Pastoring Is Not Easy

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.

Pastors are the unsung heroes of the Church. If someone does not care for pastors, they will disappear.

Please honor and pray for your pastor.

[From Ministry Best Practices by Bill Reichart]