When I initially encountered Greg Henson and David Pohlmeier's new infographic on what incoming seminary students bring with them, I found myself gravitating toward the financial data. The data used to generate the graphic comes from surveys completed by 6,900 incoming students at 161 ATS schools during the 2011-2012 school year. Among the findings: 51% of all incoming students enter seminary with educational debt (the image at right shows the debt load of Read More …
Trends
Pastoral Stressors (#1028)
Bill Reichart, creator of Ministry Best Practices, recently shared an infographic about the pressures of pastoral ministry. The visual is based on data in Pastors at Greater Risk by H. B. London, Jr. and Neil B. Wiseman. So What? Pastoral ministry is a broad category of ordained ministers with varying responsibilities. Clergy, regardless of the amount or type of higher education they have received, must be mindful of and respond to the pressures associated with Read More …
From 5 Million to 4 Million (#1026)
From 2001 to 2011, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America lost just over 1 million members. More specifically: 2001 Membership: 5,099,877 2011 Membership: 4,059,785 Membership Loss: 1,040,092 or 20.39% So What? The decline of the mainline is a popular topic, yet few are familiar with the dramatic nature of the numeric decline in membership and denominational funding. While the numbers presented here reflect the change in the ELCA, similar decline is happening across Read More …
Religious Diversity in America (#1021)
Philip Cohen, a sociologist at the University of Maryland, recently blogged about religious diversity in the United States (US). He rebuts the claim made by a Harvard professor that the US is “the world’s most religiously diverse nation.” While religious diversity in the US has increased significantly in recent decades (from .53 in 1972 to .68 in 2010), the current level of diversity is less than that present in several other countries. The World Values Survey Read More …
Church E-Giving (#1018)
Earlier this month, Leadership Network published Warren Bird's latest research: "The Economic Outlook of Very Large Churches." This 18-page report considers the overall economic outlook alongside how the surveyed congregations collect, allocate and spend funds. Electronic giving (e-giving) is an increasingly important means by which churches receive donations. 100% of the churches with average weekly attendance of at least 2,000 receive some of their income via e-giving. The Read More …
New Direction for the Catholic Church (#1015)
A recent Pew Research Center poll finds that US Catholics are split on whether or not the next pope should "should maintain the traditional teachings of the church" (51% favor maintaining the traditional teachings while 46% hope the pope will move the church in new directions). Among those who hope the next pope will move the church in new directions, the top changes desired are 19% - become more modern, 15% - get tougher with abusers/end sex abuse, 14% - allow priests to Read More …
So Many Dwindling Congregations (#1012)
The cover story of the January 2013 edition of The Lutheran is "Shrinking Church," an article focusing on the pragmatic issues of decline within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). To substantiate the problem, Nicole Radziszewski notes the following statistics about the ELCA: In 2010, almost 30% of congregations had an average worship attendance of fewer than 50 people. From 2003 to 2011, average weekly worship attendance dropped 26%. From 2009 to 2010, Read More …
Relax & Be Productive (#1011)
I can't recall the last time someone suggested that I "relax and be more productive." In fact, generally accepted wisdom is that in order to be exceedingly productive one must be hard at work as often and for as long as is possible. Data from recent studies, however, suggests that productivity is enhanced by getting adequate sleep at night, taking naps during the day, going on vacations, and working in 90-minute bursts rather than for long uninterrupted sessions. So What? Tony Read More …
Valentine’s Expectations (#1005)
A new study from the Washington-based Public Religion Research Institute, conducted in partnership with Religion News Service, provided a number of interesting statistics about Valentine's Day. Spending 49% - less than $50 (including 6% who say they won’t spend anything) 29% - between $50-$100 20% - over $100 Sex (percentage of individuals who say they expect to have sex on Valentine's Day, by religion) 57% - religiously unaffiliated 51% - Catholics 48% - Read More …
Super Stats (#0995)
Much has been written about the loss of productivity in offices around the country immediately following the Super Bowl. Rather than add to the conversation about the big game or the expensive commercials that aired during it, I offer statistics from two recent polls that suggest Americans bring together religion and sports in interesting ways. "Nearly 3-in-10 (27 percent) Americans believe that God plays a role in determining which team wins sports events" (Public Religion Research Read More …