Many churchgoers say their church connects financial blessings with personal generosity, but most pastors see those ideas as bankrupt.
A Lifeway Research study of U.S. Protestant pastors finds few hold or teach beliefs connected to the prosperity gospel, the theological movement that teaches God wants to make followers materially wealthy and will do so if individuals hold certain beliefs or perform specific actions. A previous Lifeway Research study, however, found these beliefs much more prevalent among churchgoers, including many who said their church teaches these ideas.
“The large differences we see between pastor and churchgoer beliefs related to the prosperity gospel means pastors are often not the source of these beliefs among Protestants,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “But the gap likely also means pastors are not teaching the reasons for their own convictions on the subject.”
Pastors’ positions and churchgoer confusion
Fewer than 1 in 10 (8%) Protestant pastors believe individuals must do something for God in order to receive material blessings from Him. Nine in 10 (90%) disagree, including 74% who disagree strongly. Few (2%) aren’t sure.
Similarly, fewer than 1 in 5 (18%) say their churches teach that if you give more money to the church and charities, God will bless the giver in return. Around 4 in 5 (79%) disagree, including 62% who disagree strongly. Just 3% aren’t sure.
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Pastors are more split on whether God wants people to prosper financially. Still, only 37% agree, 59% disagree, with 31% disagreeing strongly, and 5% aren’t sure.
The widespread disagreement with these beliefs among U.S. Protestant pastors is not shared by those in their pews, however, according to a 2022 Lifeway Research study.
Whatever pastors may believe, many of those regularly attending churches agree with these three beliefs, and that number is growing.
Almost half (45%) of U.S. Protestant churchgoers say to receive material blessings from God they have to do something for God. The percentage that agrees has almost doubled from the 26% who agreed in a 2017 Lifeway Research study.
More than half (52%) say their church teaches that if they give more money, God will bless them, up from 38% five years earlier. Additionally, 3 in 4 Protestant churchgoers (76%) say God wants them to prosper financially, an increase from 69% in 2017.
“Nine in 10 pastors describe blessings from God based on grace rather than God owing people a reward for their actions. This is counter-intuitive for many in a culture that focuses on performance,” said McConnell.

Different pulpits, different teachings
While there may be confusion among many churchgoers about what their churches teach, some of the gaps between the average Protestant pastor and the average churchgoer could be traced to congregational differences.
Some pastors are more likely to say their churches teach doctrines related to prosperity gospel theology. In particular, churchgoers at larger congregations may be more likely to hear such teaching.
Protestant pastors of the largest churches, those with 250 or more in worship attendance, are among the least likely to reject the notion that their church teaches that if you give more money, God will bless you in return. Still, 70% disagree that their church promotes that teaching.

Pastors of these large congregations are also the most likely to believe God wants people to prosper financially (52%).
“Americans like orderly, explainable things they can control. It isn’t surprising pastors describing such blessings and prosperity are having broad appeal, though it sounds dangerously close to God existing for people rather than people existing at God’s pleasure,” said McConnell.
African American pastors are among the most likely to agree with each of the following three statements. To receive material blessings from God, we have to do something for God (16%). Our church teaches that if you give more money to the church and charities, God will bless you in return (45%). God wants people to prosper financially (72%).
Denominationally, Pentecostal pastors also more often agree we have to do something for God to receive material blessings from Him (16%), their church teaches God will bless people if they give more (35%) and that God wants people to be financially prosperous (72%).
Younger pastors and those with formal education beyond college are frequently among those most likely to reject the doctrines.
This article originally appeared at Lifeway Research.
Aaron Earls is a senior writer at Lifeway Research.
22 Responses
Must be missing something in my various biblical translations and interlinear Greek-English NT translations. 🤔
Can see the spiritual virtues that God desires which transend this life and are Kingdom Citizenship prerequisites – Faith, Love, Grace, Humility, Righteousness, Justice, Servant spirit and Godliness – but not so much of that which eventually comes to nothing.
Always assumed 🙄 from the scriptures, teachings and lives of the prophets, the great saints, and most significantly, the life and teaching of the divine son Jesus, that in Gods economy what matters most is not a happy life, but a HOLY one.
