Back in 2021, Barna discovered that nearly four in 10 pastors had considered quitting full-time ministry in the past year, a number that rose even higher in 2022.

It’s been a while since we’ve reported on how pastors are faring in their roles, and the data show that some hopeful changes have taken place.

This article features data from our newest report, The State of Pastors, Volume 2—created in partnership with World Vision, Brotherhood Mutual, RightNow Media and World Impact—to offer an updated view of pastors’ confidence and security in their role.

When we began imagining a follow up to The State of Pastors report, things for pastors were looking dire.

The Church had just weathered several unprecedented challenges, and Barna research found it much worse for wear. The COVID-19 pandemic had compromised churches’ ability to gather in person, forcing many communities to adopt uncomfortable new social distancing strategies including digital gatherings. A bitter political climate put a severe strain on many communities (when it didn’t split them outright). And dwindling resources left many pastors feeling spread thin, lacking the margin to fully attend to all the needs of their congregation, let alone the time to cultivate their personal well-being.