Church conflict during COVID-19 growing worry for pastors, says LifeWay Research

Church conflict is a growing pressure point for pastors during the coronavirus pandemic, a new report shows.

The report, based on a July survey by LifeWay Research, found that 27% (as opposed to only 8% in an April survey) of evangelical and mainline pastors cited maintaining unity and addressing conflict and complaints when asked about the pressure points they are feeling most.

“Shutting everything down was a whole lot less complicated than the debates over how to reopen,” said Trevin Wax, a senior vice president at LifeWay Christian Resources, an arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. “There’s a sense in which the pastor, in trying to care for the congregation, feels beat up right now.”

The second-most-cited “pressure point” was pastoring at a distance, with 17% mentioning it. Thirteen percent cited safety and well-being of their members and 12% mentioned personal exhaustion and isolation.

The survey findings are based on online responses from 443 evangelical and mainline Protestant pastors surveyed online between July 20 and 22. The survey’s overall margin of error is plus or minus 5 percentage points. (RNS)