A new survey of 1,000 Protestant pastors finds that half are concerned the economy is hurting their churches.
The survey from Lifeway, the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, also found that most pastors say congregational giving is in line with the previous year.
In the survey, 52% said the economy was having a negative impact on their churches, up 15% percentage points from 2021. Overall, 40% said the economy wasn’t having any effect and 7% said the economy is a positive factor for their churches.
The survey, taken in September, marks the first time since 2016 that more than half of pastors feel the economy is having a negative impact on their churches and the first time since 2012 that fewer than 10% of pastors see the economy as having a positive effect.
However, 46% of pastors said giving has been about what was budgeted and 23% said it’s higher.
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“The souring of pastor attitudes towards the economy is more about rising expenses than declining income,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “Declining year-over-year giving is a factor for almost a quarter of churches, but this is a similar rate to what churches have averaged for over a decade.”
Small-church pastors, those with congregations of fewer than 50 attendees, were the most likely to say the nation’s current economic state was negatively impacting their churches. Pastors at the largest churches, those with 250 or more, are the most likely to say offerings so far this year are above last year’s levels.
The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
Yonat Shimron is a national reporter and senior editor for Religion News Service.
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2 Responses
I noticed how, when the ‘rona shut down the churches, that there was a shift in the content and tone of preaching when it came to Romans 13. The emphasis went from “Submit to the government” to Acts 5:29 in short order.
Perhaps a church would get more money if it was financially transparent?
“….When looking at your church’s financial report, look for these key figures:
•How much money was donated to other charities and organizations?
•How much money is spent on the church’s staff, facilities, missions, ministries, and administration?
•How much money did the church profit from its extra businesses (ex: coffee shop, cafe, thrift store, book store, etc…)?
•Pastor salary & other salaries of church leadership positions.
•How much money did the church bring in from fundraisers and other forms of income besides donations/tithing, and how was that money spent? ….”
https://www.checkmychurch.org/post/how-to-check-your-church-s-financial-transparency