Pastors, church leaders dealing with tough decisions, high stress levels during pandemic
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org
FRANKLIN — Though a large number of Christians may feel their pastors and ministers have easy jobs (after all they only have to work on Sunday and Wednesdays, right?), research findings indicate the opposite is true.
In 2015 LifeWay Research revealed some of the stress pastors face:
- 84 percent say they’re on call 24 hours a day.
- 80 percent expect conflict in their church.
- 54 percent find the role of pastor frequently overwhelming.
- 53 percent are often concerned about their family’s financial security.
- 48 percent often feel the demands of ministry are more than they can handle.
- 21 percent say their church has unrealistic expectations of them.
And, that was five years before a pandemic that has turned the world upside down.
“Pastors and their families have been under increased stress since the beginning of the pandemic — as have all families,” observed Steve Holt, church services director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. [Read more…]
NASHVILLE — Almost all Americans celebrate Christmas, but most say COVID-19 will cause some changes to their usual holiday habits.
According to a recent Barna study, half of 18-year-olds in the U.S. report anxiety and fear of failure, and about 40 percent say they often feel sad or depressed. Thirty-four percent of young people say they feel lonely and isolated from others.
