Around half (47%) of pastors often feel the demands of ministry are greater than they can handle. This has remained consistent for the past decade. A third (34%) feel isolated as a pastor, unchanged from 2015 but down from 38% in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. One in 5 (19%) say their church has unrealistic expectations of them. This is again consistent with 2015 (21%) but down from 2021 (23%).
“While a couple elements of panic may have eased since the pandemic, the role of being a pastor is still difficult,” said McConnell. “Pastors and their families genuinely need encouragement, people to share ministry tasks with and to discuss differences respectfully.”
Many congregations seek to avoid issues with their pastor by having a document that clearly communicates the church’s expectations of the pastor (72%). Still, around 1 in 5 pastors (21%) don’t believe their church accurately described the congregation before they arrived.
Despite any potential gaps in the perspectives of the pastor and the congregation, 85% of pastors feel free to say “no” when expectations of them are unrealistic. But this has dropped from 89% in 2015.
During their week, 78% of pastors say they “unplug” from ministerial work and have a day of rest at least once a week, but this is down from 85% in 2015. Some may get even more time away from their ministry work. A third (32%) of pastors say their church has a plan for the pastor to receive a sabbatical periodically, up from 29% in 2015.
Potential Warning Signs
As pastors seek to avoid problems within their congregations and stay faithful in ministry, they may also want to evaluate themselves. Many aren’t investing in their personal spiritual growth daily, and some might struggle with spiritual pride.
Around half of pastors (54%) say they get away to spend time alone with God at least seven times a week. Other pastors have fewer occasions during which they spend time in Bible study and prayer other than in their sermon or lesson preparation, including 9% who say they do so six times a week, 17% five times, 7% four times, 7% three times, 3% two times, 1% one time and 1% find no times.
Close to 1 in 6 (16%) say they frequently get irritated with people at their church, with only 2% strongly agreeing. Slightly more than half (55%) strongly disagree, so for a large percentage of pastors, irritation with churchgoers may be an issue.
Certain attitudes might not be problematic for some pastors but might be for others. Two in 5 (39%) believe their church would not have achieved the progress it has without them. Three in 4 (73%) say they deserve the respect of their people. More than 4 in 5 (84%) work hard to protect their image as a pastor.
“While pastors may be quick to point to God’s provision for their churches and the fact they have maintained their integrity, agreement with these statements may also suggest the presence of self-importance,” said McConnell. “Leading by example, winning trust and serving where God places you are necessary traits of a pastor that can easily become narcissistic when too focused on the importance of your role, your image or what you deserve.”
For more information, view the complete report and the 2025-2021-2015 comparison report.
This article originally appeared here.
