Something’s Wrong with this Picture

pastor's wife, came across this post.( original article is found at the link above)

Something’s Wrong with this Picture
August 11th, 2006
http://blog.ybmt.org/?p=130

These are the people the church is paying to disciple others into the peace and joy of God’s Kingdom?

The statistics should disturb us. For example, did you know that 1200 pastors in North America leave the ministry every month due to stress, burnout and failure? Some other troubling numbers about pastors:

97% of pastors say they were inadequately trained for the challenges they face
80% say pastoral ministry has had a negative effect on their children
70% say they constantly fight depression
70% feel underpaid
71% say they are in financial trouble
65% have thought of quitting the ministry within the last 30 days
70% say they do not have someone they consider a close friend

As quoted from this article…
http://www.gatewaycitychurch.org/html/publications/article.htm

Here’s another look at the profession of “Pastor”…
1,500 Pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their church.
4,000 new churches begin each year, but over 7,000 churches will close.
50% of Pastors’ marriages will end in divorce.
70% of Pastors constantly fight depression.
80% of Pastors and 84% of their spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as Pastors.
95% of Pastors do not regularly pray with their spouse.
70% of Pastors do not have a close friend, confidant or mentor.
50% are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way to make a living.
80% of Pastors surveyed spend less than 15 minutes a day in prayer.
70% said the only time they spend studying the Word is when they are preparing their sermons. Almost 40% polled said they had an extra-marital affair since the beginning of their ministry. 80% of Seminary and Bible school graduates who enter the ministry will leave the ministry within the first 5 years.
80% of Pastors’ spouses feel their spouse is overworked.
80% of adult children of Pastors surveyed have had to seek professional help for depression. 90% of Pastors said their Seminary or Bible school training did only a fair to poor job preparing them for ministry.
85% said their greatest problem is they are sick and tired of dealing with problem people, such as elders, deacons, worship leaders, worship teams, board members and associate Pastors.
90% said the hardest thing about ministry is dealing with uncooperative people.
70% of Pastors feel grossly underpaid.
80% of Pastors’ wives feel left out and unappreciated by the church members.
90% said the ministry was completely different than they thought it would be before they entered ministry.
70% felt God called them to Pastoral ministry before their ministry began, but after 3 years of ministry, only 50% still felt called.
80% of Pastors spouses wish their spouse would choose another profession.
80% of Pastors’ wives feel pressured to do things and be something in the church that they really are not. The majority of Pastors’ wives said that the most destructive event that has occurred in their marriage and family was the day they entered the ministry.

As quoted from this article:
http://www.ravenministries.com/FebruaryNews.htm


additions:
Some more statistics from research by Leadership Magazine, Focus on the Family and Barna Research.
Twenty-five percent of all churches have less than 50 regularly attending adults.
Half of all congregations have fewer than 100 regularly attending adults.