40% of Ministers Consider Quitting According to New Study
November 29, 2021
TUPELO, Miss. — A new study about pastors planning to leave their calling is sending shockwaves and spreading alarm throughout the Christian community. The Barna study reported that nearly four out of ten ministers are seriously considering quitting the pastoral profession. The number is much higher in mainline and liturgical churches (51%) than in other Protestant churches (34%).
American Family Association (AFA, afa.net) recently responded to this troubling statistic, saying that one way to support local pastors is to recognize the unique challenges pastors faced during the pandemic, and to express gratitude for their unending dedication to their congregants.
“We certainly can hope that these survey results manifest only a temporary spike in discouragement and burnout because of the difficult strain from Covid lockdowns and intramural battles over the vaccine,” said Ed Vitagliano, AFA’s executive vice president. “It’s certainly understandable that such factors would only pile extra weight upon the shoulders of the nation’s clergy.
“But the truth is that pastoral ministry has always been engulfed in spiritual warfare. In a nation that is rotting away at its center and polarized beyond belief, that warfare has only increased. As the Bible says, if the shepherds are struck down, the sheep will scatter. Congregations should be grateful for their ministers, take care of them and their families, and pray for them––consistently and passionately.”
For over 40 years, AFA has operated within the mission to inform, equip and activate individuals to strengthen the moral foundations of American culture and give aid to the church here and abroad in its task of fulfilling the Great Commission. Founded in 1977, AFA has long been on the front lines of America’s culture war. Today, AFA is one of the largest and most effective pro-family organizations in the country, with nearly a million online supporters and approximately 160,000 subscribers to the AFA Journal, the ministry’s monthly magazine. Find AFA Action Alerts here. In addition, AFA owns and operates nearly 180 radio stations across the country under the American Family Radio banner.
View the media page for AFA here. For more information on American Family Association, visitwww.afa.net or follow AFA on Facebook or Twitter @AmericanFamAssc.
###To interview American Family Association Executive Vice President Ed Vitagliano, or another AFA spokesperson, contact Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Beth Harrison, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, or Deborah Hamilton, ext. 102
