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Why So Many Pastors Are Quitting — Take It from Me, I’m a Pastor

When sheep exhaust and discourage their shepherds

Brian Tubbs
7 min readJan 31, 2025
Photo by Melyna Valle on Unsplash

There is a crisis among churches today that not enough people are talking about: Pastors are leaving the ministry in droves. Many more would do so if they could.

In some cases, their departure is necessary. The news is full of stories about abusive or corrupt pastors. When such pastors leave the ministry, good riddance, I say.

But in many cases (I’m inclined to say most), pastors aren’t leaving because they are corrupt (although no pastor is perfect), pastors are leaving because the congregations they serve often make their lives very stressful and excruciatingly difficult.

Here on Medium, I normally defend Christians. But I’ve been a full-time pastor since 2006. I’ve been in full-time ministry since 2002. I served as a volunteer in church before that. I’ve practically grown up in church. I’ve got lots of church experience. And so…

I’ll be the first to admit that churchgoing Christians can be quite obnoxious and hurtful. It shouldn’t be that way, but it is. And it’s driving many pastors out of ministry.

In recent years, a significant number of pastors have considered leaving full-time ministry. A 2022 Barna Group study revealed…

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Brian Tubbs
Brian Tubbs

Written by Brian Tubbs

Sharing thoughts and insights about faith, history, and personal growth. Hoping to inspire more faith, hope, and love in a world that needs it.

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