More than four in five pastors in the United States have considered leaving pastoral ministry in the past five years, according to a new survey.

The Culture Resurrection Index, which surveyed 1,000 pastors, found that 82% had thought about stepping away from ministry.

Among those who had considered leaving, 74% said problems with church culture were the biggest factor. These included difficulties with leadership, staff relationships and organisational culture.

The survey also found that 63% of pastors had never received training in how to give difficult feedback effectively.

Meanwhile, 77% said they would have valued more training on how leaders can develop a healthy culture within their churches.

The research was commissioned by Virginia pastor and leadership coach Jared Fabac.

He said: “Pastors aren’t leaving because they lost their faith. They’re leaving because no one taught them how to lead a broken staff, run a hard meeting, or model a healthy culture. Seminary trains the sermon. It rarely trains the system.”

The findings come amid wider concerns about burnout, conflict and wellbeing among clergy.

Research from Barna Group found that 52% of US Protestant senior pastors said their mental and physical health was an area where they most needed support.

Similar pressures have been reported among clergy in England. Church of England research has highlighted concerns including burnout, isolation, low morale and financial pressures.

Despite this, 72% of clergy surveyed said they believed they were living out their calling through ministry.