Amen. A “holy” life makes for a joyful life. Wealth in no way guarantees happiness.
It is really convienient not only for believers to be right about eveything, but also to reap wealth for believing, whatever their interpretation.
This narcissistic view has always benefitted the powerful, the charlatan, the charismatic guy who will tell you that you have chosen the way to a prosperous life with your allegiance to dogma (or some snake oil) that is for you and you alone, as it turns out. So blessed. And, dowload that app for your tithes and offerings. Easy.
No wonder so many of us are done.
Psalm 23:1 says, “Because the Lord is my shepherd I have everything that I need.” I believe that and so I do. God blesses me so I can be a blessing and give money and stuff away
The preponderance of Scripture is on the side of a loving, generous Heavenly Father who “Has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.” Psalm 35:27. I could go on, but I am so glad that God has made me rich beyond expectations. Over the years I have given about 30% of my wealth away and as a result have eleven children to brag about and untold opportunities to bless others. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
I think a lot of people who say, “God wants people to prosper financially,” are comparing it an opposite proposition, “God wants people to be in poverty.” In the same way, if you said, “God wants people to be healthy,” the opposite would be, “God wants people to be sick.” “God wants people to live in safety,” vs. “God wants people to fall off a cliff or be hit by a bus or a meteor or a Russian artillery shell.”
This suggests that, as a stand-alone proposition, the question is poorly phrased.
This option: “Our church teaches that if you give more money to the church and charities, God will bless you in return (45%),” is more specific and says more about a congregation’s or an individual’s understanding than the first proposition does.
Cynthia, I get that- but I also don’t see a lot of Biblical evidence that God DOES want us to be “healthy” or “safe” or not experience tragedy as a standard. I think we comfort ourselves by telling ourselves that God wants for us what WE want for us, but God is regularly calling us into discomfort, unsafe places, etc. Even in the beattitudes, God calls all manner of affliction “blessed”.
Jesus healed some, but not all. Followers have the gift of healing, but miracles are to give credence to the word spoken.
I think we assume God wants us to be healthy and happy and safe, but what God actually wants is for us to be Holy and bringing about God’s kingdom- and healthy and happy and safe are neither here nor there.
Sure, I get that. It’s just the way the question is phrased. It didn’t ask, “Do you think God wants you to be holy, even if what it takes to achieve that is that you will experience poverty, sickness, or other trials?”
Would you be more likely to agree with the proposition, “God wants people to be healthy,” or the proposition, “God wants people to be sick.”? I think the reasonable answer is, “Well, that’s not the right question.”
Do I remember the Apostle Paul writing from prison, after being beaten, about receiving promised wealth on standing up as being a Christian?
Mr Docker, I agree that happiness is many times transient and comes from having “things”. One can be holy and have peace and joy in the Holy Spirit and enjoy God’s abundant blessings.
Apologies if this posts 2x, it appears to have not gone through 2 days ago
Remove God, Jesus from the church, we loose the 10 Commandments, and the Lords Prayer. With that removal we loose “Do not covet”, “and give us our daily bread”. Which is exactly how we should live, and expect, nothing more or less.
Instead people are now exposed to a “modified or soft” prosperity gospel, which isn’t as obvious, but lived out by the leaders of the church with luxury homes, cars, huge salaries, a “sinless” lifestyle that does not require repentance, the freedom to judge anyone who isn’t “christian” that “sins”, and no mention of how we are to live in service under God.
See MT 6
I think most pastors and congregants in America would say that they don’t believe in prosperity gospel.
However, most pastors and congregants live in ways that shows that they have unexamined biases toward wealth and prosperity. Generally, American society sees people in poverty as personal moral failings rather than systemic failings (“he should get a job” “why should we give addicts free housing?”) and feel like we are personally excepted for caring for the poor as Jesus commanded by the choices and actions taken by the poor. We only want to help the “deserving” poor, and find most poor to be undeserving.
Many times poverty is a choice: we have disobeyed our parents and refused advice from the wise, and are unable to control our personal habits and appetites, and poorly managed our wealth, bringing calamity on ourselves.
