More than half of pastors cite stress as a challenge in their day-to-day ministry, a new survey has found.
A new survey from Lifeway Research has revealed that up to 63% of pastors admitted that they combat stress in their daily ministry, while 48% said they faced discouragement. The poll, which was conducted on 1,000 American Protestant pastors, revealed that more than one in four or 28% cited loneliness or lack of friendships as a problem, while one in four or 18% cited depression as an issue.
The Lifeway Research poll also found that younger pastors were more likely than their older counterparts to cite stress, discouragement, loneliness and depression as issues in their job.
"Americans have become much more aware of mental wellbeing, and young pastors have grown up in a culture with much greater transparency around these challenges than previous generations," Lifeway Research executive director Scott McConnell explained, as per the Christian Headlines.
"The high number of young pastors wanting to address these mental challenges means although awareness is higher among them, many have not yet successfully embraced the boundaries, habits and preventative measures they need," McConnell added.
Researchers at Lifeway found that 25% of pastors between the ages 18 to 44 cited depression, while 37% of this age group said loneliness is a problem. A majority or 78% said stress was a challenge. Meanwhile, almost half or 48% said that distractions are a common problem, while 17% said that "lack of contentment" is an issue.
McConnell acknowledged how being a pastor is truly "stressful" and urged those who are on this path to "learn healthy ways of maintaining their mental health amidst the variety of pressures that continue to come their way." He underscored that "ignoring the stress is not the answer" and advised that "resilience requires investment."
In fact, McConnell urged pastors to reach out to mental health professionals for support. Meanwhile, Lifeway Christian Resources president and CEO Ben Mandrell explained that while the Lord is what the Bible instructs believers to lean on during times of trouble, he also reminded Christians and pastors that the Scripture says that "we are not an island," encouraging church leaders to "seek the help of trained professionals to help navigate mental challenges."
The Lifeway Research poll offers similar insights with that of a recent Barna Research survey on 510 Protestant senior pastors, who cited several reasons why they felt the need to leave the ministry. The Barna poll found that among pastors who considered quitting the ministry, 56% cited "the immense stress of the job" as a reason why they want to leave. The second most common reason was "loneliness and isolation."
Similarly, 34% pastors who did not think of leaving their ministries said that "the immense stress of the job" was the biggest challenge they face in their day to day ministry. Meanwhile, 18% of the same group said feeling "lonely and isolated" has negatively impacted the way they lead their congregations.
The conclusion drawn here is that pastors too need guidance and not just from the Lord. Rev. Dr. Glenn Packiam wrote in Barna's "The State of Your Church," "We need sages to advise us, leaders to direct us or hold us accountable, peers to remind us that we aren't alone, healers to dress our wounds and companions who carry us when we can't carry on."
