Here are some depressing numbers from J. R. Briggs’ recent article at Faith Street, “Why Half of All Pastors Want to Quit Their Jobs”:
1,500 pastors leave the ministry for good each month, citing burnout or contention in their churches.
80 percent of pastors (and 84 percent of pastors’ spouses) are discouraged in their roles.
Almost half of all pastors have seriously considered leaving ministry for good in the past three months.
For every 20 pastors who go into ministry, only one retires from the ministry.
50 percent of pastors say they are unable to meet the demands of their job and are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.
For our money, the article does a better job laying out the scope of the problem than speaking to the structural issues that cause it. What do you think about the article and the problem it describes?