Reasons the previous pastor left the ministry, as reported by current pastors
Percent of current evangelical and Black Protestant pastors citing each reason, 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, Pastors Remain Committed to the Pulpit · Lifeway Research mixed-mode phone and online survey of 1,516 evangelical and Black Protestant pastors, April 1 - May 8, 2025. Article published 2025-05-29.
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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, Pastors Remain Committed to the Pulpit (https://research.lifeway.com/2025/05/29/pastors-remain-committed-to-the-pulpit/).
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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
- Evangelical pastors with some income outside of church work Lifeway Research, 2026
- Meaningful friendships among rural pastors Lifeway Research, 2026
- Other full-time ministers' pay after inflation Leader Insights, 2026
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.