A recent Lifeway Research study examining the rate at which evangelical and Black Protestant pastors leave the ministry also asked pastors about the relationship between their family and their church.
Sponsored by Houston’s First Baptist Church and Richard Dockins, an occupational medicine physician concerned about pastoral attrition, the study found 90% of pastors are married. Far fewer are single and never married (3%), divorced or separated (3%) or widowed (3%).
Among married pastors, 9 in 10 (89%) say their spouse is enthusiastic about their life in ministry together.
“Overall, pastors are very positive about their family life and report that their spouse is as well,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “They are not describing a utopia — in fact, nearly half give a rating lower than strongly agree when saying their spouse is enthusiastic about their life in ministry together — but pastors are saying that in most cases, both they and their spouse are fully committed to this work despite its difficulty.”
Family time
For evangelical and Black Protestant pastors, 4 in 5 (80%) consistently put their family first when they have time conflicts, while 18% disagree and 2% aren’t sure. Pastors younger than 45 are the most likely to agree (91%), while those 65 and older are the least likely (72%).
Among married pastors, 96% believe their spouse is very satisfied with their marriage today. Few disagree (3%) or aren’t sure (1%).
Those beliefs of satisfaction may stem from pastors saying they’re prioritizing time and attention for their spouse and family. More than 4 in 5 (82%) say in the past year they prayed regularly with their spouse for each other. A similar percentage (80%) took a vacation with their family for at least a week away from church in the past year.
Many pastors are also seeking to invest in their marriage. Two in 3 (66%) planned a date night alone with their spouse at least once a month during the last year. More than 1 in 5 (22%) attended a marriage retreat or conference with their spouse. Some (7%) attended marriage counseling with their spouse.
For more information, view the complete report and visit LifewayResearch.com.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Aaron Earls and originally published by Lifeway.
