The Barna Research Group, Ltd. is an independent marketing research company located in southern California. Since 1984, it has been studying cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. If you would like to receive regular e-mailings of a brief overview of each new bi-weekly update on the latest research findings from the Barna Research Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna Research web site (www.barna.org).

All of the interviews were conducted from the Barna Research Group telephone interviewing facility. Households were selected randomly through a random-digit dialing procedure (RDD), and the household screened for the presence of one or more teenagers. In homes with a teen, only one teenager was interviewed. Quotas were also deployed to ensure accurate regional distribution and minor statistical weighting was used to ensure that the sample reflects national demographic norms. Multiple callbacks were used to increase the probability of selecting a representative sample of households and teenagers.

Definitions

“Born again Christians” were defined in these surveys as people

who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and
who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior (out of 7 options with regard to life after death).

Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as “born again.”

“Evangelicals” are a subset of born again Christians in Barna surveys. In addition to meeting the born again criteria, evangelicals also meet seven other conditions. Those include:

saying the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches;
saying their faith is very important in their life today;
believing they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians;
believing that Satan exists;
believing that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works;
believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and
describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today.

Being classified as an evangelical has no relationship to church attendance or the denominational affiliation of the church they attend. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as “evangelical.”

“Non-evangelical born again Christians” are those adults who are born again, based on the definition above, but do not meet all of the evangelical criteria as described.

Baby Busters were born from 1965-1983. Baby Boomers were born from 1946-1964. Builders were born from 1927-1945. Mosaics were born from 1984-2002.

“Notional” Christians are defined as individuals who consider themselves to be Christian but either do not have a “personal commitment to Jesus Christ” or do not believe that they will experience eternal favor with God based solely on His grace and mercy. Consequently they do not fit the “evangelical” or “born again” classifications.

“Unchurched” people were those who had not attended a church service, other than a special event such as a holiday service or a special event like a wedding or funeral, during the past six months.

“Theolographics” refers to the spiritual practices, beliefs and self-identification of individuals.

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The Faith of Hispanics Is Shifting (010103)

The fastest-growing ethnic group in America continues to be the Hispanic segment. At projected growth rates, Hispanics will overtake blacks to become the second-largest population group in the U.S. within the next five years. In addition to their growing numerical stature, Hispanics will continue to have increasing influence on many aspects of American culture, including faith and lifestyle choices. A new report from the Barna Research Group, based on surveys among more than 4000 adults, shows that the faith of the Hispanic population is steadily shifting from its traditional Catholic-oriented spirituality to a more diverse spiritual hybrid.

Religious Activity

In general, the spiritual practices of Hispanic adults are nearly identical to those of non-Hispanics. During a typical week Hispanics are just as likely to attend church (40%), volunteer at their church (24%), pray to God (81%), attend a Sunday school class (15%), and attend a small group meeting for spiritual purposes (15%) as are non-Hispanic adults. The only spiritual activity measured for which there was a significant distinction related to Bible reading. Hispanic adults are less likely than other adults to read the Bible during the week, other than during a church service (33% versus 40%, respectively).

Church Affiliation

Throughout the world, an overwhelming proportion of Hispanics are affiliated with the Catholic Church. While that relationship persists in the U.S. as well, the strength of that bond is rapidly deteriorating. As recently as one decade ago, two-thirds of all Hispanic adults (68%) said the church they attended most frequently was Catholic; today that proportion is down to just half (53%).

While many Hispanics are realigning themselves with Protestant churches, they are not attracted to the churches that often appeal to non-Hispanics. Baptist churches attract 20% of the non-Hispanic adult population, while mainline churches (Episcopal, United Church of Christ, United Methodist, Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., and Evangelical Lutheran) draw another 20% of the non-Hispanic segment. However, only 1% of all Hispanic adults attend either a Baptist or mainline church!

In fact, the presence of Hispanics greatly affects the relative standing of the Catholic and Baptist churches in the U.S. As matters currently stand, among the total adult population the Catholic church has the largest number of adherents of any denomination (22% of all U.S. adults attend a Catholic church). Among the non-Hispanic population of the country, however, Baptist churches have the upper hand, attracting 20% compared to 18% who associate with the Catholic Church.

There does not appear to be any single Protestant denomination that has a grip on Hispanics; the group is spread among dozens of evangelical and charismatic churches. There is a slightly above average tendency for Hispanics to attend charismatic and Pentecostal churches.

Religious Beliefs

Almost nine out of ten Hispanics (87%) consider themselves to be Christian. Although more than four out of five assert that their religious faith is very important in their life, only one out of four Hispanic adults (26%) also claims to be “absolutely committed” to the Christian faith. Placed in context, that is substantially below the level of “absolute commitment” reported among non-Hispanics: 44%.

