U.S. Protestant pastors wish they had more preparation in handing conflict, according to a Barna Group report published April 19.
Respondents were asked, “Of the following, if any, which are areas of ministry that you wish you had been better prepared for?” A plurality (40%) said handling conflict, the same amount as in 2020.
“The importance of delegation and training people” was the second most common response at 37% (down four points from 2020), with “balancing ministry and administration” (35%; down three points), “administrative burden” (33%; up one point) and “church politics” (29%; down seven points) rounding out the top five areas of challenges.
A majority (60%) of respondents said “preaching and teaching” was the area of ministry they enjoyed most, followed by “discipling believers” (8%), “practical pastoral care, such as visiting the sick or elderly” (7%), “developing leaders” (7%), “emotional or spiritual pastoral care, such as counseling” (6%), “organizing church events, meetings or ministries” (4%) and “evangelizing or sharing the gospel” (3%).
“Younger pastors more often than their older colleagues wish they had better preparation to handle issues like conflict (47% of pastors under 45 vs. 37% of pastors 45+), crisis management (32% vs. 15%) and leadership demands (29% vs. 17%),” the report said. “In short, the next generation of pastors says they feel unprepared for some of the biggest challenges facing the modern church.”
The full report is available here.
Managing editor for news and opinion at Good Faith Media.
