Around one-third of pastors who leave the ministry cite burnout or conflict with the church as the reasons, according to a study by Lifeway Research.
Lifeway released a report on Tuesday based on the findings of a study of former pastors from four different Protestant denominations, examining why they left their vocation.
According to Lifeway, 18% of respondents cited conflict in a church as the reason for quitting, with another 16% citing “burnout” as the reason.
The lead stated reason was a “change in calling,” with 40% of respondents citing this as the cause of their departure. Other cited reasons included family issues (10%), personal finances (10%), illness (6%), being a poor fit with a church (6%), denominational issues (4%), and the church closing due to the COVID-19 lockdowns (3%).
Regarding those who left due to a conflict, 45% of respondents reported experiencing significant conflict during the final year they served as pastor.
Among former pastors, 87% faced “conflict at some point in their last congregation,” with 56% experiencing it over proposed changes and almost half (49%) saying they experienced a “significant personal attack” as a result.
Additionally, 43% reported leaving their positions as pastor after serving just one congregation, while another 43% reported serving as a senior pastor for 10 years or less before leaving.
Lifeway also reported that, despite leaving the position of pastor, 53% of respondents said that they continue to work in ministry, though in a different capacity.
The data for the study were collected through an online survey of 730 former pastors conducted from May 6 through July 6. The denominations represented by the sample included the Assemblies of God, the Church of the Nazarene, The Wesleyan Church, and the Southern Baptist Convention.
Lifeway Research released a similar study in 2021, which found that 32% of former pastors cited a “change in calling” as their reason for leaving, while 18% of respondents cited conflict in their church, and 13% cited burnout.
Although most clergy do not decide to quit in advance of retirement age, many pastors have given serious consideration to doing so due to various factors, including recent challenges like shepherding a church during the COVID-19 pandemic and persistent lockdowns.
According to a Hartford Institute for Religion Research report that drew from data collected in autumn 2023, 53% of clergy had seriously considered leaving their pastoral ministry at least once since 2020.
