Author: Administrador

By Bob Smietana Americans love to fight about sex and religion. From shacking up and same-sex marriage to birth control and bathrooms, Americans disagree about what is right and wrong with sex—often based on faith. Those disputes can end up in court, in highly divisive and controversial cases. This week, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed … Continue reading “Americans Have Mixed Feelings About Sex and Religion”

http://ministrysites.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/keepasking/EP23%20-%20Keep%20Asking.mp3 Podcast: Play in new window – Download Summary On this episode, Lizette and Scott talk with Jennifer Epperson of Moody Radio. Jennifer discusses how Moody Radio uses research to help in their mission of helping people take the next step in their relationship with Jesus Christ. “People were giving us their trust, and in … Continue reading “Episode 20: Interview With Jennifer Epperson of Moody Radio”

This 2017 study examines the leadership of pastors of smaller churches (250 or less in worship attendance) in the area of evangelism. The study was sponsored by the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism, Wheaton College and the Caskey Center for Church Excellence, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and 12 individual denominations. The initial findings from … Continue reading “Small Church Evangelism”

http://ministrysites.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/keepasking/EP20%20-%20Keep%20Asking.mp3 Podcast: Play in new window – Download Summary In this episode, we discuss why we will occasionally limit the number of choices for survey questions when a wider range is available. On this topic, we were trying to mirror some of the dialog that’s been going on in our culture. As researchers, we wanted … Continue reading “Episode 21: American Views on Sexual Freedom”

By Bob Smietana Jesus warned his followers to keep their good deeds secret, warning them not to seek attention when doing the right thing. American Christians seem to be following that advice. According to a new study from Nashville-based Lifeway Research, few Americans are aware of many efforts by local Christians or churches to serve … Continue reading “Good Deeds Done by Christians Often Go Unseen”

By Bob Smietana Churches and other faith groups collect tens of billions of donations each year. Chances are some of the money goes missing. About 1 in 10 Protestant churches has had someone embezzle funds, according to a new survey of 1,000 Protestant senior pastors from Nashville-based Lifeway Research. That figure isn’t surprising, said Scott … Continue reading “Lifeway Research: 1 in 10 Churches Has Had Funds Stolen”

http://ministrysites.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/keepasking/EP17%20-%20Keep%20Asking.mp3 Podcast: Play in new window – Download Summary Cash Reserves The rule of thumb for a lot of business is this: three to six months of reserves. When we say reserves and we had this ready in case a pastor needed an explanation, but essentially “If offering stopped tomorrow at your church how long … Continue reading “Episode 22: How Secure Are Church Finances?”

By Bob Smietana America is full of sinners—and most of them want to mend their ways. Two-thirds of Americans (67 percent) say they are sinners, according to a new study from Nashville-based Lifeway Research. Most people aren’t too happy about it—only 5 percent say they’re fine with being sinners. As America becomes more secular, the … Continue reading “Most Americans Admit They’re Sinners”

http://ministrysites.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/keepasking/EP21%20-%20Keep%20Asking.mp3 Podcast: Play in new window – Download Summary Good News Bad News This is what Americans say: 14 percent said “None of these” when presented with a list of ways churches serve their communities. But 86 percent said something. You could take that as good news/bad news. We could have this conversation probably about … Continue reading “Episode 23: Are Americans Aware of the Ways Local Churches Serve?”

Anna Vander Stel – Unsplash By Bob Smietana Small churches can make a difference by sticking to the basics. A Lifeway Research study with the Billy Graham Center and the Caskey Center for Church Excellence identifies at least 13 effective ways small churches can attract and retain more new converts, including many practices churches have … Continue reading “When It Comes to Evangelism, the Small Things Really Matter”