An excerpt from recent Barna Research on the decline of job satisfaction among Pastors asked respondents what they wish they had been better prepared for in seminary. As I reflected on the data, I realized two things. First, some of the items mentioned were not concerns when I went to seminary, such as technology or…
Category: Barna Group
Jesus? Yes! The Church? Not so much…
Earlier this month, the Barna Report published a study on American’s response to Jesus, citing a favorable view from those polled.. The “Church,” on the other hand, did not fare as well, as non faith respondents cited several reasons for concerns. Their reasons should not be a surprise. The “ah-ha” moment in the survey is…
Barna Report on Rising Spiritual Openness In America
If you watch television, you’ve probably seen the advertising campaign that overlays a contemporary setting with a spiritual theme, concluding with the phrase, “He Gets Us. All of Us.” This campaign is directed toward the Millennials and Generation Z as an acknowledgement to the rising spiritual openness in America. The research observes that there is…
Barna Report on Polarization in America
Here is a summary of a report on Polarization in America released by Barna Research this week. The only surprise for me is the apparent lack of self awareness we have as a nation, cited in 91% of respondents claim to welcome different ways of thinking on important topics, accompanied by another 78% who claim…
The Leading Cause for Pastors Who Want to Quit
Barna research has released a new study on the leading causes of pastoral burn out and the increased numbers of pastors who want to quit vocational ministry. Pastoral tenure, according to the report, ebbs and flows primarily around self care and their personal spiritual formation practices. I’m not sure this is anything ground breaking, but…
Barna on Global Missions Trends
I realize that the primary focus of American churches during the global pandemic has been and continues to be re-opening and re-engaging their congregations, but according to Barna’s most recent report, churches also have a lot of work to do in the area of re-engaging in global missions and evangelism. According to his report titled,…
State of the Bible – 2021
Here’s a new study from Barna research on how American’s view the Bible. Check it out here: https://www.barna.com/research/sotb-2021/. Are you surprised by anything in the report?
What Churchgoers Miss About In-Person Worship
This data was compiled during the COVID-19 closures in 2020. However, it is interesting to see how generations differ in what they missed and what they value in the corporate worship experience. What did you (or do you) miss most by not gathering in person for worship?
How Church Goers Feel After Worship
Barna Research released a study this week which assessed how church goers feel after attending worship. These emotions range from feeling encouraged, disappointed, connected and more. To read the research you can use the following link: https://www.barna.com/research/churchgoers-feel/. The surprising statistic from this research is the level of disappointment people feel following worship attendance. A full…
Congratulations, DSM, Ames!
Barna Research has released it’s latest report, focused on the top 50 most generous cities in America. I am not surprised to find Des Moines/Ames ranks number seven on the list. The report shares two interesting insights from their findings. First, four of the top five cities have a larger “downscale” population than an “upscale”…
