Working on it!

There's been a lot of buzz on FOR WHAT IT's WORTH regarding my recent post where I listed several stats regarding pastors, etc. I asked for and received a comment|feedback yesterday from Anne Jackson. I asked her for her three benefits (keep reading), which she shared, but also shed light on the statistics.

Her comment was, "what is encouraging is...even though these stats are from reliable sources, they're not scientific." In doing the research for her book, she tackled the allure of these stats especially to those in the ministry. I must confess ... I am guilty of Info. Porn! Check this article out when you get a chance - which she references some of the same stats. I know that is her opinion, and I agree with it regarding this stuff.

By the way, Anne's new book Mad Church Disease drops in February of 2009. I am looking forward to the read regarding overcoming the burnout epidemic.

I mentioned at the end of the Pastor Stats post that I was thinking about blogging about the top three joys / benefits of being in the ministry. I started by emailing a bunch of my friends who are in the ministry and have received some great input.

Although the results of my straw poll will not be scientific, my hope is that we can shed light on some of the good that ministers enounter doing what they do. I am collecting and decifering the info. and my hope is to post something on Friday.

The bottom line for me with all this is to raise awareness that we all need each other. It's when we isolate and conceal that some of those stats (scientific or not) can become a reality in our own lives.

Pastor Stats

I am kind of blown away by these stats. I began thinking of all the people I know connected to ministry that have gone through a divorce. Also, I am not surprised by percent who feel unqualified. It seems (my guess) that some of these stats may be the same in the marketplace work force|society.

50% of pastors’ marriages will end in divorce (Same as US national average)
80% of seminary graduates will leave ministry in the first 5 years
70% of pastors are grossly underpaid (compared to the amount of work they do)
80% of pastors’ spouses believe their spouse is overworked
50% of pastors feel unable to meet the needs of the job
80% of pastors say they have insufficient time with their family
56% of pastors’ spouses have no close friends
80% of pastors’ kids seek professional help for depression
80% of pastors feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastors
50% of pastors are so discouraged they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.
85% of pastors said their greatest problem is they are sick and tired of dealing with problem people.
90% of pastors said the hardest thing about ministry is dealing with uncooperative people
95% of pastors do not regularly pray with their spouses
70% of pastors do not have a close friend, confidant or mentor
66% of pastors and their families feel pressure to model the ideal family to their congregations and communities
5 years - the average tenure of a pastor at a church

1500 pastors leave ministry each month due to moral failure, burnout or contention in their churches

Pastors who work fewer than 50 hours a week are 35% more likely to be terminated

The average church member expects the pastor to be able to juggle 16 major tasks

Approximately 4,000 new churches begin each year while more than 7,000 churches close down each year.

Sources:
http://www.jesuscreed.org/?p=2693
Pastors at Greater Risk, H B London, Jr., and Neil B Wiseman, Regal Books, © 2003
http://www.maranathalife.com/lifeline/stats.htm
These statistics came from across denomination lines, and have been gleaned from various reliable sources such as Pastor to Pastor, Focus on the Family, Ministries Today, Charisma Magazine, TNT Ministries, Campus Crusade for Christ and the Global Pastors Network.
http://www.robpetrini.com/

I am thinking of blogging about the joys of being a pastor. May have to do some straw polling.