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This morning I listened to Mark Driscoll’s sermon “Paying Your Pastors” that he threw down last week. I’ve heard these stats before but hearing them all in the same place was stunning. Especially in light of the sermon I’m prepping for this week.
The stats on Pastors…
- 1,500 leave the ministry a month
(Top reasons – sexual immorality, burn-out, church arguing with pastor)
50% of all marriages end in divorce
80% of pastors, 84% of spouses feel underqualified & discouraged
50% would leave ministry if they could find a job doing something else
80% of Bible college/seminary graduates leave ministry within 5 years
70% of pastors admit to fighting depression – either stuffing it or rage
40% confess to committing adultery while in ministry
70% only read the Bible when preparing a sermon
Of their spouses…
- 84% believe that the church is overworking their spouse
80% wish their spouse would quit ministry because of effect on family
Over 50% of spouses say the worse thing that has happened to their family was going into vocational ministry
The rest of the sermon is worth the download, especially if you are in ministry or are thinking about ministry. I think Mark does a great job of unpacking several key issues very bluntly and fairly.
It’s a messy subject – one that I’m not quite ready to tackle all in one sitting.
I will say that those numbers alone verify the importance of calling – for both spouse and pastor. Personally, I have no other marketable skills nor a desire to do anything else. Amy doesn’t either. But that’s because (at least I think it’s because) we’re supposed to do this. I can’t NOT do it – regardless of the price tag it carries in other areas of my life.
But they are humbling and eye-opening. I’d be lying if I said they didn’t phase me.
[tags]Mark Driscoll, pastor salaries, calling, 1 Corinthians 9[/tags]
8 responses so far ↓
1 AK // Jun 15, 2006 at 8:56 pm
1500 leave the ministry – How many stay each month?
50% of all marriages DON’T end in divorce
etc., etc., etc.
I got an email this morning about a couple that is going to work to stay together partly because of what they heard at a conference that I was able to help make available.
God is still there working. Don’t forget that as you focus on all of the negative statistics!
2 Jerry // Jun 16, 2006 at 7:17 am
Statistics can say anything. Those numbers seem too high to be believable. For example, 84% of pastor’s wives are dissatisfied with the way their churches treat their husband? What is Mark Driscoll’s source? I didn’t listen to his sermon.
3 Grant // Jun 16, 2006 at 8:08 am
I remember when Barna said that the divorce rate among “born again Christians” was the same as “non-born againers.”
The entire evangelical right went ballistic calling into question his stats.
Besides, there are only two kinds of people in the world. Those that divide the world into two categories and those that don’t.
I’ll write more later – like I said – I’m not completely ready to tackle all the issues right now…still noodling.
4 Mark // Jun 16, 2006 at 9:03 am
You also need to consider the stats on us smucks. What is the percentage of people dissatisfied with their job or pay? Probably very high also. What is the denominator of the 1500 number? Statistics are good things, coming from a person who uses them all the time, but can be used inappropriately.
I heard a story on Humankind (NPR) last night that talked about about a community of people that lived on a literal mountain of trash outside of Manilla. Bill Mosher, the host, was amazed at how gracious and happy the people were. He claimed that they were happier and more content than you will find in wealthy American cities. He attributed it to a sense of community and meaningful human connection. Maybe we, even pastors, are looking in the wrong places for our contentment.
5 Catbird // Jun 17, 2006 at 10:09 pm
I have wanted to comment for two days now, but I’ve had a hard time coming up with what to say without writing a book or slamming the valid opinions expressed by the other commenters.
What I’ve finally come up with is this: it’s easy to dismiss statistics when you’re not one of them. And I’m one of them, so it is both a relief and a discouragement to see that I’m not alone.
God IS working (PTL!) but ministry is sacrificial by nature. And all sacrifices are felt. Sometimes we feel the sacrifices in ways we had expected (low salaries, delayed gratification/fruition of efforts, family-life interrupted by ministry-life, etc.)
And sometimes the sacrifices we make are not ones we choose, but ones that are forced on us by imperfect people serving in imperfect churches in an imperfect world. And there’s the rub.
Life is hard. Ministry is harder.
But God is good.
6 Paul // Jun 18, 2006 at 7:08 am
Here’s to all of us statistics! For everyone who doesn’t believe the stats, let me give a little personal experience. I have served at 3 churches on staff and many more part time or lay. Of those, at least half of the leadership has been personally abusive to the point of being under discipline or needing to be. I have had personal counselling betrayed and even lies in the community started about me by the pastor. If you can’t believe the stats, I am glad you have had such great experiences in the church. If you can believe that stats, I hope that you know that your calling sustains you because it is God who works in you to finish his mission.
BTW, does anyone know of a church who is looking for a… nevermind.
7 Linda // Jun 19, 2006 at 11:32 am
My daughter wants to be a youth minister. And although I would not try to pursuade her away from this…she is so tenderhearted and caring. I have seen our poor pastors, assistant pastors and youth director deal with some really nasty crap from our congregation. I would hate for her to deal with stuff like that, yet I know how mean-spirited people can be.
I keep telling her to get a minor in business or finance or something to fall back on…just in case.
8 Mark // Jun 19, 2006 at 12:54 pm
Oh, I believe the stats, I’m just not sure they are any worse than many other professions. Try being a DHS social worker. We all have it worse than some and better than others. We could be living on a mountain of trash outside of Manilla. I am not unsympathetic to the crap pastors have to put up with (or dish out in some cases!), I just question whether they are unique. People are people. I am sure pastors would have a great job if they didn’t have to work with them.
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