{"id":32923,"date":"2022-09-10T16:28:32","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:28:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/former-pastors-report-lack-of-support-led-to-abandoning-pastorate\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T16:28:32","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:28:32","slug":"former-pastors-report-lack-of-support-led-to-abandoning-pastorate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/former-pastors-report-lack-of-support-led-to-abandoning-pastorate\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Pastors Report Lack of Support Led to Abandoning Pastorate"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Lisa Cannon Green<\/em><\/p>\n

No sabbatical. No help with counseling. No clear picture of what\u2019s expected.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of former senior pastors say these were the crucial elements missing from the final churches they led before quitting the pastorate.<\/p>\n

A recent study by Lifeway Research points to ways churches can encourage pastors to stay in the ministry, said Ed Stetzer, Executive Director of the Nashville-based research organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost half of those who left the pastorate said their church wasn\u2019t doing any of the kinds of things that would help,\u201d Stetzer said. \u201cHaving clear documents, offering a sabbatical rest, and having people help with weighty counseling cases are key things experts tell us ought to be in place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lifeway Research surveyed 734 former senior pastors who left the pastorate before retirement age in four Protestant denominations.<\/p>\n

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Trouble begins early, the survey indicates, with 48 percent of the former pastors saying the search team didn\u2019t accurately describe the church before their arrival.<\/p>\n

Their churches were unlikely to have a list of counselors for referrals (27 percent), clear documentation of the church\u2019s expectations of its pastor (22 percent), a sabbatical plan for the pastor (12 percent), a lay counseling ministry (9 percent), or a support group for the pastor\u2019s family (8 percent). Forty-eight percent say their church had none of these.<\/p>\n

Most expected conflict to arise, and it did\u201456 percent clashed over changes they proposed, and 54 percent say they experienced a significant personal attack. Yet nearly half (48 percent) say their training didn\u2019t prepare them to handle the people side of ministry.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany seminary programs don\u2019t even require courses on the people side\u2014they\u2019re focused on theology, biblical languages, and preaching, which are important, but almost half of the pastors felt unprepared for dealing with the people they were preparing in seminary to lead and serve,\u201d Stetzer said.<\/p>\n

Though almost two-thirds (63 percent) spent more than a decade as a senior pastor, they eventually moved on\u2014most to another ministry role other than senior pastor (52 percent) but 29 percent to non-ministry work.<\/p>\n

Forty percent say they left the pastorate because of a change in calling. They also cite such issues as church conflict (25 percent), burnout (19 percent), personal finances (12 percent) and family issues (12 percent).<\/p>\n

\u201cThese things are interrelated,\u201d Stetzer said. \u201cIf you\u2019re burning out, chances are when conflict arises you\u2019re not going to respond well, and that will make the conflict worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those who leave vs. those who stay<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Almost across the board, the former pastors report more negative views than current pastors who answered the same questions several months earlier.<\/p>\n

Lifeway Research surveyed 1,500 senior pastors at evangelical and historically black churches in March 2015 and found about 1 percent leave the pastorate each year for reasons other than death or retirement.<\/p>\n

Stetzer cautioned the two studies are not directly comparable. The initial study involved all evangelical and black Protestant churches, but only four denominations provided lists of former pastors for the follow-up survey. In addition, the earlier survey was conducted by phone, while the former pastors were surveyed online.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThough the populations aren\u2019t identical, we do notice the responses from people who have left the pastorate are worse,\u201d Stetzer said. \u201cEither current pastors are painting a rosy picture that doesn\u2019t fully describe reality, or those leaving the pastorate are in a less healthy position. Probably there\u2019s truth to both of those.\u201d<\/p>\n

Current and former pastors agree the job is demanding: 84 percent of current pastors and 83 percent of former pastors say they feel on call 24 hours a day, while 48 percent of each group say the demands of ministry often feel like more than they can handle.<\/p>\n

On other measures, however, the differences can be stark:<\/p>\n