The health of a pastor greatly influences the health of a congregation, amplifying the importance of pastoral flourishing. Today’s pastors are balancing the demands of spiritual leadership, church management, relational acumen and personal wholeness, among a host of other responsibilities. So, how are they doing?

All things considered, today’s pastors are faring well. Based on Barna’s dimensions of flourishing, their combined flourishing score exceeds the U.S. adult population (76 vs. 71, when scored out of 100). This overall score, however, masks a more complex reality. (See an explanation of Barna’s dimensions of flourishing at the bottom of this page under “About the Research.”)

Looking at specific categories, we see that pastors’ flourishing scores fluctuate, sometimes significantly higher—or lower—than the flourishing of the general population and the practicing Christians they shepherd.

The Bright Spots

Faith: As one might expect, pastors report being strong in their faith. This type of flourishing—based on two items measuring the priority one places on following Jesus and the Bible—outpaces the general population by a wide margin (28 points). Pastors’ faith score is on par, however, with practicing Christians (91 vs. 92).