Women Pastors Study

Women have made substantial gains in the pulpits of Protestant churches. A new study by the Barna Group finds the number of female pastors has doubled since 1999. About 10% of pastors in Protestant churches are now women. Most are in mainline churches. Most are about 55 years old. That’s up from 50 years of age just a decade ago. The average age of male pastors has rises as well, from 48 to 52. 77% of women pastors have
a seminary degree compared with only 63% of male pastors. The average salary for women is $45,300 while male pastors make about $48,600. That’s 21% higher for men than a decade ago and 30% higher for women than a decade ago. Churches led by men typically have about 103 in attendance on Sunday mornings. For women pastors, the number is closer to 81.

Another finding by Barna: The median number of adults attending Protestant church services in 1999 was 108. In 2009, that average had dropped to 101.