data and statistics Archives - Baptist & Reflector

MOST CHURCHES CAUTIOUSLY HOLDING SERVICES AGAIN

August 7, 2020

By Aaron Earls
LifeWay News Office

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NASHVILLE — Churches are gathering again, but services and programs remain drastically different from the beginning of the year.

At the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, according to previous surveys from Nashville-based LifeWay Research, Protestant churches across the U.S. stopped gathering in-person in a matter of weeks.

The latest LifeWay Research survey of Protestant pastors found congregations have slowly and cautiously started to meet again.

“While more and more churches have resumed in-person worship services, it has not always been a straight path back,” said Scott McConnell, executive director LifeWay Research. “Some have had difficulty resuming or had to stop meeting again as things got worse in their area.” [Read more…]

SOUTHERN BAPTISTS SEE HISTORIC DROP IN MEMBERSHIP

June 24, 2020

By Aaron Earls
LifeWay Christian Resources

click image for full chart

NASHVILLE — A growing number of Southern Baptist churches are home to a shrinking number of Southern Baptists.

Total membership in the Southern Baptist Convention fell almost 2 percent to 14,525,579 from 2018 to 2019, according to the Annual Church Profile compiled by LifeWay Christian Resources in cooperation with Baptist state conventions. The decline of 287,655 members is the largest single year drop in more than 100 years.

The number of churches grew slightly to 47,530, an increase of 74 from 2018. However, the number of church-type missions fell by 477 to bring the overall number of SBC congregations down to 51,138 in 2019. Multisite congregations reported an additional 505 campuses where local church ministry takes place. [Read more…]

SURVEY: MOST CHURCHES PREPARED FOR ACTIVE SHOOTER

February 4, 2020

Church security remains at the forefront; many congregations divided over armed attendees

Trainees Chris Graves, left, and Bryan Hetherington, right, participate in a security training session at Fellowship of the Parks campus in Haslet, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

By Aaron Earls
LifeWay News Office

NASHVILLE — In the aftermath of several high-profile church shootings, most Protestant pastors say their congregations have taken some precautions to protect those in attendance.

Since 2000, 19 fatal shootings have taken place at Christian churches, while gunmen have also taken lives at other religious sites like Jewish synagogues, a Sikh temple and an Amish school.

Around 4 in 5 Protestant pastors (80 percent) say their church has some type of security measure in place when they gather for worship, according to a survey from Nashville-based LifeWay Research. [Read more…]

MARRIAGE: ONE OF LIFE’S GREATEST JOYS

January 23, 2020

By Todd Brady
Vice President for University Ministries, Union University

Cars and pick-up trucks lined the driveway on a Saturday night. It was obvious that a bunch of men had descended on the home. We all were coming together for one purpose. There would soon be a wedding.

Inside, men gathered around the island in the kitchen. Since it was a few weeks before Christmas, we ate Christmas cake and sipped on egg nog, boiled custard and apple cider. After all the small talk we could handle, we moved into the living room where a circle of chairs lined the room. There was no front and back of the room. There was no table with a head and foot. We were all in this together, and we all wanted the best for the young man who was about to walk into marriage. [Read more…]

PASTORS LESS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ECONOMY’S IMPACT

December 11, 2019

By Aaron Earls
LifeWay News Office

NASHVILLE — As retail stores hope the holiday shopping season gives their bottom line a lift, American Protestant pastors are less sure the economy is helping their congregations this year.

Around two in five pastors of Protestant churches in the United States (41 percent) say the economy is having no impact on their church, according to a new survey from Nashville-based LifeWay Research.

The rest are nearly split on whether the effect is positive (30 percent) or negative (26 percent).

“Fundamentally, the U.S. economy is in a similar place that it was a year ago,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. “Yet pastors are less optimistic about this outside influence on their church than they were in 2018.” [Read more…]

ARE WEDNESDAY CHURCH SERVICES STILL RELEVANT?

September 24, 2019

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

Baptist Press recently ran an article from LifeWay Research on whether or not Protestant churches still hold Wednesday night services.

And, they do. In fact, the number is a lot higher than I imagined — nine out of 10 Protestant pastors say their church has some type of service on Wednesday nights, according to the survey. Only 10 percent have no regular events on Wednesday.

Given the fact that some churches no longer have Sunday night services, I am a bit surprised (pleasantly) by the large number of churches that open their doors on Wednesday night. [Read more…]

CHURCHGOERS FAIL TO SERVE

June 19, 2019

LifeWay News Office

NASHVILLE — The 2019 Discipleship Pathway Assessment study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research found few Protestant churchgoers say they strongly agree they are personally taking actions that indicate a life of service to God and others.

Fifteen percent of Protestant churchgoers strongly agree they intentionally give up certain purchases so they can use that money for others. Including those who somewhat agree, 41 percent say they practice that type of intentional generosity.

Among 18- to 34-year-olds attending a Protestant church once a month or more, 22 percent strongly agree they give up purchases to use that money for others.

MOST PASTORS SEE SPORTS GAMBLING AS IMMORAL, OPPOSE ITS LEGALIZATION

March 19, 2019

By Aaron Earls
LifeWay Christian Resources

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Americans are expected to wager more than $8 billion on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, but don’t bet on many pastors joining in.

A new study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research found most pastors believe it is morally wrong to bet on sports, while few agree it should be legalized nationwide. [Read more…]

CAN EVANGELISM BE EASY?

March 5, 2019

Whether it’s one-on-one or event-driven, sharing good news should be simple

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

FRANKLIN — Jesus kept evangelism simple. Just read Matthew 28:19-20.

But apparently, a new generation is not getting the message of the Great Commission as found in Scripture.

A Barna survey, “Reviving Evangelism,” released in early February, reveals that Christian Millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) are “conflicted” when it comes to evangelism with almost half of them believing it is wrong to share their faith. [Read more…]

AMERICANS DIFFER ON HISTORIC CHRISTIAN VIEWS

November 6, 2018

By Carol Pipes
LifeWay Christian Resources

NASHVILLE — Six in 10 Americans say religious belief is a matter of personal opinion. For 7 in 10 Americans, such religious beliefs include one true God existing in three persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But an increasing majority of Americans deny Jesus has always existed and many say the Holy Spirit is a force rather than a personal being.

Those are among the findings of a new study of American views on Christian theology from Nashville-based LifeWay Research.

“When the majority of Americans believe religious belief is more personal opinion than objective truth, then we expect to see contradictory beliefs as well as beliefs that change over time,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research.

The survey of 3,000 Americans was sponsored by Orlando-based Ligonier Ministries. Titled the “2018 State of Theology Study,” it is the third in a series of surveys examining Americans’ theological beliefs. Previous surveys were conducted in 2016 and 2014. [Read more…]

Church security remains at the forefront; many congregations divided over armed attendees

Whether it’s one-on-one or event-driven, sharing good news should be simple

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