BARNA GROUP RESEARCH ON THE TYPICAL PROTESTANT PASTOR
The findings below are surprising and contradict earlier research from several other sources. There are "straws in the wind," which indicate that a sea change in church growth research may be underway; this is one of them.
• Only 5% of Protestant pastors in America are women.
• Almost all pastors are married.
• While 13% have been divorced almost all of these are remarried, and if you think that is a surprisingly high percentage, remember that it is half the percentage for the entire population.
• The pastoral work force is aging. The average age of Protestant pastors was 44 in 1992 and is 48 in the most recent survey.
• The average number of years spent in full-time pastoral ministry jumped from 14 years in 1992 to 17 years in the most recent survey.
• The average tenure in a church is 5 years.
• A substantial share of those pastors who stay with a congregation for a long time lead churches that are not growing.
• Many long-term pastors rate their own teaching and preaching skills as average or below average.
1 comment:
I think that last stat says as much about the humility of long-term pastors as it does about their preaching ability. Maybe that's an assumption on my part, but I'm glad to see that it didn't say, "Most long-term pastors rate their own teaching and preaching skills as excellent."
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