Hope in the Midst of Disturbing Trends

You’ve been in this situation many times. You are asked a question and you know the appropriate response does not involve answering the question, because it isn’t a question at all. “How are you today?” Anyone versed in American culture knows the proper reply is “fine” or “well.” We also know the question isn’t really a question, but a greeting. It’s a cultural liturgy intended to simply acknowledge one’s presence.

When someone asks the question, there exists that liminal moment between the initial greeting and the response – an opportunity to sincerely give voice to the realities in our lives. But as on old farmer said to me years ago, “If someone asks how you are doing, half of them don’t care and the other half think you deserve it.” I’m not that cynical but I get the point.

So we respond by saying “fine” when in fact, many of us are not fine. And it seems Christian leaders are less fine than most.

Our congregation recently received a flier advertising a summer youth camp. The accompanying letter began with this question: “Have you noticed the shortage of preachers in the Church today?” That, of course, is a real question and most folks who pay attention to this sort of thing know the answer, “Yes! I have noticed.”

In my role as a professor at an institution that historically trained ministers and missionaries, I receive weekly inquiries asking for recommendations to fill staff ministry positions. The pool of qualified applicants is not sufficient. Large and small congregations find it difficult to hire good pastors these days.

I became a professor because I felt the call to serve the church by training leaders. Yet the enrollment of incoming students preparing to serve local congregations or serve as missionaries on the field grows smaller each year. Today, Christian institutions of higher learning face various challenges, some internal and others external. Many Bible Colleges and ministry training institutions in my tradition have closed. One would think the surviving institutions would see an uptick of ministry students who otherwise would have attended a now defunct university. Such is not the case where I teach.  

While we may find the shortfall of incoming ministers alarming, I’m also concerned about the other end of the pipeline. A Barna study[1] released this past fall reported a disturbing trend. In January 2021 the Barna Group asked the question, “Have you given real, serious consideration to quitting being in full-time ministry within the last year?” Nearly three out of ten (29%) responded “Yes.” But here is the unsettling part. The same question was asked six months later in October of 2021. The number increased to 38%, as nearly four out of ten said they have given serious consideration to leaving the ministry. So while we have experienced some relief from the pressures brought on by the pandemic, thoughts of exiting ministry continue to increase.

But the bad news doesn’t end there. Digging into the numbers reveals that nearly half (46%) of pastors under the age of 45 indicate they are seriously considering quitting full time ministry. The attrition isn’t among ministers nearing retirement who decide to pull the trigger early. Only 34% of ministers (still as large number) aged 45 and up have seriously considered calling it a career. Instead the Barna research suggests that younger ministers, who we expect to lead congregations over the next two – four decades, are most likely to consider leaving ministry.

While the departures from ministry pain me, the Barna report revealed another equally distressing result. The report developed an assessment to determine the “well-being” of pastors. They used six categories including spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being. According to the assessment, two thirds of pastors fall into the “average” or “unhealthy” category of emotional well-being.

The answer to the very real question “How are our pastors doing today?” is clear. The majority of our pastors are not “fine.”

I suspect the pressure facing ministers will not decrease in the coming years. In fact, they are likely to increase. But I believe the most important factors in ministry longevity are not external, but rather internal. Jesus was clear, “As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” John 15:4.

Now more than ever Christian leaders need to pay attention to their own wellbeing. As Henri Nouwen said, “Our first and foremost task is faithfully to care for the inward fire so that when it is really needed it can offer the warmth and light to lost travelers.”[2] How can the church rise to this challenge?

First, executive and senior ministers should work to create a staff culture that celebrates intentional withdrawal from the tasks of ministry to rest in the God for whom we minister. Such a culture does not emerge naturally. Mature leaders model and communicate that loving God is indeed the first and greatest command, superseding all the service we do for others.

Second, elders must embrace the value of soul care for the church staff. They can work with the senior leadership to reduce systemic barriers to a healthy rhythm of ministry. This may involve reducing the number programs run by the congregation. It also means establishing systems designed to encourage Sabbath, personal retreats, meaningful time of corporate prayer for the staff, etc.

Third, elders and executive staff should not limit professional development to skill acquisition, but they should also emphasize soul care. Conferences may help ministers connect with other leaders and provide food for thought, but retreats are aimed at nurturing the soul. The Spiritual Formation Leadership Summit combines retreat and conference elements in one event. Conference elements such as workshops and networking are immersed in retreat elements such as silence, prayer, meditation and spiritual direction.

If elders and executive leadership build a staff culture focused on the personal pursuit of God, we may begin to reverse the numbers revealed in the Barna study. The alternative is potentially disastrous. What will happen if the 46% of pastors aged 45 and under decide to walk away from ministry? How can congregations thrive if the two thirds of pastors who are unhealthy remain so?

No doubt challenging days lie ahead. Yet God always does His best work when things look bleak. Our God is bigger than the challenges we face. His provision is unending. If He can sustain the cosmos, surely He can sustain His servants. He invites us to pursue Him so deeply that Psalm 23 becomes a profound reality in the lives of leaders: "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul." Psalm 23:1-3a

May God’s Spirit stir the heart of leaders to seek Him first. May He move congregations to encourage leaders to take intentional steps to draw closer to the Father. Then the soul of pastors will be “refreshed” and congregations led from the overflow of an abiding relationship with Christ. May it be so.

[1] “38% of U.S. Pastors Have Thought About Quitting Full-Time Ministry in the Past Year”, Leaders & Pastors. November 16, 2021. https://www.barna.com/research/pastors-well-being/

[2] Nouwen, Henri. The Way of the Heart. New York: Harper Collins, 1981, 55.