Church Statistics: Vocational Ministers

A 2004 study of the supply and demand for ministers in U.S. churches.

A 2003 paper analyzing the results of a survey of why pastors leave the ministry.

A 2005 study on the way clergy are educated, deployed, supported and rewarded and how these factors effect their career effectiveness.

A study of vocational ministers who enter the ministry as their first career versus those who enter later in life.

A 2003 study of the average salaries of ministers in U.S. churches with regard to congregation size and how the pay gap between small and large churches is a challenge to prophetic leadership.

A study of how many hours ministers spend on different tasks each week. The study groups ministers by age, denomination, church size, and the number of co-pastors.

A 2003 study that surveyed examined local church congregations and the criteria that determined who they select as their pastors.

A survey of the leadership styles used by church leaders and how pastors make decisions in relation to lay leaders.

A study of the children of vocational ministers regarding their religious development and their choices on whether to pursue vocational ministry.

A 2002 review of 6 studies of women in ministry over the course of 1982 to 1998. The studies discuss a variety of issues, such as seminary and ordination, job placement, work environments, ministry styles, and the impact of female ministers.

A 2005 study of the characteristics of Asian-American church leaders. Includes a comparison of first- and second-generation immigrants and issues encountered by female Asian-American ministers.

A 2006 study and profile of African-American congregations and ministers.

A 2005 study that surveys the landscape of leadership within Latino churches.

A 2003 study of how ministers are portrayed in the media, with attention particularly to how that changed in the wake of September 11, 2001.