Thursday, June 28, 2007

More Reasons To Choose Another Career!

Hello All,

I purposely waited to share these statistics with you until I had a very good day! Today was a good day, which likely means tomorrow might be a little rough! I'll be hoping for the best. I say that cause I do not intend this to be a "woe-is-me" entry, nor should it be a justification for anyone to take that stance. I bring these stats to your attention, in the hopes that you might pray harder for your Pastor and be more mindful of the struggles that he might be facing.

I read these statistics on Pastor Larry Taylor's blog, a man who was one of my favorite Bible College profs. I always remember him saying to us that if we could choose anything other than Pastoral work, that we should! I believe that that is what every Pastor tells someone who desires to enter into the Ministry. These are not his statistics. He got them from www.shilohplace.org. Here are a select few:

• 1,500 pastors leave the ministry permanently each month in America.

• 4,000 new churches start each year in America.

• 7,000 churches close each year in America.

• 50% of pastors’ marriages end in divorce.

• 70% of pastors continually battle depression.

• 80% of pastors and 85% of their spouses feel discouraged in their roles.

• 70% of pastors do not have a close friend, confidant, or mentor.

• 50% of pastors are so discouraged they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way to make a living.

• 80% of seminary graduates who enter ministry will leave the ministry within the first five years.

• 80% of pastors’ wives feel their husbands are overworked.

• 80% of the adult children of pastors sought professional help for depression.

• 90% of pastors said their training was inadequate for ministry.

• 85% of pastors report that their biggest problem is dealing with abstinent elders, deacons, worship leaders, worship teams, board members, and associate pastors.

• 90% of pastors said the hardest thing about ministry is uncooperative people.

• 70% of pastors are grossly underpaid.

• 90% of pastors said ministry was completely different from what they thought it would be.

• Only 70% of pastors felt called of God into ministry when they began.

• Only 50% of pastors felt called of God into ministry three years later.

• 80% of pastors’ wives feel pressured to be someone they are not and do things they are not called to do in the church.

• Over 50% of pastors’ wives feel that their husbands entering ministry was the most destructive thing to ever happen to their families.

Sort of depressing huh!? Who knows what the stories are behind these statistics and how things got so bad for the families that are represented by these numbers. All that I can say is that these struggles are very real and worth praying about.

Perhaps our prayers will help stem the tide in our Pastor's lives!

Blessings...To Our Friends,
Frank Sanchez

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