While Hispanics and non-Hispanics share a common perspective on God (70% describe Him as the all-knowing, all-powerful Creator of the universe who still rules the world today), there are other theological divergences that emerge. Hispanics are comparatively more likely to contend that Satan is not real, that the Holy Spirit is merely a symbol of God’s presence or power, that Jesus Christ committed sins during His tenure on earth, and that if a person does enough good things, he/she can earn a place in Heaven.

Hispanic adults are much less likely than others to be born again. Currently, just 25% of Hispanic adults are considered to be born again, compared to 44% among non-Hispanic adults. Particularly interesting is the fact that the born again proportion has remained unchanged for Hispanics in the past decade, while there has been a small but statistically significant increase among non-Hispanics (from 38% to 44%).

Potential Impact

George Barna, the researcher who directed the study, noted that the theological differences between Hispanics and others are very important. “Hispanics are struggling with the intersection of faith and culture. At the moment, pop culture is affecting their faith views more than their beliefs are impacting their lifestyle choices. The next five years or so will see fascinating dynamics occur as many Hispanics leave the Catholic church in favor of Protestant congregations. Those churches, in turn, will have to address the theological perspectives of these newcomers that are neither evangelical nor fundamentalist in nature. The tension between the excitement of experiencing increased attendance and the challenge of biblically discipling people who are not especially drawn to the Bible will reveal the ministry priorities of those churches. Either the incoming Hispanics will experience life transforming insights that reshape their theology and lifestyle, or the congregations will experience marketing success bought at the price of theological compromise.”

Barna also noted that his research among Hispanic teenagers suggests that growth within charismatic churches will continue to outpace growth elsewhere, and that departing from the Catholic church will be less of a struggle for many Hispanic teens than it has been for their parents and grandparents.

Research Methodology

The data described in this report come from a series of four nationwide telephone surveys conducted by the Barna Research Group from its telephone facility in Ventura, California. In total, 4,038 adults were interviewed, including 468 who described themselves as Hispanic.

Selected Faith Views and Practices of Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Adults

	Hispanics	Non-Hispanics
Consider yourself to be Christian	87%	87%
Church attend most often: Catholic	53%	18%
Church attend most often: mainline Protestant	*	20%
Church attend most often: Baptist	*	20%
Consider yourself to be “absolutely committed to Christianity”	26%	44%
Born again Christian**	25%	44%
Beliefs (4-point scale, “strongly agree”):
Bible is totally accurate in all that it teaches	38%	43%
Satan is not a living being; a symbol of evil	44%	38%
good works can earn eternal salvation	40%	30%
Jesus Christ committed sins	27%	22%
God is the all-knowing, all-powerful Creator of the universe who still rules the world today	70%	70%
sample size	468	3570

* indicates less than ½ of 1%

** indicates “born again” is not based on self-description but on answers to two survey questions, as described in text above.

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Awareness of Spiritual Gifts Is Changing (010205)

The Bible speaks about the followers of Christ receiving special abilities, known as spiritual gifts, to enable them to serve Him more effectively. During the past five years, millions of the nation’s born again adults have changed their views on the gifts. According to two new surveys released by the Barna Research Group, of Ventura, California, a growing number of adult Christians proclaim that God has not given them any spiritual gifts. Meanwhile, a companion survey conducted among the pastors of Protestant churches shows that there has been a substantial shift in the perception of which gifts God has granted them.

Changes Among Adults

Among all adults, seven out of ten (72%) said they had heard of spiritual gifts, a proportion that has remained unchanged since 1995. Among born again adults, the awareness level is somewhat higher: 85% have heard of spiritual gifts, similar to the figure recorded five years ago.

The big change relates to people’s perceptions of what gifts God has given to them. Among born again adults, the percentage that say they have heard of spiritual gifts but do not believe God has given them one jumped from 4% in 1995 to 21% in 2000. The number who say they are not sure if they have a gift, or what it might be, has declined slightly, from 28% five years ago to 20% today.

The specific gifts that people claim God has granted to them has changed relatively little. The most commonly identified gifts among believers were teaching (listed by 9%), gifts and service (9%), faith (6%), discernment (5%), and exhortation and encouragement (5%). Three percent listed leadership as their gift.

One of the startling outcomes, however, was the number and range of gifts listed by born again adults that are not among the spiritual gifts listed in the Bible. Such “gifts” included a sense of humor, listening, patience, a good personality, friendliness, poetry, going to church, being likeable, drawing, survival, observation, and being a good person. In total, several dozen non-gifts were listed. Overall, the survey showed that among born again adults only 30% listed gifts found in the Bible; 8% listed a combination of biblical gifts and non-gifts; 16% listed only attributes that are not found in the Bible; and nearly half (46%) were either unaware of gifts, claimed they did not have one, or did not know the identity of their gift. Overall, about half of all believers (46%) mentioned at least one gift mentioned in the Bible, while about one out of four born again adults (24%) described a gift that is not among those listed in the Bible.

