Barna's Joe Jensen on the Mental Health Crisis Facing Pastors

Barna research showing that nearly one in five pastors has considered self-harm or suicide in the past year should compel the church to take seriously the daily support pastors need, says a former pastor and researcher. That survey showed that 18 percent of Protestant senior pastors said they had contemplated self-harm or suicide within the past year -- driven partially by a loneliness epidemic that is often hidden behind the pulpit. Nearly half (47 percent) of pastors say they feel lonely or isolated, Barna found.

"It's a staggering and sobering statistic," Joe Jensen, former pastor and a senior vice president at Barna, told Crosswalk Headlines.

The well-being of pastors is receiving renewed attention in May as the nation observes Mental Health Awareness Month. The survey included a bit of good news: Of the 18 percent, the large majority of pastors said such thoughts were fleeting or isolated. Even so, the findings underscore a deep need that often goes unnoticed.

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