While most Americans remain distrustful of the church, a growing number say they have confidence in the institution. Currently, 36% say they trust the church, according to Gallup’s annual tracking poll.
“While this story isn’t all wrong, the assertion that pastors are leaving the pulpit in droves because of ministry burnout is a myth. The research tells a different story.”
According to the National Survey of Religious Leaders report, “Clergy who lead predominantly white mainline Protestant churches are much less likely to hold traditionally orthodox Christian beliefs than clergy in any other group.”
According to a Lifeway Research study of U.S. Protestant pastors, almost 3 in 4 say their congregation collects physical offerings by passing something around at the worship service.
Most pastors say their churches have policies in place to address significant misbehavior by church members, but few have actually used those policies recently.
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