Archive

Three Key Motivations for High-Capacity Givers

What drives high earners to be generous with their finances? One goal of Barna’s State of Generosity series—created in partnership with Gloo and multiple sponsor organizations—is to better understand adults who have great potential for charitable financial giving. As a season of year-end giving approaches, this article sheds light on key themes and motivations found among this benevolent group.

Does a Divided Public Look to Pastors for Guidance?

Who do Americans believe is responsible for creating meaningful change in our country? Recent Barna data offer insight into who Americans look to in these times of tension and how many Americans trust pastors to help them navigate sensitive conversations.

What Is a Tithe? New Data on Perceptions of the 10 Percent

What exactly are Christians’ prevailing views on matters of stewardship and generosity? And how is the local church shaping them? While pastors today note the tithe as being central both to their church’s funding and its practice of generosity, new data uncovered in Revisiting the Tithe and Offering—the latest release in The State of Generosity series, produced in partnership with Generis and Gloo—suggests a traditional tithe is not widely understood or practiced today.

ChurchPulse Weekly Conversations: Stephen Chandler on Finding Rest & Redefining Success

ChurchPulse Weekly Conversations: Lisa Bevere on Discipleship Patterns

For Pastors Who Want to Quit, Self-Care & Soul-Care Slip

Barna data collected in October of 2021 and March of 2022 show that U.S. senior pastors are increasingly more likely to have considered leaving full-time ministry in the past year. What are some of the factors behind this uptick? The Barna research offers a glimpse into what’s causing pastoral burnout—and perhaps influencing their decisions to leave or stay. Here, we'll explore pastors’ prioritization of self-care and spiritual formation during their time in ministry.

Pastors Share Confidence, Struggles & Concerns Around Preaching

Pastors serve their congregations and communities in a variety of ways, but perhaps the most notable and recognizable way—and the part of the job pastors tell Barna they love the most—is through the function of preaching. This article explores pastors’ confidence and concerns around preaching, while also offering a glimpse into a new channel on Barna Access Plus that was created to help pastors strengthen their preaching skills.

ChurchPulse Weekly Conversations: John Eldredge on Replenishing Reserves

Children’s Ministry Is Crucial, But Its Impact Is Hard to Measure

Kids’ ministry is a powerful opportunity to form lasting faith in the lives of young people. Yet new data from Children’s Ministry in a New Reality, a Barna report produced in partnership with Awana, show the majority of children’s ministry leaders feels this ministry is often forgotten by their church. This article looks at key findings from this new study, exploring the importance that parents, kids’ ministry leaders and other congregants place on children's ministry, as well as how difficult it can be to measure the impact of this necessary ministry.

ChurchPulse Weekly Conversations: Ed Stetzer on Church Engagement

Ed Stetzer—author, speaker and professor—joins Carey Nieuwhof to discuss shifting trends in church attendance throughout the pandemic, engaging congregations in their local church’s mission and finding new ways to measure church success.

Pastors Share Top Reasons They’ve Considered Quitting Ministry in the Past Year

The number of pastors who have given serious consideration to quitting full-time ministry has risen dramatically over the past year. Why are pastors so burned out? New data highlight the main reasons two in five pastors have thought about leaving ministry—as well as some reasons pastors have determined to stay.

Pastors See Missions as a Mandate, But Christians Aren't So Sure

The Great Disconnect: Reclaiming the Heart of the Great Commission in Your Church, Barna’s newest study conducted in partnership with Mission India, reveals misconceptions and inconsistencies in how U.S. churches perceive and approach missionary work. This article zooms in on Christians' and pastors' beliefs about who bears responsibility for the Great Commission and how it should be carried out.

ChurchPulse Weekly Conversations: Andy Stanley on Church Unity

ChurchPulse Weekly Conversations: Brad & Leah Leach on Honoring Volunteers

ChurchPulse Weekly Conversations: Albert Tate on Empathy, Race and the Church

ChurchPulse Weekly Conversations: Michael Phillips on Burnout Among Black Church Pastors

ChurchPulse Weekly Conversations: Dr. Heather Thompson Day on Social Media

Behind the Numbers: A Closer Look at the ChurchPulse Assessment