Among the interesting facets of the research was that just 1% of believers claim to have the gift of evangelism (down from 4% five years ago). The research indicated that 6% of the believers interviewed - or 16% of those who listed a gift described in the Bible - had one of the leadership-oriented gifts (i.e., leadership, pastoring, shepherding, apostleship, or administration).

Pastors Have Different Gifts

Compared to a similar survey conducted among Senior Pastors of Protestant churches in 1993, there has been a significant change in how pastors view their spiritual gifts. The biggest shifts have been increases from 52% to 63% in those who claim the gift of teaching; a doubling in the proportion who claim the gift of pastoring or shepherding (from 12% to 28%); a three-fold increase in the gift of prophecy (up from 4% to 13%); discernment, which rose from less than one-half of one percent to 6%; and a doubling of those who claim the gift of leadership (from 6% to 11%). The only gift that experienced a statistically significant decline was mercy (dropping from 8% in 1993 to 2% currently).

One change that occurred in the past seven years among pastors was that a much larger proportion of pastors identified more than one spiritual gifts that they possess. However, like the laity whom they lead, many pastors listed gifts that are not included in the Bible. Some of those “gifts” were having a lot of friends, peace, flexibility, nurture, patience, relationships, empathy, dedication, a sense of humor, ministry, honesty and hard work. Overall, three-quarters of all Protestant pastors (74%) only listed gifts described in the Bible; 19% listed a combination of biblical gifts and non-gifts; and 4% claimed gifts that are not biblical. The remaining 4% said they either have no gifts or were not sure what those gifts are.

The pastors most likely to identify gifts that are not biblical included those who lead mainline churches (double the percentage among other pastors), pastors who serve in rural churches, and those who pastor churches of fewer than 100 regular attenders.

Room for Growth

According to George Barna, who directed the research, the results point out that there is ample room for growth in people’s knowledge - and application - of spiritual gifts. “Imagine what might happen if nearly half of all believers had a clear and firm conviction that God has given them a supernatural ability to serve Him in a specific manner. If more believers understood the nature and potential of that special empowerment, the global impact of the Christian body would be multiplied substantially. One of the functions of the local church is to help believers understand who they are in Christ, and how to live the Christian life more fully. Focusing on spiritual gifts - what they are, who has them, how to discover one’s giftedness, and how to use gifts most appropriately - could ignite a movement of service and influence unlike anything we have experienced during our lifetime.”

The researcher also pointed out that the 425% increase in the percentage of believers who have heard of gifts but claim they do not have one is cause for alarm. “The perception that God has prepared others for special service to His kingdom but has left them out of the process is not just inaccurate, but harmful to the Church. Some believers feel an acute sense of disappointment that they have been spiritually discriminated against, while others use the perception as an excuse to let the gifted believers serve. Educating those ignorant of God’s promise to provide them with special endowments for service could transform the self-perceptions and the personal ministry of millions of believers.”

Barna noted that this emphasis on gifts could enhance the ability of churches to make the most of the opportunities for service that President Bush’s is offering to churches. “The fact that the President is asking faith-based organizations, including churches, to step up to the plate and deliver compassionate outreach challenges churches to identify their resources more clearly and put them to use more effectively. Recognizing people’s giftedness and matching them with the expanding opportunities being made available would further expose non-believers to the true heart of Christ’s followers and the significance of the Church.”

The increase in the number of pastors who view themselves as a leader is a result of two changes in the ministry environment in the past decade. “Since the early Nineties, pastors have heard and read much about the importance of leadership, and have been told at conference after conference that as pastors they are leaders,” explained Barna. “While most Senior Pastors do not necessarily perceive themselves to have the leadership gift, per se, and other research we have completed recently suggests that pastors prefer other ministry functions to that of leadership, the emphasis on this topic has motivated many pastors to view themselves as leaders.” Barna indicated that another reason for the increase is that during the past decade several thousand clergy under the age of 40 have been elevated to the Senior Pastor post, and a higher proportion of those younger pastors claim the gift of leadership than was the case among those who have left the pastorate.

Research Methodology

The data described in this report come from several national surveys conducted by the Barna Research Group. The most recent surveys described were a national study among a random sample of 1003 adults, conducted in June 2000, and a nationwide representative sampling of 601 Senior Pastors of Protestant churches completed in June 2000. The surveys used for comparative purposes were a national random sample survey of 1005 adults conducted in January 1995, and national representative sample of 1044 Protestant Senior Pastors conducted in June 1993. The adult surveys incorporated interviews with 313 born again Christians who had heard of spiritual gifts in 1995, and 373 of those individuals in the 2000 study.

