barna Research states that now more than ever, the church needs resilient leaders who are humble, agile, rooted in prayer and those who are committed to being healthy as an essential aspect of effective leadership.

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Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!