Political divisions in church can drive pastors to burnout, poll shows

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A new study by conservative Christian polling group Bana reveals that many pastors are so stressed out by political divisions and excessive identification with political parties in their congregations that they have considered leaving the ministry over it, the Christian Post (CP) reports.

Conducting its survey in September this year, the Barna Research Group found that 56 percent of pastors cited “the immense stress of the job” as a principal cause of burnout, ” CP reports. Of those pastors who cited stress as a main cause of burnout, 38 percent said, “current political divisions” were a factor in driving them to consider leaving the ministry, CP reports.

Among those pastors who cited stress as a cause of burnout, 66 percent of mainline Protestant pastors and 53 percent of non-mainline pastors believe “Christians are more loyal to their political views than their faith,” CP said.

Forty-seven percent of mainline Protestant pastors said, “Christians’ political partisanship reflects poorly on the church,” compared to 42 percent of non-mainline pastors, CP reports.

Moreover, 39 percent of mainline pastors said the church was “too aligned with Christian nationalism,” compared to 26 percent of non-mainline pastors.

A further 29 percent of mainline pastors and 19 percent of non-mainline pastors said the church is “too aligned with political conservatism.” Only 8 percent of mainline and 4 percent of non-mainline pastors (4%) said “the church is too aligned with political liberalism,” CP reports.

Lift this up in Prayer

15

people are currently praying.

Latest Worthy News

Fair Use Notice:This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Books by George Whitten

The Eternal Kingdom Revealed https://eternalkingdomrevealed.com

The Eternal Kingdom Revealed traces the Kingdom of God as the central story of Scripture, from before creation to the restoration of all things.

Buy on Amazon

The Biblical Fall Feasts Revealed https://biblicalfallfeasts.com

An in-depth look at the Biblical fall feasts and their prophetic significance for believers today.

Buy on Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.