The spiritual gifts are most clearly identified in the Bible in five passages: Romans 12:4-8, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 and 28-31, Ephesians 4:11-13, and 1 Peter 4:10-11.

Knowledge of Spiritual Gifts

	born again adults	Protestant pastors
listed biblical gifts only	30%	74%
listed combination of biblical gifts and other, non-biblical gifts	8	19
listed non-biblical gifts only	16	4
claim they have no gifts or are not sure of their gifts	46	4
sample size	455	601

Spiritual Gifts of Believers and Pastors

	Senior Pastors	born again adults
teaching	63%	9%
pastor/shepherd	28	2
administration	14	2
prophecy	13	2
leadership	11	3
exhortation/encouragement	11	5
evangelism	8	1
discernment	6	5
helps/service	5	9
giving	4	4
healing	3	4
mercy	2	3
hospitality	2	3
faith	2	6
intercession/prayer	2	2
knowledge	2	2
tongues	1	3
interpretation	1	1
>wisdom	1	3
none	1	21
don’t know	4	20

(adult base: have heard of spiritual gifts)

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Worship Tops the List of Important Church-Based Experiences (010219)

If the Christian Church is called to help people know, love and serve God through six foundational faith practices - worship, evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, stewardship and compassionate service - then the aspect that the greatest number of churchgoers embrace is worship. A new survey among a national random sampling of regular church attenders conducted by the Barna Research Group shows that while worship is considered the most important faith venture, many churchgoers struggle to have a consistently positive worship experience - sometimes for reasons of their own making.

Worship Was Top-Rated

Upon examining the pillars of faith practice, the survey revealed that three-quarters of all adults, and 92% of all churched adults, said that it is very important to them to worship God. Next most important to adults were the ability to learn about their faith (63%) and to experience moral and spiritual accountability (59%). Slightly more than half of all adults listed serving the needs of the poor as very important (54%). A minority of adults described each of the other four endeavors as very important: sharing their faith with non-believers (44%), feeling like they belong to a community of faith (41%), donating their time and money to the church (39%) and meeting with other believers (39%).

Among two groups of adults who are more religiously inclined - i.e., those who regularly attend Christian church services and born again Christians - all eight activities were deemed to be very important by a majority.

The study showed that there were significant differences in the perceived importance of some of these spiritual activities according to people’s background attributes. For instance, women were much more likely than men to describe evangelism and worship as very important. Blacks were considerably more likely than whites to say that meeting other Christians, sharing their faith, and serving the needs of the poor were very important. Hispanics were much less likely than whites to deem spiritual accountability and the giving of their time and money to a church to be important. There were even some noteworthy regional differences. Compared to the national average, adults in the West were less likely to define evangelism as very important; those in the Northeast were less likely to say belonging to a faith group was very important; and people in the South were more likely to view evangelism as very important. Baby Busters, the age group covering teenagers through those in their mid-thirties, were notably less likely to describe donating time and money to a church to be very important.

Indicators of Worship Efficacy

Although worship emerged as the most important of the spiritual undertakings tested, a survey among a national random sample of churchgoers shows that most of those adults do not always feel as if they experience the presence of God during church worship events. One-third of church attenders said they always feel they experience God’s presence or interact with Him at church, another one-third say that happens often, and the remaining one-third claimed to have such an experience less frequently. Men had such an experience less often than did women.

Part of the challenge may relate to personal preparation to worship. The study discovered that only four out of ten adults claim to always attend church having prepared themselves for worship. The individuals most likely to ready themselves for worship were women and residents of the Northeast. Similarly, many church attenders do not make worship a daily exercise, but reserve it as a special weekend activity. While two-thirds of all church-going adults (68%) said they always “look forward to worshiping God,” the survey shows that millions of churchgoers struggle to clear their minds to focus on God in worship.

According to George Barna, who directed the studies, many adults find that having a truly worshipful experience is not something they can turn on and turn off at will. “Without giving themselves time to clear their minds and hearts of their daily distractions and other problems, many people attend a worship event but never enter a worshipful frame of mind. A large share of churchgoers do not pray, meditate, confess or focus on God prior to the start of a church worship event. One consequence is that they find it difficult to connect with Him spiritually. Having never been taught much about worship, they find the inability to interact with God on a deeper level frustrating, but don’t know what to do about it.”

Barna also noted that other recent studies he has conducted related to worship have found that churches sometimes inadvertently facilitate worship anxieties and frustrations. Among the challenges fostered by churches are the failure to eliminate unnecessary distractions (e.g., seating late arrivals during the service), discontinuity in the midst of worship (e.g., making program and event announcements during the service), and the failure to position preaching or teaching during the service as an extension of worship rather than a means of instruction.

