Pastors Struggle with Depression, Anxiety, and Alcohol Use at Alarming Rates

It’s a long running joke that pastors don’t really work, but two days a week. Being married to a minister, I must say that nothing could be farther from the truth. Most pastors are on call 24/7 and are asked to help in a vast array of circumstances – from holding someone’s hand while they die to rescuing cats from clandestine places.

Sadly, many ministers have few friends and often carry their personal burdens in isolation. Pastors and their wives often fear that if their congregations knew of their struggles, then their jobs would be in jeopardy, so many suffer in silence. 

I recently read some disturbing facts from www.PastorBurnout.com and the New York Times (August 1, 2010).  Did you know that members of the clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension and depression at rates higher than most Americans. In the last decade, their use of antidepressants has risen, while their life expectancy has fallen, and that many would change jobs if they could?

• 13% of active pastors are divorced.
• 23% have been fired or pressured to resign at least once in their careers.
• 25% don’t know where to turn when they have a family or personal conflict or issue.
• 33% felt burned out within their first five years of ministry.
• 45% of pastors’ wives say the greatest danger to them and their family is physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual burnout.
• 45% of pastors say that they’ve experienced depression or burnout to the extent that they needed to take a leave of absence from ministry.
• 52% of pastors say they and their spouses believe that being in pastoral
• 56% of pastors’ wives say that they have no close friends.
• 70% of pastors don’t have any close friends.
• 80% of pastors say they have insufficient time with their spouse.
• 80% believe that pastoral ministry affects their families negatively.
• 90% work more than 50 hours a week.
• 94% feel under pressure to have a perfect family.
• 1,500 pastors leave their ministries each month due to burnout, conflict, or moral failure.

If those stats aren’t sad enough, doctors, lawyers and clergy have the most problems with drug abuse, alcoholism and suicide.

So why am I telling you all of this?  Because we are in a position to pray for and to support our pastors and their families. If you are guilty of slandering or gossiping about the pastor or his family – stop! They are imperfect people making imperfect progress, just like you and me. Instead of casting stones, we need to extend to them the same grace we want them to offer us. Clergy are on the frontlines of a battlefield and we need to pray for them.

My challenge for you this week is to let your pastor and his wife know how much they mean to you and find a tangible way of showing them that you appreciate them.