How Long Do Baptist Pastors Stay?

I read somewhere that the national average is about 18 months for pastors to stay. That probably includes other denominations besides Baptist, though.

 

LifeWay Research has a study showing the average pastor overall stays in one church 3.6 years. Baptist pastors tend to stay much longer. The SBC pastor averages 8.9 years, while the General Baptist pastor averages 11.2 years.

Most denominations reassign their pastors on the average of every three years. Some megachurch pastors can have a say in whether they are reassigned or not. Adam Hamilton at Church of the Resurrection here in Overland Park has been in that UMC pulpit for 22 years, being the founding pastor there.

The best answer, though, is "Until the church gets tired of him or he gets tired of the church." :laugh:

 

The last church I was at, there are about 25 or 30 pastors' pictures on a wall, covering the last 100 years or so. That would make an average of 3-4 years for that congregation. The current pastor there is in his 5th or 6th year. The one prior to him was there about 18 months, and died on the operating table (at about 40 years old) having a somewhat routine procedure

At our current church, the founding pastor began the church in the late 70s, and retired after about 25 years. The current pastor has been there for about 12 years and will probably be there another 15-20. He's in his late 50s now.