Reasons pastors leave pastoral ministry
Percent of reasons given, by reason for leaving pastoral ministry, 2025 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Change in calling (37%). Lowest: Personal finances (3%).
- Change in calling: 37%
- Conflict in a church: 23%
- Burnout: 22%
Source: Lifeway Research, Debunking the Myths: Ministry Burnout and Leaving the Ministry · Article published 2025-07-15.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Change in calling (37%). Lowest: Personal finances (3%). Change in calling: 37%. Conflict in a church: 23%. Burnout: 22%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2025. Source: Lifeway Research, Debunking the Myths: Ministry Burnout and Leaving the Ministry (https://research.lifeway.com/2025/07/15/debunking-the-myths-ministry-burnout-and-leaving-the-ministry/).
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- Drop in pastors considering quitting since the 2022 peak Leader Insights, 2026
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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.