Archive

Caring for Souls in a New Reality: A Barna Webcast

On May 20, Barna and project partner Gloo hosted a live webcast to reveal recent findings related to how the COVID-19 crisis has affected the U.S. Church. Barna president David Kinnaman was joined by webcast cohosts Carey Nieuwhof and Nicole Martin. Together, alongside expert guests and fellow thought leaders, the hosts presented findings related to human flourishing, organizational thriving and effective leadership, primarily focusing on three things church leaders can do as they care for the souls entrusted to their leadership: reset, refocus and restore.

COVID-19 Conversations: Many Pastors Are Tired, Overwhelmed and Lonely

Recent ChurchPulse Weekly questions asked of Barna’s pastor panel included how church leaders are personally feeling right now in terms of their well-being, mental health, calling and following government guidelines for reopening their churches, the responses of which we’ll summarize in this article.

Leadership & Mental Health: An Interview with Therapists Sharon Hargrave & Kelly Haer

Pastors Prefer Lay-Led Initiatives to New Church Programs But Struggle to Develop Leaders

Every pastor hopes their church will impact their local community—but even the best ministries and programs have limitations. Often, pastors must rely on the help and leadership of their congregants to invest in their church’s neighborhood. Recently, Barna researchers studied the impact of lay-led initiatives in local communities and what happens when practicing Christians gather together to do good in their neighborhoods. In this article, we’ll take a look at how churches support congregants to serve neighborhood needs.

Pastors Share Hopes for the Church’s Future After COVID-19

For the past six weeks, Barna has been checking in on the state of U.S. pastors through a national pastor panel, gathering data on how church leaders and their congregations are faring in light of the current pandemic. This week on ChurchPulse Weekly podcast, hosts Nieuwhof and Kinnaman were joined by fellow faith leaders Mike Todd, Jo Saxton and Skye Jethani to discuss the importance of authenticity, how churches plan to restructure after the pandemic is over and what pastors say is their greatest hope for the Church after COVID-19.

Well-Being, Attendance, Giving: An Update on Current Church Trends

Over the last four weeks, Barna has been checking in weekly on the state of pastors, their families and their congregants in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis through national pastor panel surveys. In addition to these weekly check-ins, each Monday, Carey Nieuwhoff and David Kinnaman, often accompanied by expert guests and fellow church leaders, have presented and commented on the survey findings during a live broadcast of the ChurchPulse Weekly podcast. In this article, we’ll take a look at the trends we’ve consistently tracked over the last month—the well-being of pastors and their people, when pastors believe they can return to worship in their usual location and the state of virtual attendance and online giving.