What About Pastors
A new study by The Barna Group among a nationwide sample of Protestant pastors contains many useful insights about how pastors think of themselves and the churches they lead.
1. Like other adults, many pastors struggle with personal relationship. A majority of pastors (61%) admit that they “have few close friends.” And one in every five contends that he or she is currently “dealing with a very difficult family situation.”
2. Most pastors are supremely confident in their abilities to teach, make disciples and lead. Ninety-eight percent of pastors express the greatest degree of confidence in their capability as an “effective Bible teacher.” More than nine out of every 10 pastors also feel that they are “effective leaders” and are “driven by a clear sense of vision.” More than eight out of 10 claim to be “effective disciple makers.”
3. Many pastors depict their personalities as shy and introverted. One-quarter of the nation’s senior pastors describe themselves as introverts, which is the same proportion as in the adult population.
4. Risk-taking drops off among pastors after 20-plus years in ministry. Taking appropriate and calculated risks is an important competency among leaders and most pastors consider themselves to be “risk-takers,” but, it seems, the risk-taking particularly drops off for pastors who have stayed at the same church for more than 20 years.
5. Despite portrayals of pastors being single-minded in their focus on ministry, most pastors feel they lead a balanced life. Most pastors say they try hard to stay healthy and that they have a wide range of interests. Like most adults, pastors have difficulty putting good intentions into practice.
6. The age of the pastor often influences self-perceptions. It seems, according to Barna, as if both generational distinctions and life experiences affect how pastors think of themselves.
A complete view of the study can be found at barna.com