While there are likely numerous theological differences between evangelical, Catholic and Black Protestant pastors, they share core convictions that aren’t as common among mainline pastors.
Read More
Almost 10 years after the Supreme Court granted national recognition to same-sex marriages, most Americans support that right, but the percentage has plateaued in recent years.
Read More
Working nine to five doesn’t cut it for many pastors. Neither does working strictly at one church. The National Survey of Religious Leaders (NSRL) report revealed 35 percent of all clergy in the U.S. serve bivocationally, holding an additional job outside of their congregational ministry.
Read More
A recent Lifeway Research study examining the rate at which evangelical and Black Protestant pastors leave the ministry also asked pastors about their experience with counseling, both in their ministry preparation and practice.
Read More
Most pastors say their churches have policies in place to address significant misbehavior by church members, but few have actually used those policies recently. According to a Lifeway Research study of more than 1,000 U.S. Protestant pastors, only 1 one in six say their church has formally disciplined anyone in the past year.
Read More
When thinking about the number of people attending their church each week, the experience of the average pastor is vastly different from that of the average churchgoer. The most recent Faith Communities Today study revealed seven in 10 U.S. congregations have 100 or fewer weekly service attendees. The average U.S. congregation sees 65 people gather each week.
Read More
More Americans describe the Bible as true, life-changing and helpful today, compared to a 2016 Lifeway Research study. Additionally, more than two in five Americans say the Bible is a book to read over and over again, up four points from the previous study. Yet 9% say they’ve read it all more than once, unchanged since 2016. Half of Americans have engaged with the Bible beyond just a few stories.
Read More
Congregations affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention experienced growth in total worship attendance and small group or Sunday School participation. In 2024, an average of more than 4.3 million people worshiped weekly in a Southern Baptist congregation, and more than 2.5 million participated in a small group Bible study each week. Both of those were up more than 5% compared to 2023.
Read More
Most Americans may not regularly attend church themselves, but they have a higher threshold for calling someone a regular churchgoer than pastors.
Read More
Every church aims to welcome guests in some way. Those efforts may just look different in different churches and may have changed over the last decade. According to a Lifeway Research study of U.S. Protestant pastors, more than 99% of churches welcome visitors in at least one of 11 ways. Fewer than 1% say they don’t do any of the almost one dozen efforts.
Read More
Ministry leaders point to several challenges that have limited the success of these efforts. Around two in five (42%) say parents don’t have time to prepare. Three in 10 (31%) believe the activities have been things parents did not want to do, while 27% say the students haven’t wanted to participate.
Read More
Half of U.S. Protestant pastors say their churches are growing but some warning signs remain about their congregational future. U.S. Protestant churches are almost evenly split between those that have grown within the past two years and those that are plateaued or declining, according to an Exponential study by Lifeway Research.
Read More
The average Southern Baptist church calls the South home, but the only region of the country where those congregations are growing is the Northeast. Churches are baptizing more people, but most churches remain small and fewer attendees are involved in small groups. Lifeway Research analysis of the 2023 Annual Church Profile reveals a more detailed look at the Convention and where evangelism and discipleship efforts have been most effective.
Read More
Lent may be on the calendar, but it’s not something most Americans are observing. A traditional 40-day window of fasting before Easter, Lent is celebrated by around a quarter of U.S. adults, according to a Lifeway Research study. Three in four Americans (74%) say they do not typically observe Lent, while 26% participate.
Read More
More than nine in 10 U.S. Protestant pastors say their church has engaged in at least one of six ways to bring attention to Christians suffering persecution within the past year, according to a Lifeway Research study. Around one in 14 (7%) say they haven’t done any of those six and less than 1% aren’t sure.
Read More
Evangelicals want both secure borders and laws that provide avenues for certain illegal immigrants to obtain legal status, according to a Lifeway Research study. They want to deport dangerous illegal immigrants but aren’t as concerned about those who arrived as children and have lived peacefully in the U.S. Additionally, evangelicals recognize personal and national responsibilities to care for refugees and others fleeing their nation of origin.
Read More
Judging by the television audience, Americans certainly care about the Super Bowl. Few, however, think God shares their concern. Last year’s Super Bowl drew more than 123.7 million U.S. viewers, the largest TV viewership in history. Yet, most U.S. adults don’t believe God cares who wins the big game or determines the the winner, according to a new study.
Read More
A Lifeway Research study of U.S. Protestant pastors finds few hold or teach beliefs connected to the prosperity gospel, the theological movement that teaches God wants to make followers materially wealthy and will do so if individuals hold certain beliefs or perform specific actions.
Read More
Churchgoers may hear the Bible preached every Sunday — but their pastors also want them to engage with Scripture during the week. Almost all U.S. Protestant pastors say they encourage those in their church to read the Bible on their own using at least one of seven methods, according to a Lifeway Research study. On average, pastors say they use around five ways of encouragement. Less than 1% say they don’t use any or are unsure.
Read More
(ANALYSIS) Theological truths remain unchanged regardless of the date on the calendar, as do many ministry realities. The context surrounding Christians and churches, however, is constantly changing. As pastors and church leaders think about ministering to their congregations and communities in 2025, they should keep these key trends in mind.
Read More