Rural pastors who feel called specifically to rural or small-town ministry
Percent of rural ministers, Lifeway Research, 2025 (in percent)
Key finding
- Rural pastors who feel called specifically to rural or small-town ministry: 24%. Rural ministers who feel called specifically to ministry in rural or small-town communities
Source: Lifeway Research, Why You Shouldn’t Stay in Your Rural Church (and 3 Reasons You Should) · Article published 2026-02-05.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Rural pastors who feel called specifically to rural or small-town ministry: 24%. Rural ministers who feel called specifically to ministry in rural or small-town communities.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2025. Source: Lifeway Research, Why You Shouldn’t Stay in Your Rural Church (and 3 Reasons You Should) (https://research.lifeway.com/2026/02/05/why-you-shouldnt-stay-in-your-rural-church-and-3-reasons-you-should/).
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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.