Fewer say they left their previous church because the congregation had unrealistic expectations of them (17%), they were not a good fit for the church (17%) or another reason like feeling God called them elsewhere or to a new opportunity (13%). For some, the decision to leave was made for them, as 13% were reassigned and 8% were asked to leave the church.
“A pastor and congregation must work together,” said McConnell. “Maintaining unity is a biblical mandate that is easy to ignore when someone places too much importance on their own opinion.”
Most pastors who previously led a different church had some conflict in the other congregation. More than a third say there was conflict over proposed changes (37%) or with lay leaders (35%). Similarly, 35% say they experienced a significant personal attack.
Around a quarter felt conflict over their leadership style (27%) or expectations about the pastor’s role (24%). Fewer clashed with their previous congregation over doctrinal differences (18%) or national or local politics (9%). Around a third (35%) say they didn’t experience any of these conflicts in their earlier church.
Most current pastors don’t foresee leaving the ministry behind for one of those reasons. Nine in 10 (91%) are sure they can stay at their church as long as they want. Still, that doesn’t mean pastors are naïve about potential future problems.
Coming Conflict
Evangelical and Black Protestant pastors in the U.S. expect to face conflict in their current congregations, even though they are working to limit it. Three in 4 (74%) say they will need to confront conflict in their church in the future, while a quarter (24%) disagree. Additionally, 1 in 5 (19%) say their church experienced significant conflict last year.
But most pastors have received training to deal with such issues and are monitoring their churches for brewing trouble. Around 9 in 10 (88%) say they consistently listen for signs of conflict in their church. A similar percentage (90%) say they invest in processes and behaviors to prevent conflict.
Around 3 in 4 (73%) say their training prepared them for the people side of ministry. Unfortunately, the percentage of pastors who felt their seminary or ministry training prepared them has dropped from 80% in 2015 to 77% in 2021, before falling to 73% today.
That decline might be connected to the shrinking number of pastors participating in related classes. In 2015, 75% of pastors had taken courses on dealing with conflict, and 72% had taken courses on interpersonal skills. Now, those percentages have fallen to 66% and 63% respectively.
“Pastors’ awareness of conflict remains high, but fewer are preparing in a classroom setting to love and lead through various disagreements,” said McConnell.
If many of the preventative steps don’t work, most pastors say their church has steps to address more serious conflicts and issues. Three in 4 (75%) have a process for church discipline.
Ministry Troubles
Pastors might not believe their problems are tied specifically to conflict in their congregations, but generally to their role. Two in 3 (67%) feel they must be “on-call” 24 hours a day. This feeling has declined steadily among pastors, however, from 84% in 2015 and 71% in 2021. Another 57% say their role is frequently overwhelming, up slightly from 54% in 2015 but down from 63% in 2021.
