Study: 1,300-plus dismissed from Baptist church staffs in 2005

The general inability to “get along” is again at the root of the top five reasons staff members in Southern Baptist churches are terminated from their positions, according to a study by LifeWay Christian Resources’ department of pastoral ministries.

Relational issues top the list for the 10th consecutive year, according to Bob Sheffield, a pastoral ministries specialist. The top five are: control issues (who’s going to run the church), poor people-skills, churches’ resistance to change, pastor’s leadership style being too strong, and churches already in conflict when the pastor arrived.

“The interesting thing since we began doing this study in 1996 is that the top five have been the top five every year,” Sheffield said. “The only difference is in their order from year to year. We consistently see the inability to develop and maintain healthy relationships within the church as the reason for dismissals.”

The study is compiled in cooperation with Baptist state convention church ministry relations teams and directors of missions, and Sheffield tabulates the data. Twenty-nine conventions participated this year, marking the highest total in the study’s 10-year history.

At least 1,302 staff members were dismissed in 2005: 314 bivocational, 655 full-time pastors and 333 full-time staff, the study found. Totals for full-time pastors and staff represent the highest totals during the 10 years, but Sheffield said the numbers could be slightly skewed because the highest number of conventions reporting in any one year in the past was 26.

“The other thing to consider is that this just represents the best data we can gather on forced terminations,” he said. “It doesn’t include those who were pressured out.”

Sheffield said that a pastor’s administrative incompetence (No. 8) and sexual misconduct (No. 9) cracked the top 10 for the first time, and ethical misconduct (mismanaged monies, dishonesty, etc.) made it into the top 20 for the first time at No. 11.

“Most people would probably think that ethical issues or sexual misconduct would have been one of the leading reasons for dismissals,” Sheffield said. “Although I am glad they are not, I am disappointed to see sexual misconduct creeping higher on the list, and ethical issues making the top 20. Let’s face it, this is not an uplifting list to begin with, but I’d love to see those numbers decline.”

Another first in the top 20 is disagreement over doctrine (No. 12).

“It is difficult to know exactly what that means from the way the question is asked on the survey,” Sheffield said, “so I won’t begin to speculate about what that means, but it has never been this big of an issue before.”

The Oct. 2 edition of “Inside LifeWay,” a news and information podcast produced by LifeWay Christian Resources’ corporate communications department, features a conversation with Sheffield and Barney Self, a counselor who manages LifeWay’s LeaderCare Helpline. “Inside LifeWay” is available as a streaming audio file or mp3 download at www.lifeway.com/insidelifeway.