Biggest frustration of pastors
Percent of senior pastors naming their most frustrating part of the job, 2018 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Lack of commitment among laypeople (35%). Lowest: Relational difficulties (8%).
- Lack of commitment among laypeople: 35%
- Low spiritual maturity among churchgoers: 27%
- Financial or administrative duties: 19%
Source: Lifeway Research, What Do Pastors Enjoy Most About Their Job? · Article published 2018-08-08.
See all 7 categories, the full chart and more
Free account: full chart, CSV and PNG downloads, ready-to-paste citation, branded share image, and a discussion question for your team.
Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Lack of commitment among laypeople (35%). Lowest: Relational difficulties (8%). Lack of commitment among laypeople: 35%. Low spiritual maturity among churchgoers: 27%. Financial or administrative duties: 19%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2018. Source: Lifeway Research, What Do Pastors Enjoy Most About Their Job? (https://research.lifeway.com/2018/08/08/what-do-pastors-enjoy-most-about-their-job/).
Where can I get the full data and a citation?
Create a free Leader Insights account to open the full chart, download CSV or PNG, copy a citation and save the statistic to your own library.
More Pastors & Staff statistics
- Black Protestant clergy who support women's leadership in the Black church Public Religion Research Institute, 2026
- Decline in churches insuring their senior pastor Leader Insights, 2026
- Drop in pastors considering quitting since the 2022 peak Leader Insights, 2026
- How pastors would respond if their state legalizes sports gambling Lifeway Research, 2019
- How retired ministers feel toward the churches or mission fields they served Lifeway Research, 2019
- How senior pastor transitions began Lifeway Research, 2019
About this data
Leader Insights collects statistics about U.S. churches from published research by organizations such as Lifeway Research, Barna Group, Springtide, the American Bible Society and PRRI. Every number is checked against the wording of the original source before it is published, and each statistic links back to the study it came from. Figures are reproduced from the publishers named above; see the source for full methodology.