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“Jesus wasn't about religion, in fact he reserved his anger for organised religion and challenged, ignored or subverted religious practices. He didn't teach the non-religious about religion, or expect them to become 'religious'. If anyone has to become religious to follow Jesus they've missed the point, so talk of the relationship between church and state is missing the point too. It really is debateable whether Jesus wanted a Church. In fact, Jesus was a humanist. We should be humanists too. If we can allow that Jesus was not religious and urged us not to get stuck in religion, then we should be open to the secular, everything that is not explicitly religious, and be comfortable with it.”

"WHY PASTORS LEAVE THE MINISTRY

by Fuller Institute, George Barna and Pastoral Care Inc.

* 1,500 clergy leaving pastoral ministry each month. - The Barna Research Group
* 61% of congregations have forced a pastor to leave. - Christianity Today
* 83% of clergy spouses want their spouse to leave pastoral ministry. - Hartford Institute for Religious Research
* 90% of clergy in all denominations will not stay in ministry long enough to reach the age of retirement. - U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics
* 50% of pastors indicated  that they would leave the ministry if they had another way of making a living. - Hartford Institute for Religious Research
* 90% of the pastors report working between 55 to 75 hours per week.
* 80% believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families. Many pastor's children do not attend church now because of what the church has done to their parents.
* 33% state that being in the ministry is an outright hazard to their family.
* 75% report significant stress-related crisis at least once in their ministry.
* 90% feel they are inadequately trained to cope with the ministry demands.
* 50% feel unable to meet the demands of the job.
* 70% say they have a lower self-image now than when they first started.
* 70% do not have someone they consider a close friend.
* 40% report serious conflict with a parishioner at least once a month.
* 33% confess having involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with someone in the church .
* 50% have considered leaving the ministry in the last month.
* 50% of the ministers starting out will not last 5 years.
* 1 out of every 10 ministers will actually retire as a minister in some form.
* 94% of clergy families feel the pressures of the pastor's ministry.
* 66% of church members expect a minister and family to live at a higher moral standard than themselves.
* Moral values of a Christian is no different than those who consider themselves as non-Christians.
* The average American will tell 23 lies a day.
* The profession of "Pastor" is near the bottom of a survey of the most-respected professions, just above "car salesman".
* Over 4,000 churches closed in America last year.
* Over 1,700 pastors left the ministry every month last year.
* Over 1,300 pastors were terminated by the local church each month , many without  cause.
* Over 3,500 people a day left the church last year.
* Many denominations report an "empty pulpit crisis". They cannot find ministers willing to fill positions.

#1 reason pastors leave the ministry - Church people are not willing to go the same direction and goal of the pastor. Pastor's believe God wants them to go in one direction but the people are not willing to follow or change.

Statistics provided by:  The Fuller Institute, George Barna, and Pastoral Care Inc."

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