There are no clergy in the Bahá’í Faith. Each person is enjoined by Bahá’u’lláh — the Promised One of all Religions, who founded the Bahá’í Faith — to investigate truth for ourselves, to learn and not rely upon “the knowledge of [our] neighbor” and “see with [our] own eyes.”
Only 8 percent of adults say they are interested in hearing pastors’ views on issues such as same-sex marriage, LGBT rights, abortion, guns, tax policy, climate change, drug policy or religious freedom, according to the Barna Group’s State of Pastors study, released Thursday (Jan. 26).
Many evangelical pastors who quit before retirement age found “another calling” either off the pulpit or out of ministry altogether. But many also say they were driven away by conflict and burnout.
When Maryland’s first female Episcopal bishop, the Rev. Heather Cook, was arrested recently and charged with multiple offenses, including manslaughter and intoxication, it was both shocking and sad.