Research Conclusion: Many pastors love their jobs.Īs you can see from our research, not all pastors are depressed and lonely. But 12 percent of pastors have no close friends in their congregation. In addition, 16 percent have 6 to 10 friends, 38 percent have 3 to 5 friends, 10 percent have 2 friends, and 4 percent have 1 friend. Nearly 8 in 10 pastors (79 percent) disagreed with the statement “Being in ministry has had a negative effect on my family.” The study found that 18 percent of pastors have more than 10 close friends in their congregation. However, while leading the local church does take a toll, most pastors feel rewarded in their work. Pastoring the people of God is hard work it’s a high calling for a reason. It’s doing funerals of toddlers it’s counseling adulterous couples it’s praying for a mother who was just diagnosed with breast cancer it’s working on cost-efficient building plans. It’s more than writing sermons and having coffee with people. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Being a pastor is no cakewalk. Yet, more than half (55 percent) also agree with the statement “I find that it is easy to get discouraged,” and 55 percent say being in pastoral ministry makes them feel lonely at times. There is discouragement and loneliness, but when 98 percent agree it is a privilege to be a pastor, we also know there is a great honor and reward that comes along with being a pastor. We found a different picture when we actually talked with the pastors. So, a few years ago, we decided to do a crazy thing-we actually asked pastors. According to just about every stat I hear, pastors hate the ministry. They feel miserable and would get out if they could because being in ministry is hurting their families.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |