A Difficult Job

Posted by Christian St John in Faithblogs | 3 comments

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When was the last time you gave a thought for your pastor? Think about it, most of them go above and beyond and yet they are usually the most unappreciated person in the church. Why is this?

Over the years I have known many pastors and ministers who have left the ministry. Not only that but I have known pastors who have taken a major leave of absence for health problems related to church life (stress, burnout, anger, etc.). I also know pastors who have changed ministerial vocations, become somewhat isolated, leave the church they are pastoring to work at another church in the hopes that it will be better than the last one, and some even fall into major sin.

Well, before casting judgment at how fickle pastors are let us consider the following sobering survey results of the personal and professional lives of pastors:

90% of pastors work more than 46 hours a week
80% believed that pastoral ministry affected their families negatively
33% said that being in ministry was an outright hazard to their family
75% reported a significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry
50% felt unable to meet the needs of the job
90% felt they were inadequately trained to cope with ministry demands
70% say they have a lower self-esteem now than when they started out
40% reported a serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month
37% confessed having been involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with someone in the church
70% do not have someone they consider a close friend.
Pastors at Risk, H. B. London, Jr. and Neil B. Wiseman, Victor Books, 1993, p. 22.

The above stats were taken in 1992 and yet in the past seventeen years things have only gotten worse…

90% of the pastors report working between 55 to 75 hours per week.
86% believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families. Many pastor’s children do not attend church now because of what the church has done to their parents.
48% state that being in the ministry is an outright hazard to their family.
83% report significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry.
80% feel they are inadequately trained to cope with the ministry demands.
60% feel unable to meet the demands of the job.
75% say they have a lower self-image now than when they first started.
70% do not have someone they consider a close friend.
52% report serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month.
33% confess having involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with someone in the church .
50% have considered leaving the ministry in the last month.
50% of the ministers starting out will not last 5 years.
1 out of every 10 ministers will actually retire as a minister in some form.
94% of clergy families feel the pressures of the pastor’s ministry.
66% of church members expect a minister and family to live at a higher moral standard than themselves.
100% of pastors reported that at one time or another people have offered advice of sermons that was “below the belt.” (Everyone’s a critic )
The profession of “Pastor” is near the bottom of a survey of the most-respected professions, just above “car salesman”.
Over 5,000 churches closed in North America last year.
Over 1,700 pastors left the ministry every month last year.
Over 1,300 pastors were terminated by the local church each month, many without cause.
Over 3,500 people a day left the church last year.
Many denominations report an “empty pulpit crisis” as they cannot find ministers willing to fill positions.
Stats taken from Pastoralcareinc.com

From the evidence presented above it seems to me that pastors may have one of the most difficult and unappreciated jobs out there. They are called to give of themselves and yet are rarely given to. They are expected to go above and beyond and yet, for the most part it seems, congregations and church attendees are unwilling to go beyond their comfort zones, instead expecting the pastor to do it all.

Now, I don’t live in a bubble and realize that there are a few pastors out there that are a waste of space (you know who you are) but for the most part I would say that the majority of pastors are hard working, integral, and diligent people. In fact, of all the pastors I have met, and I have met literally hundreds, I would say that only 1 or 2 of them were wasting their and their congregation’s time.

So come on people, let’s show our pastors that we appreciate them. It may be some kind words. Maybe if they’re overworked the church needs to look into maybe hiring someone else in addition to their pastor (not instead of…). Maybe they need a pay rise. Or maybe all they need is love; people who respect them and are willing to support them any way they can.

Christian St John M.Div, BChM, ACS
July, 2009

PS: All pastors need coffee – maybe a Starbucks card or a voucher for a local coffee shop would be in order

Picture by Miles Pfefferle