Why pastors left their last church
Percent of evangelical and Black Protestant pastors who pastored a different church before, 2021 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Took it as far as they could (47%). Lowest: Asked to leave (10%).
- Took it as far as they could: 47%
- Family needed a change: 33%
- Conflict in the church: 25%
Source: Lifeway Research, Few Pastors Left the Pulpit Despite Increased Pressure · Lifeway Research mixed mode survey of 1,576 evangelical and Black Protestant pastors. Article published 2021-10-25.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Took it as far as they could (47%). Lowest: Asked to leave (10%). Took it as far as they could: 47%. Family needed a change: 33%. Conflict in the church: 25%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2021. Source: Lifeway Research, Few Pastors Left the Pulpit Despite Increased Pressure (https://research.lifeway.com/2021/10/25/few-pastors-left-the-pulpit-despite-increased-pressure/).
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- Greatest needs pastors say they need to address Lifeway Research, 2022
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.