Personal Spiritual Inventory

The data from the survey of regular churchgoers are drawn from an annual study conducted in relation to a spiritual growth evaluation tool created by Barna Research, the Personal Spiritual Inventory. A simple two-page test that is self-administered, the Inventory enables people to gauge their maturity in core areas of spirituality, to identify whether or not they are growing in those dimensions from year to year, and to determine the areas of spiritual development in which they need to grow. The Personal Spiritual Inventory is used by churches throughout the nation to help congregants focus on personal spiritual maturity and to provide them with an objective means of evaluating their efforts to grow.

Barna noted that one of the unique advantages of the Personal Spiritual Inventory is that there are >National Norms> on the Barna Research Group’s web site that can be accessed by churches that use the Inventory. The value of those averages is that they provide a church with benchmarks against which to compare the spiritual maturity of their congregation.

Learn more about the Personal Spiritual Inventory

Research Methodology

The data described in this report come from two national surveys among adults. The first was a survey of 1017 adults completed in December; the other was a survey among 402 adults who attend church services at a Christian church at least once a month, also conducted during December 2000. Both of these surveys were conducted by the Barna Research Group from its telephone facility in Ventura, California.

Adults Who Describe A Faith Dimension

“Very Important,” By Subgroup

	all adults	gender		born again?		attend church?
FAITH DIMENSION		men	women	yes	no	yes	no
worship	75%	69%	81%	94%	62%	92%	62%
learn about your faith	63	60	66	82	50	79	50
experience moral and spiritual accountability	59	56	62	77	46	72	48
serve the needs of the poor	54	50	59	66	46	67	44
share your faith	44	38	50	69	27	61	31
belong to a faith group	41	37	45	60	27	61	25
meet other people of faith	39	34	43	59	24	56	24
donate your time, money	39	35	43	59	24	58	23

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Annual Study Reveals America Is Spiritually Stagnant (010305)

The only constant in our society is change - unless, that is, you’re studying faith. The annual State of the Church survey, a representative nationwide study of the nation’s faith practices and perspectives by the Barna Research Group of Ventura, California was released today, showing that while Americans remain interested in faith and consider themselves to be religious people, little has changed in relation to the religious practices of Americans in recent years.

Minor Changes in Behavior

In the past twelve months, twelve of the thirteen factors tracked have experienced no change, and one factor underwent a marginal decline. The one behavioral change identified was a four-percentage-point drop in adults who said they had spent time by themselves during the past week praying and reading the Bible or devotional literature (i.e. a “quiet time”).

There was surprisingly little difference in the ten measures that have been tracked in the past five years. Among those behaviors, eight remained stable while just two showed a significant shift - and even those changes were marginal. Specifically, since 1995 there has been a five-point increase in the percentage of adults who say they are “absolutely committed” to the Christian faith, and a five-point drop in the proportion who had attended church in the past seven days.

When the current statistics are compared to those of a decade ago, a greater number of transitions are evident. Five of the seven measures that were examined in 1991 have experienced statistically significant change. Those included a small increase in the percentage of adults who can be classified as “born again” Christians (based upon their beliefs, not self-identification as “born again”), rising from 35% in 1991 to 41% in 2001. The four behaviors that declined in frequency - each measured in terms of participation in the previous week - were Bible reading (down from 45% to 37%); church attendance (down from 49% to 42%); volunteering at church (down from 27% to 20%); and adult Sunday school attendance (down from 23% to 19%).

Born Again Christians Differ

There were ten measures in the 2001 study on which born again Christians and non-Christians could be compared - and on all ten, the Christians were notably different. The most noteworthy distinctions were:

Christians were more than twice as likely as others who attend a Christian church to say they are “absolutely committed” to the Christian faith (71% vs. 28%);

believers were nearly three times as likely to read the Bible during a typical week (60% vs. 22%);

the born again segment was twice as likely to attend church in a typical week (61% vs. 29%);

Christian adults were four times as likely as were non-Christians to attend a Sunday school class (34% vs. 9%);

believers were three times as likely to have attended a small group during the week (28% vs. 9%) and to have volunteered at their church in the past seven days (33% vs. 11%);

born again adults were more than twice as likely as were their non-born again counterparts to have had a “quiet time” during the past week (72% vs. 34%);

In addition adults who were not born again were four times as likely to be unchurched (47% vs. 12%).

In spite of these distinctions, the survey pointed out areas for potential growth within the population of born again adults. For instance, four out of ten born again Christians do not attend church or read the Bible in a typical week, three out of ten say they are not “absolutely committed to the Christian faith” and seven out of ten are not involved in a small group that meets for spiritual purposes. The data also confirmed that there are more than ten million born again Christians who are unchurched. The profile of unchurched adults and their reasons for rejecting the Christian Church - and how they might be attracted back to a local church - is the subject of a recently released book (Re-Churching the Unchurched) by George Barna, the researcher whose firm conducted the national survey.

