Average age of pastors increased by a decade, according to Barna study

A new study released by the Barna Group has revealed that the average age of American pastors has risen from 44 to 54 in the last 25 years.

The study, titled "The State of Pastors 2017," also indicated that just one in seven pastors that lead a congregation is under the age of 40.

During the 1960s, the majority of pastors were aged 45 and below. In 2017, most of the pastors are over 60 years old. The report suggested that the age shift is a result of evolving career expectations and difficulty in passing leadership positions on to millennial-aged pastors.

Barna president David Kinnaman described the issue of aging pastorate as "one of the most glaring challenges facing the church today," Christianity Today reported.

The research, which was conducted in partnership with Pepperdine University, involved interviews with over 14,000 pastors in over three years.

The study also revealed that today's pastors are less inclined to transfer to different congregations throughout their careers. The average church tenure in 1992 was four years, compared to over 10 years in 2017.

Finances also play a role in keeping the pastors preaching beyond the age of 60. While a majority of pastors (71 percent) have said they were confident about their retirement security, some of them are not financially prepared to retire.

The researchers also asked pastors about other issues such as their spiritual growth, their working relationship with board elders, their way of handling crises, and their assessment of the toughest challenges in pastoring in today's society.

The findings indicated that about 70 percent of pastors felt that their family relationships were excellent. Among pastors who are married with children, about 60 percent said that they have excellent family relationships.

"We find that a lot of pastors are doing pretty well, it is not to say that every pastor is doing perfectly and we have a great responsibility to listen to this data and determine how it is that we can support pastors," said Kinnaman, according to The Christian Post.

"Pastoring is exhilarating. It is also really, really hard. My dad is a lifelong pastor, Gary Kinnaman ... and I know firsthand some of the challenges and pain and opportunities, the great thrill of leading," he added.

According to the study, nine out of 10 pastors have said that they would recommend the career to younger Christians who are interested in serving in the ministry. Those who would not are likely to be less satisfied with their vocation, leaders of congregations with declining membership or pastors of color.