Why pastors consider quitting
Percent of pastors, by whether they considered leaving, March 2022 (in percent)
Key finding
Loneliness is more than twice as common among pastors thinking of leaving.
- Stress of the job: 56%
- Lonely and isolated: 43%
- Political divisions: 38%
Source: Barna Group, Pastors Share Top Reasons They've Considered Quitting · n=510 Protestant senior pastors, March 10-16, 2022. Published Apr 27, 2022.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Loneliness is more than twice as common among pastors thinking of leaving. Stress of the job: 56%. Lonely and isolated: 43%. Political divisions: 38%.
Who published this data?
Barna Group, 2025. Source: Barna Group, Pastors Share Top Reasons They've Considered Quitting (https://www.barna.com/research/pastors-quitting-ministry/).
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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.