The Catholic-Protestant Divide

Differences in religious behavior between Catholics and Protestants remain significant. The survey found that both groups have a similar incidence of church attendance and prayer in a typical week, but Protestants are significantly more likely than Catholics to read the Bible (47% vs. 25%), attend a Sunday school class (28% vs. 3%), participate in a small group (22% vs. 9%), have a quiet time (58% vs. 46%), and volunteer at their church (25% vs. 15%) during a typical week. A bare majority of Protestants (53%) described themselves as “absolutely committed to the Christian faith” while only a minority of Catholics made the same claim (39%). Protestants were also somewhat more likely to have shared their faith in Jesus Christ with a non-Christian during the previous year. However, the twelve-point margin (56% vs. 44%) represents a smaller gap than has traditionally been the case.<\P>

Following a long-time trend, Protestants are more than twice as likely as Catholics to be born again Christians (57% vs. 22%). However, about one out of every five Catholics is born again, meaning that one out of every eight born again adults is affiliated with a Catholic church. That leaves Catholics as the second-largest group of born again adults in the U.S., trailing Baptists, but more numerous than born again adults associated with Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopal or Assembly of God churches.

The Generation Gap Persists

People’s age is clearly related to their religious activities. There were two general patterns in relation to faith and age. One trend shows that the younger a person is, the less likely he/she is to engage in the religious behavior being evaluated. For instance, the study showed that 34% of Baby Busters (people ages 18 to 35) say they are “absolutely committed to the Christian faith,” compared to 52% of Baby Boomers (ages 1946-64), 63% of the Builders (ages 55 to 73), and 70% of the Seniors (ages 74 and older). The same pattern exists in connection to reading the Bible and having a quiet time.

A second, even more common age-related pattern was for the three older generations (Seniors, Builders and Boomers) to have similar incidence levels in relation to a particular religious measure, but for Baby Busters to lag significantly behind their elders. Examples of this pattern were evident in relation to prayer, church attendance, and volunteerism. In a similar way, Baby Busters had the highest percentage of unchurched individuals.

Among the surprises regarding the generational data were the low involvement levels of the Baby Busters regarding prayer and small groups. Busters have typically indicated their interest in spirituality and prayer, yet their self-reported participation in prayer (76% within the past week) is considerably lower than that of any other generation (85% among older adults). Similarly, while Busters tend to be the most relational generation and prefer dialogical instructional approaches to lecture-driven methods, only 14% of Busters are currently involved in a small group, compared to 19% of older adults.

One of the most important differences was the percentage of born again Christians by age group. Again, Busters were at the low end of the scale: just one-third of Busters (33%) were born again, compared to 49% of Boomers, 44% of Builders, and 36% of Seniors.

Ethnic Disparities Evident

Age was not the only factor that produced significant differences in people’s spiritual behavior: ethnicity also generated some considerable distinctions. Most notably, whites and blacks had unique profiles. Whites and Hispanics were unexpectedly similar in their faith profiles.

Blacks were much more likely than either whites or Hispanics to read the Bible, pray to God, attend Sunday school, participate in a small group, and have a quiet time during a typical week. Church attendance levels were the same among all three groups, and the likelihood of born again individuals sharing their faith with non-believers was also equivalent across all three of the major ethnic groups.

Hispanic adults were distinct in that they were by far the least likely to say they were “absolutely committed to the Christian faith” - only 30% said so, compared to 51% of blacks and whites. Although blacks and whites had a similar likelihood of being born again, Hispanics had a much lower probability: just 27% of Hispanics were born again, compared to 42% among whites and 45% among blacks. This, of course, is closely related to the fact that a much higher percentage of Hispanics than either whites or blacks are aligned with the Catholic church.

Gender Inequalities

Women proved to be much more spiritually inclined than men in relation to most of the religious measures examined. Females were more likely to say they were absolutely committed to Christianity (10 percentage points higher), read the Bible (+10 points), attend church (+11 points), pray to God (+13 points), participate in a small group (+7 points), and have a quiet time (+14 points). The differences between the two genders were statistically insignificant regarding volunteering at church, attending Sunday school and sharing their faith. Men were much more likely to be unchurched (38% vs. 29%), meaning that they had not attended a church service other than for a special event such as a wedding or funeral at any time in the past six months.

Women were also more likely than were men to be born again by a 45%-to-36% margin.

Distinctions by Region

The comparatively extensive spiritual commitment among residents of the Bible Belt lives on, in spite of the mobility of America’s population and the common information sources that influence our nation. The spiritual zeal of southerners, however, is not as prolific as in the past. Currently, the South outranks the other three regions on six of the thirteen factors, and along with the Midwest, surpasses the spiritual involvement of the Northeast and West on three others.

