Clergy support groups—what do they look like and what is their impact?

By Deborah Bruce

Participation.  Eight in ten key leaders (pastor, priest, rabbi, etc.) in congregations participating in the U.S. Congregational Life Survey report meeting regularly in the previous five years with other ministers or pastoral leaders in a small group for continuing education and support. Participation in clergy peer groups is somewhat more common among pastors in mainline Protestant congregations (84%) than in Catholic (78%) or conservative Protestant (73%) congregations.

Length of participation.  Among pastors participating in peer groups, half have participated for one to three years. One-quarter have done so for five years or longer.

Group meetings.  Typically these groups meet monthly for about two hours at a time. But there is wide variety in peer group formats—some meet for weekend retreats several times yearly, and others convene weekly.

Group structure.  One-half of participating pastors say that group members decide what the group does. Others (one in ten) report that a sponsoring organization—such as a denomination, judicatory, or seminary—decides on the curriculum or focus of the group. Two in ten are part of peer groups that have a trained facilitator or a group leader.

Purpose.  Clergy peer groups have many purposes. Six in ten pastors participating in such groups say their group's primary focus is sharing ideas and resources. Half report that sharing personal concerns and struggles is the main focus of their peer group. And one-third indicate that the key purpose is biblical or theological reflection.

Outcome.  Six in ten pastors who are involved in clergy peer group say the congregation and its members have been positively affected by their participation in that group.

Evaluation.  An evaluation of hundreds of clergy peer groups that were funded through the Sustaining Pastoral Excellence program was recently completed, including a survey of more than 2,000 group participants and focus groups with smaller number of participants. Highlights include:

• Peer groups are important to pastors, their families and friends, and their congregations.
• Involvement in peer groups is related to numerical growth in the pastor's congregation.
• Quality leadership in peer groups enhances positive outcomes.

Review the complete results.

Another look at the study results.