RESOURCES

Where do you go to find good, dependable resources on caring for pastors and their families?


This website is hosted by one of the oldest pastoral care ministries in the United States called SonScape Retreats. We believe healthy churches are led by healthy pastors. You can read more about SonScape under organizations, as well as a few other pastoral care ministries that we partner with on a regular basis.


We also have included under helpful tools some other great resources that specifically address caring for your pastor.

STATISTICS

Pastoral burnout is a major crisis facing the church today. Too often we expect our pastors to be powerful preachers, sensitive counselors, successful managers, and effective fundraisers. As a result, many feel inadequate with almost 1,400 leaving ministry every month.


Consider these additional statistics from LifeWay, Focus on the Family, Fuller, and the New York Times:

  • 75% of pastors fight depression
  • 90% feel they are inadequately trained to cope with ministry demands
  • 33% state that being in the ministry is an outright hazard to their family
  • 55% of pastors feel lonely and discouraged
  • 23% of pastors have experienced a forced termination
  • only16% are very satisfied with their prayer life
  • 80% of seminary and Bible school graduates leave the ministry within 5 years