Around 58% of Protestant church leaders in the US have worked for 10 years or less in secular jobs before becoming pastors, according to a Lifeway Research survey. It found that a third of them had spent less than five years in non-ministry occupations and that most pastors entered the ministry in their early 30s.
The other 42% of respondents said they had worked more than 10 years in non-ministry employment before becoming pastors, including 15% who had worked more than 25-years in secular employment.
Most senior pastors didn’t step immediately into a lead pastor role as their first ministry position. Seven in 10 started somewhere else in the church. On average senior pastors held 1.7 other ministry roles before their current position as a senior pastor.
Many had previously served as a youth or student minister (44%) or an assistant or associate pastor (42%). Fewer said they had worked as a children’s minister (16%) or another church ministry position (18%). Just under a third said they had no previous ministry positions before becoming a senior pastor.
Executive director of Lifeway Research, Scott McConnell, observed that: Ministry skills are typically developed in more junior positions at a church, but some senior pastors learn on the job.”
But he added that: “Years of work experience in non-ministry roles can help pastors relate to the experiences of those in their congregations and to develop relationships with people outside their churches. Leading, teaching, equipping, and caring for people are skills all ministers utilise. So, regardless of the age or specific ministry within the church there are opportunities to develop skills senior pastors need.”
The Christian Post reports the survey results follow in the wake of other studies that have indicated that many clergy in the US are dissatisfied with their profession. In March 2023, the Barna Group released a report finding that just 52% of respondents described themselves as “very satisfied with their vocation as a pastor.” This marked a 20-point decline from 2015, when 72% reported the same.
The Barna study also found that 66% of pastors under the age of 45 had experienced a period where they “significantly doubted” their calling, while 51% of older pastors also reported doubting their calling.
