I have been in active ministry for over 15 years—that is, I have worked for churches for over 15 years. But I have officially been in ministry for over 25 years.
This does not include the seven years I was officially out of ministry. If you count the years I have been mentored by veteran pastors, the number would increase still. This is not to toot my ministerial horn, so to speak. It is to merely state that I have been involved in church ministry for more years of my life than not. I have seen many great things happen in churches.
But I have also seen some things that need to be corrected.
One pressing issue is the demands that we place upon pastors. According to Soul Shepherding.org, 75% of pastors feel highly stressed, 90% of pastors work between 55 and 75 hours per week, and 90% feel fatigued every week.
Even more startling, 80% of pastors will not be in ministry ten years later and only a fraction make ministry a lifelong career (Ibid). On average, seminary trained pastors only last five years in church ministry (Ibid)! The best-trained pastors do not remain in ministry on average. Could it be due to a Superman complex? Houston, we have a major problem!
