It’s particularly disturbing to see how much pastors are struggling with emotional pain, family problems, loving well, and moral failures:
- 70% of pastors say they have a lower self-esteem now than when they entered ministry
- 70% constantly fight depression
- 50% feel so discouraged that they would leave their ministry if they could, but can’t find another job
- 80% believe their pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families and 33% said it was an outright hazard
- 80% of ministry spouses feel left out and unappreciated in their church
- 77% feel they do not have a good marriage
- 41% display anger problems in marriage (reported by the spouse)
- 38% are divorced or divorcing
- 50% admit to using pornography and 37% report inappropriate sexual behavior with someone in the church
- 65% feel their family is in a glass house
For more on this topic please visit https://www.soulshepherding.org/pastors-under-stress/
