Being in a position of leadership at church can be isolating at times. For a pastor especially, it can be challenging to engage in genuine friendships with church members who attend small groups or Sunday services.

Barna recently completed a study on the health of pastors’ relationships, and fortunately, pastors fared better than expected in the friendship department. Two-thirds of pastors report they’re happy with their friendships, saying they’re either excellent (34 percent) or good (33 percent). This compares to a national average of 28 percent who report satisfaction in friendships.

Barna did find a correlation, however, between pastors with low friendship satisfaction and higher likelihood for vocational burnout. According to Barna, “the correlations between higher friendship satisfaction and lower overall risk make a compelling case for the necessity of genuine friendships among pastors.”

For more information on The State of Pastors report, listen to the Influence Podcast. Or, better yet — listen to the podcast and discuss it over coffee with a friend.