Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their churches. And...

• Seventy percent of pastors constantly fight depression.
• Seventy percent said the only time they spend studying the Word is when they are preparing their sermons.
• Eighty percent of pastors' spouses feel their spouse is overworked.
• The majority of pastor's wives surveyed said that the most destructive event that has occurred in their marriage and family was the day they entered the ministry.
  
  • "Death by Ministry", Mark Driscoll's Blog, Resurgence.com
  • The Journey in St. Louis, Pastor Darrin Patrick
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A new survey shows what pastors nationwide would do if their church received an unexpected financial windfall.
According to a survey conducted by Ellison Research, 31% of the more than 500 Protestant pastors surveyed said they'd build, expand, or update their church's buildings and facilities. That preference is even more pronounced among Southern Baptist pastors, 43% of whom say they'd spend the unexpected financial boon on facilities.

In a companion survey of almost 1,200 Protestant lay people, the top 3 priorities for spending a windfall would be  paying off debt (18%),  increasing social programs (18%), and building, expanding, or updating church facilities (17%).

"More than half of all members of churches in America will meet their Savior face to face without ever having shared Christ with anyone," Thom Rainer  says. "On the leadership issue, 53% of pastors have not shared Christ, by their own admission, in the last 6 months."  Rainer admits he may be oversimplifying things, but offers this observation: "It seems to me, when someone [asks]: 'What's wrong with the evangelistic health of our churches?' — I can give a simple response: We're not doing it.

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• Research results were released in the May/June edition of Facts and Trends magazine that show the spending priorities of clergy and the people in the pews don’t always match.
• 31% of ministers state that their top priority is to build, expand, or update their church’s buildings and facilities.
  • Next is increasing community evangelism activities (16 percent)
  • Paying off debt (12 percent)
  • Adding staff (10 percent)
• Among laity, three priorities are tied for the top position:
  • paying off debt (18 percent)
• • increasing social programs, such as helping with homelessness or education (18 percent)
  • building, expanding, or updating church facilities (17 percent)