New research indicates pastors feel more isolated and lonelier than in recent years. According to the Barna Group, a group of pastors reported they were feeling more left out of their church community, even while supporting that same group of people.
In 2022, 65 percent of pastors reported feeling isolated or lonely, and that number is up from 42 percent in 2015. Barna also asked pastors if they felt supported by people close to them. In 2015, 68 percent said “yes,” but in 2022, that number decreased to 49 percent. They also found that only 35 percent of pastors get monthly spiritual support from a network of peers or a mentor.
Barna senior fellow and pastor Dr. Glenn Packiam said, “These relationships do not flourish by accident. They require attention and intentionality. Life is too full of the demands of ministry, the chaos of kids’ activities, and the many unpredictable events for us to just hope that meaningful connection will just happen.”
He continued, “Anything worth having is worth pursuing. The chase for deep friendships and intimate relationships is a lifelong quest. But it can begin today. If we really want to last in ministry, if we want to emerge from this as truly and fully human beings, then we must take seriously the human vocation of loving well.” But as CBN News has reported, pastors are not only facing loneliness but also burnt out.
According to Lifeway Research’s 2022 Greatest Needs of Pastors study, 75 percent of pastors say they are incredibly stressed, and 90 percent report they work between 55-75 hours per week.
Pastor Joshua Smith of Light Elk Grove Church in Elk Grove, California, recently told CBN’s “Prayer Link” that pastors need to recharge. “We need to be wise with God’s calling on our life, steward it, and make sure it doesn’t crush us,” he explained. “We know God’s burden is light, but we also need to pray for a spirit of wisdom, so we can delegate some of those tasks that God has not called us to.”
Smith says pastors can’t deny their need for rest because pouring from an empty cup is harmful. “You and I need to know what grace we walk in so we are not carrying a burden that we are not designed to carry,” he shared. “We also need to be okay with being human and being vulnerable. We need rest. We need to recharge.”
In his book, “The Resilient Pastor,” Packiam aims to let church leaders know they are not alone and that asking for help is okay. He shared, “Pastors who are bucking the trend toward burnout tend to portray a strong connection with others around them, a flourishing connection with God, and a sense of optimism about the future of the church. They are energized by their jobs, feel well supported by the people in their lives, and are generally satisfied with their mental, emotional, and spiritual health.”