Author: Administrador

By Bob Smietana NASHVILLE, Tenn. — When it comes to finances, the new normal for American churches seems to be “just getting by.” A third of Protestant senior pastors say their church’s giving was under budget in 2015, according to Lifeway Research. One in five saw their finances decline. Overall, about half of pastors say … Continue reading “Churches Continue to Face Budget Shortfalls”

By Bob Smietana A growing number of Americans believe religious liberty is on the decline and that the nation’s Christians face growing intolerance. They also say American Christians complain too much. Those are among the findings of a new study of views about religious liberty from Lifeway Research. Researchers surveyed 1,000 Americans in September 2013 … Continue reading “Survey: Americans Say Christians Face Intolerance, but Complain Too Much”

By Bob Smietana Self-identified Christians in 30 states—from Alabama to Wyoming—say it’s a sin to lend money to someone who can’t afford to pay it back. Most want the government to protect consumers from loans with excessive interest. Still, 1 in 6 Christians has taken out a high-interest payday loan, while few of their fellow … Continue reading “Survey: Christians Say Predatory Loans Are Sinful”

By Bob Smietana NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Most Protestant pastors believe Jesus will return in the future. But few agree about the details of the apocalypse. A third of America’s Protestant pastors expect Christians to be raptured—or taken up in the sky to meet Jesus—as the end times begin. About half think a false messiah known as the … Continue reading “Pastors: The End of the World is Complicated”

By Bob Smietana Half of Protestant pastors say their colleagues should step down from the pulpit for a time if they are accused of misconduct. Most say such accusations should be kept in confidence until proven. And few think pastors who commit adultery should be permanently banned from ministry. Those are among the findings of … Continue reading “Survey: Few Pastors Say Adulterous Ministers Should Face Permanent Ban From Pulpit”

By Bob Smietana Most Protestant pastors go to jail, at least for a visit, and want to help prisoners and their families. But their churches often lack the training or finances to run an effective prison ministry. Those are among the findings of a new phone survey of 1,000 Protestant senior pastors from Nashville-based Lifeway … Continue reading “Few Protestant Pastors, Churches Prioritize Prison Ministries”

By Bob Smietana Americans who don’t go to church are happy to talk about religion and often think about the meaning of life. They’re open to taking part in community service events hosted at a church or going to a church concert. But only about a third say they’d go to a worship service, if … Continue reading “Research: Unchurched Will Talk About Faith, Not Interested in Going to Church”

By Carol Pipes Americans who attend a Protestant worship service the week of July Fourth are likely to get a good dose of God and country. Six in 10 Protestant pastors (61 percent) say it’s important for July Fourth worship services to incorporate patriotic elements to celebrate America, according to a survey by Nashville-based Lifeway … Continue reading “Pastors Favor Patriotism for July Fourth Services”

By Lisa Cannon Green Most Americans see nothing morally wrong with gender change, Lifeway Research finds. Six in 10 Americans don’t think it’s wrong for people to identify with a gender different from their birth sex, according to the Nashville-based research organization. And more than half don’t think it’s wrong to switch genders by taking … Continue reading “Changing Genders Isn’t Morally Wrong, Americans Say”

By Bob Smietana NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Politics trumps God for most Americans when it comes to conversations with their friends. Six in 10 Americans are more comfortable talking about politics than their spiritual beliefs. And most say they aren’t interested in having more spiritual conversations. By contrast, evangelical Christians prefer talking about God over politics by a … Continue reading “Americans Prefer to Talk About Politics Rather Than God”