The research from the Barna Group finds the share of pastors with a high level of satisfaction regarding their vocation has dropped 20 points since 2015 when 72% of pastors characterized themselves as “very satisfied.”
Barna’s research attributes the growing discontent among pastors to the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing lockdowns that led to societal upheaval and restrictions on religious worship.
The percentage of pastors who “feel very satisfied with their ministry at their current church” also declined in the same period, from 53% in 2015 to 47% in 2020 and 38% in 2022.
While two-thirds of pastors maintained they felt “more confident about their calling compared to when they first entered ministry” in 2015, that number dropped to 35% in 2020 and remains unchanged this year.
The growing dissatisfaction has also resulted in a growing number of pastors leaving their vocation. The overwhelming majority of pastors who have considered quitting say they experienced self-doubt about their ministry, while 25% have not.
Another poll from Lifeway research released earlier this year identified stress, loneliness and political division are the most common reasons pastors give when leaving their calling.