Recent research highlighted in Barna’s The Relationships of Today’s Pastors, reveals encouraging strengths—and areas for growth—when it comes to the health of today’s pastors.

While pastors demonstrate high flourishing scores in faith, finances and vocation, our data uncovers some concerning patterns: half of all pastors receive no professional support, and their lowest flourishing scores appear in areas where human connection matters most—relationships and well-being. (Learn more about how Barna measures flourishing under “About the Research” at the bottom of this page.)

These relational foundations are what shape pastoral life; we see in the data how a pastor’s relational health directly influences their ministry effectiveness and the communities they serve. So, how can the Church better care for pastors in ways that make a meaningful impact on their personal flourishing and ministry?

Here are five insights from the research: