Church & Ministry

“Introduce yourself to one person each Sunday…. I feel squeamish thinking about walking over and sticking out my hand to a stranger or, even worse, to somebody I’ve seen regularly and haven’t yet greeted. But what’s the worst that could happen?” - TGC

“The average Christian congregation…[has] just 65 members, about a third of whom are age 65 or older, according to a 2020 pre-pandemic survey. By contrast, a separate 2020 study found that three-quarters of megachurches were growing, many at a rapid clip.” - NPR

Greear “has backed the National African American Fellowship’s challenge to a recent vote by SBC messengers to ban women from serving as a ‘pastor of any kind’ as an ‘unnecessary infringement upon the autonomy of the local church.’” - CPost

“Most regular churchgoers say they would miss a weekly worship service at least once a year to avoid traveling in severe weather (77%), to enjoy an outdoor activity (55%) or to get some extra sleep (54%).” - Lifeway

“While feelings of loneliness and isolation have increased over the better part of a decade, pastors’ feelings of support from those around them have decreased.” - Barna

“A new study looked at how worship leaders pick music for services — at a time when a handful of megachurches dominate the market.” - RNS

“A letter dated July 3 from the [NAAF] leadership… urges Southern Baptists ‘to consider entering a time of prayer and dialogue’ about recent actions” - BPNews

Also…

“Bishop’s survey is based on an influential 1938 study that helped shape Southern Baptist church music in the 20th century. Published in 1939, that study used survey techniques popularized by George Gallup to gather data from 1,093 local congregations.” - RNS