“The impact of the pandemic may be most noticeable in pastors’ increased agreement that the role of being a pastor is frequently overwhelming, which jumped from 54% in 2015 to 63% today,” said McConnell. “But there has also been a shift in how some pastors think about their work. Fewer pastors agree they must be ‘on-call’ 24 hours a day, declining from 84% to 71%. Perhaps even more telling, the majority of pastors (51%) strongly agreed with this expectation in 2015, while only a third (34%) strongly feel this obligation today.”
Almost all evangelical and Black Protestant pastors are married (95%), and their role as spouse, and often parent, has the potential to conflict with their role as church leader. Most, however, feel that serving in vocational ministry has been good for their family.
More than 9 in 10 pastors say their spouse is very satisfied with their marriage (96%) and enthusiastic about life in ministry together (91%). A similar percentage (94%) consistently protect time with their family. Most pastors have been able to take a week’s vacation with their family last year (83%) and plan monthly date nights with their spouse (66%). As a result, few say their work keeps them from spending time with their family (31%), and even fewer feel their family resents the demands of pastoral ministry (19%).
Still, 2 in 5 pastors say they are often concerned about their family’s financial security.
“Fewer pastors are concerned about their family’s financial security—41% today compared to 53% in 2015,” said McConnell. “This decrease in the number of pastors stressed over their personal finances may be due to increased generosity in their church or financial stimulus checks from the government. It is still more common for a pastor to be worried about their own finances than to report declines in giving at their church.”
Pastoral Encouragement
While families may provide some added stress and responsibilities for pastors, they are also one of the sources of encouragement and support. They are also a channel through which a congregation can care for their pastor. Nine in 10 pastors (90%) say their family receives genuine encouragement from their church.
Close to 9 in 10 (86%) feel their church gives them the freedom to say no when faced with unrealistic expectations. While few say their church has a plan for the pastor to periodically receive a sabbatical (32%), almost 9 in 10 say they have a day to unplug from ministerial work and have a day of rest at least once a week (86%).
Pastors are also leaning on others for support and encouragement. Most say at least once a month they openly share their struggles with their spouse (82%), a close friend (68%), or another pastor (66%). Others say they are able to speak with lay leaders in the church (42%), a mentor (40%), another staff member (35%), a Bible study group in their church (23%), or a counselor (9%).
“The difficult moments and seasons pastors face require ongoing investment in their spiritual, physical and mental well-being,” said McConnell. “Most pastors and churches have practices that help the pastor in these ways, but there are often missed opportunities to encourage, build up and avoid misunderstandings.”
For more information, visit LifewayResearch.com or view the full report and the 2021-2015 comparison report.
