This is an excerpt from Trends in the Black Church.

The Looming Retirement Gap for Black Church Pastors

Barna has been reporting about the “greying” of American clergy for some time. As more senior pastors become truly senior and many churches struggle to create effective leadership pipelines (especially for a younger generation drifting out of the Church), a pastoral transition crisis looms.

How is this playing out in the Black Church? How are today’s Black churches laying groundwork for their futures, raising up a new generation to carry the mantle of Black Church leadership and preparing their present leadership for a smooth succession?

Leaving the Pulpit (Reluctantly)

One-third of Black Church churchgoers (32%) strongly agrees their church is doing a good job preparing for the pastor to step away or retire; if our exploration of this issue stops here, it appears churches are preparing for transition decently well. Pastors’ responses reveal more warning signs of  the retirement preparation gap in the Black Church.

At the moment, only 11 percent of Black Church pastors say they plan to retire in the next 10 years. Retirement plans begin to surface—though still only for one-quarter—among pastors who have been in ministry for 20+ years (25% vs. 6% of pastors with shorter ministry tenures). Still, less than half of Black Church leaders over the age of 60 plan to retire in the next 10 years (44%). One in 10 of these elder leaders admits they don’t have a plan in place, and about one in three intends to continue to pastor.

When we split the data into two groups, comparing those who are under age 50 to those at least 50 years old, the percentage of pastors who say they plan to stay at their post or that they simply don’t know what the next decade holds is statistically the same between the two groups. It’s clear pastors feel committed for the long haul: 78 percent say it’s time for a leader to step down and hand over responsibilities only when they are unable to perform their duties due to age, illness or death; young and old leaders alike share this opinion.

Overall, about four in 10 Black church pastors say their churches (43%) do not have a plan or process in place for a senior pastor succession (and in this study, pastors had to identify as “senior pastors,” so we can assume they are referring to their own transition).

In the 53 percent of churches with some degree of a plan in place, only 13 percent of pastors say their church is very prepared for a leadership transition. Senior leaders with longer ministry tenures are no more likely to say their church is very prepared for this transition. Similarly, and worryingly, congregants who have been at their church longer (10 or more years) are less likely to agree strongly their church is doing a good job preparing for their pastor’s departure (28% vs. 39% of attendees who have been in a church less than 10 years). This is true despite pastors selecting multiple strategies for congregational involvement in transition plans, including open communication (29%), inviting the congregation or a committee to help select candidates (27%) and providing space to ask questions (27%).

Of those who have either a general or a specific plan in place, few (22%) have candidates presently identified for the role. Fourteen percent indicate the role will go to a relative of a current pastoral staff member. Pastors in suburban congregations are both more likely to say they will pass the pulpit to someone in the family (32% vs. 6% urban) and more likely to have a candidate presently identified (45%). In urban church environments, there is a notable dearth of candidates (7%).

Empowering Young Leaders

Though there are challenges in preparing current leaders to leave the pulpit, there is still enthusiasm and perceived opportunity for potential leaders.

Almost nine in 10 Black Church churchgoers (88%) say their church empowers young people to become leaders (51% agree strongly, 37% agree somewhat). A similar majority (81%) feels there is a clear training pathway at their place of worship (42% agree strongly, 39% agree somewhat)—notably higher confidence than when asked about their present leader’s future plans.

Perceptions of a church’s leadership pipeline remain consistent regardless of a congregant’s gender, age or marital status.

Larger (500 congregants or more) or younger (established within the last 25 years) church environments are more likely to be those with clear support and development of new or young leaders. Larger churches likely enjoy more resources (of staffing, money and expertise) to create such opportunities, while younger churches may in turn have younger congregants to develop and could be more forward-thinking in their approach.

Commitment to a church also correlates with seeing more opportunities for young people (58% of practicing Christian Black Church churchgoers vs. 39% of Black Church churchgoers who don’t regularly practice their faith), perhaps a byproduct of greater awareness or more church-based relationships and involvement among frequent attendees.