Clergy in America
DESCRIPTION: The National Survey of Religious Leaders (NSRL), conducted 2019-20 by Duke University with NORC at the University of Chicago, surveys 1,600 U.S. congregational leaders (70% response for primaries), focusing on demographics (median age 59, up from 52 in 2001; 66% white non-Hispanic, 26% Black), gender (17% women, concentrated in mainline Protestant at 32%), health (clergy match national obesity/depression rates; 97% work satisfaction), theology (mainline less orthodox, e.g., 68% certain God exists; more ecumenical, supportive of women/LGBTQ+ leadership; less daily prayer), mental illness (42% approached for help; 72% self-educated, 90% refer to professionals; medical + religious views of depression dominant), end-of-life (mainline/Catholic favor palliative over miracles), climate skepticism (22% evangelicals), politics (70% cue-giving, mainline politically mismatched), and challenges (declining commitment tops list). Also linked below is the journal article introducing the study, offering additional background on methods, process, and lessons learned. Principal investigator and NSRL director, Mark Chaves (Duke University Divinity School), facilitated a webinar in May 2025 for ATS member schools: Watch the replay | View the slides
KEYWORDS: open access / free access; Black Protestant; Catholic priests; clergy demographics; congregational challenges; Evangelical Protestant; Mainline Protestant; mental health of clergy; National Survey of Religious Leaders (NSRL); quantitative research; research report
CITATIONS:
INTRO ARTICLE: Chaves, Mark, Joseph Roso, and Anna Holleman. 2022. "The National Survey of Religious Leaders: Background, Methods, and Lessons Learned in the Research Process." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 61 (3–4): 737–49. https://doi.org/10.1111/jssr.12803.
STUDY REPORT: Chaves, Mark, Anna Holleman, and Joseph Roso. 2025. Clergy in America. National Survey of Religious Leaders. Duke University, Department of Sociology. https://www.nationalsurveyreligiousleaders.org.
ATS WEBINAR: Chaves, Mark. 2025. "Clergy in America: Key Insights from the National Survey of Religious Leaders." Webinar, Association of Theological Schools, May 22. https://www.ats.edu/Student-Data#:~:text=Recent%20Webinars.
