Getting an accurate account of what pastors have gone through or are currently going through was more important to us than physical demographics. So, with the goal of attaining accurate information being at the forefront of our research, we decided against including questions pertaining to age or gender or whether the position the pastor had served in was paid or volunteer.
We wished to concern ourselves with getting accurate information on issues ranging from burnout and finances, to work hours and the demands on families With this objective in mind, we also chose to make our survey confidential and allow the option to answer basic demographic questions, the only exception being the initial question of whether the person filling out the survey was or was not currently serving in the role of pastor.
There were a handful of questions that, mostly regarding salary, training, and the call of ministry, required personal statements from each person surveys. Those questions and answers, at least for now, have been omitted in the following. We will update this page once that information is organized and edited for clarity.
The Survey
Of the following, which is most accurate:
I am a pastor (170 / 62%)
I am an expastor (89 / 32%)
I stepped away from the pastorate, but am now serving as pastor again (16 / 6%)
At any time during your pastorate, have you doubted your call to ministry?
Yes (165 / 60%)
No (110 / 40%)
Would you consider yourself overworked?
Yes (166 / 60%)
No (109 / 40%)
At times, do you feel unable to meet the demands of the job?
Yes (222 / 81%)
No (53 / 19%)
Do you feel there are/were unrealistic demands or unwritten expectations of you and your family?
Yes (225 / 82%)
No (50 / 18%)
Have you ever considered leaving the ministry?
Yes (234 / 85%)
No (41 / 15%)
Do you constantly fight depression?
No (146 / 53%)
Yes (129 / 47%)
Do you consider yourself lonely?
Yes (174 / 63%)
No (101 / 37%)
Would you consider yourself having experienced burnout?
Yes (212 / 77%)
No (63 / 23%)
Do you have anyone you consider a close friend or someone you can share your struggles or burdens with?
Yes (207 / 75%)
No (68 / 25%)
Have you or a family member experienced a conflict with a church member within the last month?
No (158 / 57%)
Yes (117 / 43%)
What is the size of your church?
40-200 (147 / 55%)
200-450 (41 / 15%)
400-800 (28 /10%)
Below 40 (27 /10%)
800-2000 (21 /8%)
2000+ (4 /1%)
Methodology
The ExPastors.com 2015 Pastor Survey was conducted online, between February and April 2015. We chose to host our survey on Typeform.com, a newer online-based survey and form website trusted by clients such as Airbnb, The New York Times, Red Bull, Sony Music and Adobe, to name a few. As of January 2015, Typeform boasted a total form completion rate of 59%. Our survey garnered 275 completed responses out of 620 unique views, giving us a completion rate of 44%. One hundred sixty-eight of those responses were on PCs and laptops, while 107 were completed using a smartphone or tablet device. On average, our survey took 11 minutes and 17 seconds to complete.
Of the 275 pastors who participated in our survey, 151 of them (or 55%) decided to fill out their personal information, either their name or email address or both. One hundred twenty-four pastors (or 45%) decided to remain anonymous. Additionally, 89 participants indicated that they were expastors. One hundred seventy indicated they currently held the position of pastor and another 16 said at some point they exited the ministry but now are serving as pastor again.