Two weeks ago, I reported the audacious statistic that 91 percent of pastors say they feel “very positive” or “positive” about ministry. (For the complete report, click here.)
That led many readers to e-mail me—on both sides of the issue. Let’s start with those who would adjust the results:
But Barna & Dobson Disagree …
“How do we square your finding that 91% of pastors want to stay in the ministry with Barna’s assertion that the average total ministry tenure is now 14 years (less than half what it used to be) or with the Dobson report that 1,500 men are leaving the ministry every month?” (Bill)
[Not having seen those studies, I only hazard guesses. About ministry tenure, it may be that the pastorate, just like the missionary calling, is being pursued by more short-termers and fewer lifetimers. It’s also true that more people are entering the pastorate at midlife, particularly in mainline denominations, which would likewise shorten pastoral tenure. Thus, the statistic on tenure may indicate a crisis, or it may simply indicate a shift in who’s entering ministry and when and for how long.
[About 1,500 pastors leaving each month: this would be approximately half of 1 percent per month, or about 6 percent per year. To evaluate this statistic, it would be helpful to know how many people are entering the ministry each month. It would also be helpful to know the departure rate in comparable people-oriented professions, such as teaching.]
Hitting the 30-Year Wall
“Since I resigned a difficult pastorate a year ago for the first time in thirty years of ministry, I probably would view some findings of the report with a bit of skepticism. I’m seeing more pastors either hanging on until retirement, or else reaching a major crisis point after about thirty years, questioning the institutional church (as opposed to ministry calling), wondering how to function in an increasingly electronic culture, and how to be the intergenerational link so that youth and long-term members both show up in worship (the music issue).” (Tom)
The Depressed Don’t Answer Surveys
“It may be that those who do respond have sufficient time, energy, resources, positive self-analysis to reply to questionnaires such as yours, but those who receive a questionnaire and do not reply are too busy, too exhausted, too harassed or depressed to make the effort to respond.” (Wesley)
Denomination Is a Factor
“The number of seminarians headed for the pastorate, at least in [my denomination], is on a major decline. Why? Too many war stories of stuck churches with no willingness to do innovative ministry (others’ words, not mine). Perhaps the greatest satisfaction is from those in nondenominational churches with less history, less structure or traditions.” (Tom)
But What About Ethnic Communities?
“I wonder if this would be true also for those who primarily serve in diverse or ethnic communities. As a Chinese-American advisory pastor who serves a “second generation” in Chinese/Asian-American faith community, I would be surprised if the high percentage [of satisfaction] in non-Asian churches would reflect that in Asian churches.” (Ken)
Depends What Day You Ask
“I often want to quit on Monday. So I’m guessing your surveys were filled out on Wednesday or Thursday.” (Don)
And now let’s hear from those who would accept the results:
Not So Strange, When You Factor in the Spirit
Isn’t one of the fruits of the Spirit joy? If so, should it seem strange that your results were high?” (Kam)
I Understand the Disbelief—and Yet
“I was encouraged to see the statistics in your last edition even though I do understand the wonder and near disbelief expressed by some readers … The pay is minimal, the appreciation often not much better, criticism abounds, the work load is almost impossible to accomplish with quality, and a church business meeting can drive you to near distraction. But then God in his mercy reaches through you to draw someone a step closer to himself and you know there is no place you would rather be.” (Camilla)
Shock Value and Satisfaction
“During [28] years of ministry I have been loved and detested. I have been praised and accused of absolute ineptitude. I have been told I was too shallow and too deep. Infidelity, child molesting, delinquent teenagers, embezzlement, lawsuit against the church—the list of things I have had to deal with goes on. My son had a higher salary his first year out of college than I have ever had! I long since ceased to calculate hours.
“I sometimes recount these things for shock value when I am speaking to people interested in vocational Christian ministry. But then I go on to say that I am happy in this ministry because nothing compares to the satisfaction of seeing God change and transform lives and knowing that I had a small part in what is he is doing. This year I have the delight of having on the board of the mission I now lead a man who responded to an invitation I gave one Sunday morning in 1973 in one of those churches I served!” (Earl)
Sure It’s True, It’s Like Golf
“[The statistic you report] is probably true. Why do you think the vast majority of ministers play golf? The game of golf can beat you up the whole round, but one good shot, and we are coming back for more. Though most of us serve in small churches, wear many hats, survive on inadequate salaries, just a little, sometimes one voice of encouragement can keep us going. Most of us who read our Bibles and have been at it for many years have learned that where we are weak, God shows his strength.” (Larry)
Happiness vs. Joy
“I am a pastor and train pastors in a seminary in the Philippines. If you think pastoring in the U.S. is hard, try pastoring in Asia. In most Asian countries the typical pastor makes less than $500 a year. Some make $50 or less per year. Many are in danger of arrest, harassment or even death at the hands of radicals from the religious majorities of their countries. All in addition to the usual concerns of pastoring—24/7 duties, impossibly high expectations from their congregations, and the unavoidable heartaches of ministry.
“Yet in the midst of the chaos, God is there. When a life is changed, a grief comforted, a relationship mended, there is joy. Maybe the root of the problem is that we confuse happiness with joy. The superficial happiness that most of us settle for today—seeing our team win the Rose Bowl, getting a raise, having a manicure, buying a PDA—is not joy. The Bible speaks of—and pastors around the world experience—the reality of joy in ministry. The Apostle John said it well: ‘I have no greater joy than this, to see my children walking in the truth.'” (Jim)
—Kevin A. Miller is editor of Leadership Weekly and executive editor of BuildingChurchLeaders.com. To reply, write Newsletter@LeadershipJournal.net.
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