Younger pastors' areas where they say they need to invest more
Percent of pastors under 44 who say they need to invest or focus more, 2025 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Intentional friendships (79%). Lowest: Confessing and repenting of personal sin (69%).
- Intentional friendships: 79%
- Bible reading: 75%
- Friendships with other pastors: 73%
Source: Lifeway Research, Who Will Disciple Pastors? · Lifeway Research Greatest Needs of Pastors Study. Article published 2025-10-13.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Intentional friendships (79%). Lowest: Confessing and repenting of personal sin (69%). Intentional friendships: 79%. Bible reading: 75%. Friendships with other pastors: 73%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2025. Source: Lifeway Research, Who Will Disciple Pastors? (https://research.lifeway.com/2025/10/13/who-will-disciple-pastors/).
Where can I get the full data and a citation?
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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.