Years senior pastors worked in non-ministry jobs before becoming a senior pastor
Percent of U.S. Protestant senior pastors, 2024 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: 5 years or less (34%). Lowest: 21-25 years (7%).
- 5 years or less: 34%
- 6-10 years: 24%
- 11-15 years: 10%
Source: Lifeway Research, Most Pastors Have Limited Non-Ministry Work Experience · Phone survey of 1,004 U.S. Protestant pastors, 95% confidence, sampling error plus or minus 3.2%. Article published 2024-08-06.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: 5 years or less (34%). Lowest: 21-25 years (7%). 5 years or less: 34%. 6-10 years: 24%. 11-15 years: 10%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2024. Source: Lifeway Research, Most Pastors Have Limited Non-Ministry Work Experience (https://research.lifeway.com/2024/08/06/most-pastors-have-limited-non-ministry-work-experience/).
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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.