The proportion of U.S. pastors who say they have seriously considered leaving ministry has dropped sharply since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research from Barna Research.
Drawing on its 2025 State of the Church study produced in partnership with Gloo, Barna reports a steady decline since 2022 in the share of pastors contemplating resignation, falling to 24% in 2025.
“[Some] 24 percent of U.S. senior Protestant pastors say they have seriously considered leaving full-time ministry within the past year — a decline from the peak levels recorded during the height of the pandemic era,” Barna stated, citing results from a December 2025 survey of more than 410 Protestant senior pastors.
Survey participants were asked, “Have you given real, serious consideration to quitting being in full-time ministry within the last year?” While nearly one in four answered yes in December 2025, that figure represents a substantial decrease from March 2022, when 42% of 510 pastors surveyed said they had considered leaving.
Barna researchers noted that although the pandemic significantly shaped pastoral stress and dissatisfaction, it was not the sole factor influencing the downward trend.
“As churches stabilize, many pastors report recalibrating expectations — gaining greater clarity around what is sustainable and where boundaries are necessary. Congregations are also rediscovering rhythms of worship and community that were disrupted for years, reducing the constant sense of emergency leadership,” the researchers explained.
Earlier Barna research from 2022 found that among pastors who had considered quitting in the previous year, 56% cited “the immense stress of the job” as a major reason. In addition, 43% said, “I feel lonely and isolated,” while 38% pointed to “current political divisions” as a factor pushing them toward leaving ministry.
Nearly three in 10 pastors (29%) also reported contemplating resignation because they felt pessimistic about their church’s future, were dissatisfied with the toll ministry took on their family, or had a vision for the church that conflicted with congregational direction. Another 24% said they considered quitting because their church was in steady decline.
In assessing the latest data, Barna cautioned that the reduced percentage of pastors considering departure does not mean the pressures of ministry have disappeared.
“A meaningful minority of leaders still feel close to the edge, and younger pastors in particular remain vulnerable to burnout. But the shift matters,” the researchers concluded.
