STUCK: Why Clergy Are Alienated from Their Calling, Congregation, and Career

In Stuck, sociologists Todd W. Ferguson and Josh Packard offer a compassionate yet critical look at the growing sense of alienation experienced by clergy in today’s ministry context. Drawing from extensive research and interviews, they argue that many pastors feel “stuck” not because of personal shortcomings but because ministry as a profession has not kept pace with the cultural and institutional shifts of the 21st century.

Rather than pathologizing clergy dissatisfaction, Stuck reframes it as a rational response to outdated systems that no longer support the pastoral vocation effectively. The authors challenge readers to consider new models of calling, congregational life, and seminary training—ones that are adaptive, relational, and contextually grounded. This book equips ministry leaders to better understand the pressures they face, and helps congregations and theological institutions respond with empathy and structural change.

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How You Might Use this Resource

Ministry boards and denominational leaders can use this book to assess how their structures may inadvertently contribute to pastoral frustration, and to envision more sustainable and supportive models of leadership and congregational life.

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