People in the South are more likely to report being absolutely committed to Christianity, reading the Bible, attending Sunday school, and having a quiet time. They are also more likely to be born again (50% vs. 39% in the rest of the nation) and to be an evangelical (10% vs. 5% in the rest of the country).

On all thirteen of the faith factors tested the lowest ranked region was either the Northeast or the West. The Northeast had the lowest scores regarding the number of people who described themselves as Christians; the percentage who had read the Bible during the past week; and the proportion who were born again (28%). The West fared worst on volunteerism. The two regions shared the honors of coming in last on each of the other nine factors examined.

America Needs a Spiritual Shake-Up

The annual survey produced some other noteworthy insights, according to George Barna, president of the company that conducts the survey. “In a typical week, 41% of the adults attending Christian churches are not born again. Although the figures are substantially higher in Catholic churches, more than one-third of the Protestant church-goers are not born again. Most of those people have been attending Christian churches for years and years, without really understanding the foundations of the Christian faith and its personal implications. You have to wonder if we are sufficiently connected to the people attending our churches to know where they stand spiritually, and sufficiently concerned about their spiritual condition to share the fundamental truths and principles of Christianity in ways they can understand and embrace.”

Barna suggested that the nation seems mired in spiritual complacency. “America certainly did not experience the spiritual revival that many Christians hoped would emerge as the new millennium began. In fact, Americans seem to have become almost inoculated to spiritual events, outreach efforts and the quest for personal spiritual development. There are magnificent exceptions throughout the country, but overall, Christian ministry is stuck in a deep rut. Our research continues to point out the need for behavioral modeling, strategic ministry and a more urgent reliance upon God to change people’s lives. Like the churches of Laodicea and Sardis, described in the Bible as distasteful to God because of their complacency and spiritual deadness, too many Christians and churches in America have traded in spiritual passion for empty rituals, clever methods and mindless practices. The challenge to today’s Church is not methodological. It is a challenge to resuscitate the spiritual passion and fervor of the nation’s Christians.”

Survey Methodology

The data described above are from telephone interviews with a nationwide random sample of 1005 adults. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is ±3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The data for previous years’ surveys was conducted in the same manner, using the same sampling techniques and survey questions, and also based on samples of 1000 or more randomly selected adults.

The State of the Church in America

(based on national random samples of 1000+ adults)

	2001	2000	1996	1991
consider themselves to be Christian	85%	86%	84%	82%
born again Christian	41	41	39	35
evangelical Christian	07	08	09	07
“absolutely committed to the Christian faith”*	49	49	44	NA

activities in the past 7 days:

read the Bible, other than at church	37	40	34	45
attended a church service	42	40	37	49
volunteered at a church	20	21	21	27
prayed to God	82	83	83	NA
attended a Sunday school class	19	19	17	23
participated in a small group that met for religious purposes (Bible, prayer, etc.)	16	17	17	NA
had a private time to pray and read the Bible/devotional literature	49	53	NA	NA
shared faith in Christ during past year**	59	58	NA	NA
unchurched	33	33	27	NA

* indicates asked only of people who said they are “Christian”

** indicates asked only of people who are born again Christians

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Pastors Paid Better, But Attendance Unchanged (010329)

The Protestant churches of America are more numerous and are raising record amounts of cash each year, but attendance remains mired at its lowest point in the past decade according to a newly released survey conducted by the Barna Research Group of Ventura, California. The study also revealed that the compensation package of the typical pastor now exceeds $38,000, marking nearly a 9% increase over 1999 compensation levels.

In its annual survey of the Senior Pastors of Protestant congregations, the Barna study explored attendance, budgets, staffing, theological leanings, pastoral compensation, and the background of pastors and youth programs. While most of the data reflect the consistent nature of church life, the survey also brought to light several surprises.

Church Attendance Stuck

The average number of adults attending services at a Protestant church during a typical week remains stuck at 90, the same total as measured in the prior year’s study. This reflects a 10% decline from the 1997 level (100 adults), and a 12% drop from 1992.

Church attendance was highest in the South, where the typical church has 100 adults who show up, while the lowest figures were recorded in the Northeast and West, each region averaging 80 adults. The Midwest fell in the middle, with 90 adults participating in a typical week.

Churches associated with charismatic denominations (such as Assembly of God, United Pentecostal or Foursquare) had the lowest average turnout (80), while black congregations had the highest median attendance (120). Mainline churches were above the norm (98), as were churches described as “seeker-driven” (100). Baptist churches, which comprise the most prolific category of churches in America, were consistent with the national average (90).

The survey also revealed an intriguing anomaly. While churches affiliated with a charismatic denomination attract an average of just 80 adults, churches that describe themselves as charismatic but are not aligned with a charismatic denomination attract more adults than the national average or the norm for charismatic churches. Those churches – a combination of mainline, independent and evangelical congregations – average 150 adults per week, which is nearly 90% more than denominational charismatic churches.

