A Look at Clerical Burnout

Articles on "pastoral burnout" are easy to find lately, mostly because of the added burden on pastors trying to shepherd their congregations through a pandemic. The Barna Group, a leading research organization focused on the intersection of faith and culture, conducted a survey showing that almost 40% of pastors in America had thought about leaving the ministry in 2021. This is an increase of 9% over 2020 with younger pastors especially likely to feel like quitting. Even high-profile pastors in good standing have resigned. A quarter of pastors were concerned about their physical and mental (and spiritual) health. Most felt like the end of the pandemic would not be the relief some expect.