Leading on Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion

by Wayne Cordeiro

In H. B. London Jr.’s great work Pastors at Greater Risk, we find these startling statistics:1 • 80 percent believe that pastoral ministry affects their families negatively. • 33 percent say that being in ministry is an outright hazard to their family. • 75 percent report they’ve had a significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry. • 50 percent feel unable to meet the needs of the job. • 90 percent feel they’re inadequately trained to cope with ministry demands. • 25 percent of pastors’ wives see their husband’s work schedule as a source of conflict. • Those in ministry are equally likely to have their marriage end in divorce as general church members. • The clergy has the second highest divorce rate among all professions. • 80 percent of pastors say they have insufficient time with their spouse. • 56 percent of pastors’ wives say that they have no close friends. • 45 percent of pastors’ wives say the greatest danger to them and their family is physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual burnout. • 52 percent of pastors say they and their spouses believe that being in pastoral ministry is hazardous to their family’s well-being and health. • 45.5 percent of pastors say that they’ve experienced depression or burnout to the extent that they needed to take a leave of absence from ministry. • 70 percent do not have someone they consider a close friend.