Louis, you are proving my point. By calling poverty a “choice” (or the result of choices), you are exempting yourself from responsibility to the poor. You are making poverty a moral failing for the poor person, where throughout scripture, God makes poverty a moral failing of the rich person.
God doesn’t ever differentiate if the poor are deserving or not- God says care for them. In fact, in the story of the Prodigal Father, Jesus goes out of his way to show that even if someone makes every wrong choice, they will still be welcomed back and taken care of by the Father.
In most western nations, we have systems that keep people in poverty that are very hard to escape. To reduce poverty to bad choices or disobeying parents is to ignore HUGE systemic inequities.
Even so- it doesn’t matter, because God tells us to care for the poor and fight against the injustices afflicting them regardless.
Goodness, what an absolutely arrogant and disgusting comment. May God have mercy on your soul
If you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, you’ll probably end up getting a decent education. Then you’ll get a good job, do good work, work hard, be honest, and succeed. Prosperity follows.
Hi Bob, are you suggesting that the poor in America are that way because they don’t love God enough?
Are you suggesting that the poor in the Bible are that way because they don’t love God enough? If that were the case, why was Jesus’ command to believers to take care o the poor, and that the poor are blessed- not that the poor need to love God more. Commands to adjust the way they love God are almost always directed at the wealthy and elite.
Jesus warned about the dangers that come with wealth. So in some ways it might be a blessing to stay poor. The kingdom is upside down after all.
Why would God want his people to be wealthy and prosperous if it puts them in hey dangerous position in their spiritual life and faith?
Of course there are many people who are wealthy and live faithful, humble lives, but far more who drift away in their dependence on God’s provision. I don’t think that material blessings should be the focus or expectation of a Christian.
I can’t possibly agree with this. A good education simply isn’t available to everyone because there is variable intelligence within the human population. God doesn’t give everyone the same intellectual gifts and some people have (and always will have) an IQ that is far below average which limits their ability to understand the concepts in a “good education”. Sure, they can still work hard, but it might be working hard as a cleaner which won’t earn them much.
The point is we should not value people by their intelligence. All people should be seen as equally valuable and if all people are made in the image of God, they should all be interesting to us: even the addict on the street.
True compasssion means having compassion for someone even when their predicament is their own fault. Our compassion should not be based on “who is to blame for this situation?”.
a wise sage said, give me neither poverty nor riches. I take that as a key passage for my life. Many times when a person is converted to the way he or she may become more responsible and give up vices that hinder moving up. Many people work hard But it does not lead to prosperity as we see it although God does prosper us with grace, peace, and love which money cannot buy. a husband may be a drunk and mistreat his family, and in the process of becoming a believer may be delivered from alcoholism and may soften his heart to love his wife and family. Usually that will involve prospering for the family. It is an indirect blessing for gaining character.
Deuteronomy Chapter 28 contains 68 verses of Blessing and Cursing: the first 14 verses express the Blessing that is promised for those who follow YHWH’s statutes, laws, commandments, testimonies, ordinances, word and His Covenant of Shabbat. The remaining 54 verses expound in great, terrible detail the results of disobedience to YHWH’s Word (four times the amount of the first 14. When David was confronted by Nathan the prophet, he wittingly had replied to Nathan that a rich thief who would take a poor neighbour’s lamb and eat it instead of eating his own lamb should pay back four times the amount that he stole, and die. 11Samuel 12:6. Zacchaeus later stated the same principle, when visited by Yahshua in his home, that he would repay four times what he might have taken from any man. This is so serious, because YHWH also stated that the sins of the fathers carries on down through the family line “unto the third and fourth generations.”)
May we learn to obey our Creator and honor Him and thereby be honored by Him just as He promised, and just as the apostle John prayed, be blessed with this: “Beloved: I wish above all Things that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.” 111John 2 – In Yahshua haMashiach’s Great Name, AMEN
Its interesting to say the least, that when Christianity and money are mentioned in the same breath, it triggers ‘rationalisation’ in some people. 🤔
Any sort of quid pro quo arrangement with God conflicts with the nature of God’s agape love. What God does want for us is to be faithful and responsible. Don’t be surprised when a person reaps what they sow.