Over 80% of pastors in the United States have contemplated stepping away from pastoral ministry at some point during the last five years, with problems surrounding church culture emerging as a leading factor, according to a new survey.
The Culture Resurrection Index (CRI), commissioned by Virginia pastor and leadership coach Jared Fabac, surveyed 1,000 pastors about some of the challenges they face in church leadership.
It found that more than four in five (82%) respondents had thought about ending their pastoral ministry in the past five years.
Among those who had considered leaving, 74% identified culture as the most significant factor.
The findings suggest that difficulties surrounding leadership, staff relationships and organisational culture may be playing an important role in pastors questioning their future in ministry.
Nearly two-thirds (63%) said they had never received training in how to give difficult feedback effectively, while over three quarters (77%) said they would have valued more training in how leaders can model and develop a healthy culture within their churches.
Fabac, lead pastor of One City Church in Virginia Beach, said pastors can find themselves responsible for managing difficult organisational and interpersonal situations without having been adequately prepared for them.
He said: “Pastors aren’t leaving because they lost their faith. They’re leaving because no one taught them how to lead a broken staff, run a hard meeting, or model a healthy culture. Seminary trains the sermon. It rarely trains the system.”
The findings come amid wider concern about burnout, conflict and declining wellbeing among clergy.
Research from Barna Group published last month found that 52% of US Protestant senior pastors said their mental and physical health was an area in which they most needed support.
While pastoral exhaustion has improved from pandemic-era lows, the proportion describing themselves as “very satisfied” with their vocation has fallen from 72% in 2015 to 52% in early 2026.
Separate research published by Lifeway Research last year found that conflict and burnout were among the reasons given by former Protestant pastors for leaving pastoral ministry.
Of 730 former pastors surveyed, 18% identified conflict within a church and 16% said burnout, although the most common reason was a change in calling, cited by 40%.
Similar pressures have also been identified among clergy in England.
The Church of England’s long-running Living Ministry research found persistent concerns around burnout, isolation, low morale and financial pressures.
In its most recent survey, 40% of clergy reported experiencing isolation in their ministry, while almost three in 10 recorded symptoms indicating possible or probable depression.
The Church of England research suggested that the nature and organisation of ministry itself can contribute to burnout, with administrative burdens, parish finances and responsibility for church buildings among recurring sources of stress.
Despite these pressures, its findings also showed that many clergy continue to find a strong sense of purpose in their work, with 72% believed they were living out their calling through their ministry
