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Honour Your Pastor

We are blessed to have so many incredible pastors in the Ottawa-area who believe in church unity and who desire to see families and individuals across our city live out the Kingdom of God. But let's not ignore the fact that they are still human: they still get tired, feel discouraged, and need to be held up by their community. How are you making an effort to honour your pastor this October for Pastor Appreciation Month?

Read more for some shocking statistics about pastors...

In the April 2008 edition of Willow Magazine, Christian researcher George Barna and his team published some staggering statistics that peeled back the veil of the minds and hearts of many pastors. It asked them to honestly and objectively answer questions dealing with many of the toughest issues that they face.
As you read each statistic, allow yourself the freedom to think about your own pastor or anyone in your life that you know who may have affected your life in some way, big or small, by remaining faithful to the ministry to which God has called them to. In fact, maybe for the first time ever, put yourself in their place as you read what they have revealed. You might just find the following data hitting uncomfortably close to home:

According to a Barna study, which asked pastors to answer honestly, reveals that:
• 1500 pastors leave the ministry every month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or conflict in their church.
• 90% of pastors work more than 46 hours per week.
• 81% suffer marriage problems due to insufficient time with their wives.
• 80% of seminary and Bible college graduates will leave ministry within the first 5 years;
• 80% of pastors believe their ministry affected their families negatively;
• 70% of pastors don’t have someone whom they consider a close friend – someone they can confide in.
• 60% of pastors’ wives hold full-time jobs or are involved in careers to meet family needs.
• 50% of pastors would leave if they believed they could make a living doing something else.
• 33% believed ministry was a hazard to their family.

Click here to sign up for the October CHRI eMagazine for ways to honour your Pastor this month and beyond.

Suggest ways we can honour and bless our pastors. Leave a comment below!

If you serve as a pastor or church leader, THANK YOU for your commitment and servanthood. We appreciate you!

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