Money for Ministry

The typical operating budget of Protestant churches for the past year was $115,000. That is about $5,000 higher than the previous year, and represents a rise that slightly exceeds the increase attributable to cost-of-living jump. The figures exclude funds donated to special funds, such as building campaigns.

The churches that have the largest operating budgets were those in the South (median: $130,000), while the smallest budgets were found among churches in the Midwest ($96,000). On a per capita basis, churches in the West received the highest amount of funding, while churches in the Midwest garnered the smallest per capita giving.

Pastoral Compensation Hits Record Level

The median value of pastoral compensation for America’s Senior Pastors is presently $38,214. (Pastoral compensation is a mixture of salary and benefits, such as housing allowance, car allowance, insurance, and retirement payments. Current laws make it advantageous for pastors to receive part of their compensation as housing and auto allowances, thereby reducing their taxable income.) That is a 19% increase since 1992 – significant in dollars, but still lagging inflation during that period. In other words, despite the rise in compensation, pastors effectively earn less today, based on constant dollars, than they earned a decade ago.

The highest-paid pastors are those serving the largest congregations: for instance, the median income among pastors whose church has more than 250 adult attenders is $56,429 annually. (Recognize that these churches represent less than one-tenth of the Protestant congregations in the country.) Pastors of churches with less than 100 adults earn, on average, just $29,808 annually.

Other pastors whose income is above average for the profession include those leading mainline congregations ($41,364), seminary graduates ($42,083), pastors with more than 10 years of experience in full-time ministry ($42,035), and those leading a congregation in the West ($40,313).

Among the lowest-paid pastors are those serving churches in charismatic denominations ($36,591) as well as those pastoring black congregations ($36,875). Other low-paid segments included pastors who have been in full-time ministry less than five years ($35,667), Baby Busters – those under age 36 ($33,438), and pastors who have not graduated from seminary ($31,500).

There were two other patterns worthy of note. First, Senior Pastors in suburban ($42,500) and urban ($42,424) churches earned more than their counterparts who lead rural congregations ($33,456). Second, Internet use among pastors seems to be related to income: pastors who use the Internet ($40,694) earned substantially more, on average, than did those who were not online ($28,846).

George Barna, who directed the study, also pointed out that clergy compensation is especially noteworthy because more than two-thirds of all Senior Pastors have a graduate-level degree. Other professionals with that level of education earn average salaries over $60,000 or more, depending upon their profession. He pointed out that many church-goers, however, expect their pastor to earn less than the national average because they are involved in ministry, regardless of their school loans and family obligations. Pastors who have a seminary degree receive an average compensation package of $42,083 – significantly above the average for pastors without a seminary degree ($31,500), but notably below the national norm for professionals with advanced degrees.

Senior pastors with seminary degrees represent two-thirds of the pastors in the Northeast (67%) but just half of those in the West (49%). Such degrees are most common among mainline pastors (89%) but unusual among pastors of churches associated with charismatic denominations (29%) or black churches (48%).

Pastoral Profile

The demographic profile of Protestant pastors has changed little during the past decade. Most pastors are male (95%), married (94%), have graduated from seminary (60%). Relatively few (13%) have ever been divorced – half the rate among their parishioners. The median age of pastors is 49. On average, they have been in full-time ministry for 17 years, and have been pastoring their current church for 5 years.

While some churches have bi-vocational pastors (i.e. they receive their income from an outside job, pastoring the church without pay) or part-time pastors, 87% of Protestant churches have full-time, paid pastors. However, only one out of every four churches has more than one pastor on the payroll. Often, when a church has multiple pastors, a youth pastor is among those paid for ministry. Even so, just one out of every five Protestant churches (19%) has a full-time, paid youth pastor. This reflects the limited number of teenagers who attend the average church: 15. Full-time, paid youth pastors are least common in the Northeast and in black congregations. Less than one out of every twenty Protestant churches has a youth ministry that attracts 100 or more teenagers.

Most Senior Pastors say they have the spiritual gift of preaching or teaching (63%). No other gift is mentioned by half as many pastors. Other gifts named by significant numbers of pastors included pastoring (28%), administration (13%), prophecy (13%), leadership (11%), evangelism (8%). Leadership was most likely to be identified by pastors serving in the West (18%), by those in Baptist churches (15%), and by pastors under age 35 (22%). The leadership gift was least likely to be claimed by pastors in the South (9%), those in mainline congregations (9%), and by pastors over the age of 50 (9%).

Interestingly, Baby Boomers (the group born between 1946 and 1964) now dominate the pastorate. Among all adults in the country, Boomers represent nearly four out of every ten adults. However, Boomers now hold 61% of all Senior Pastor positions in the nation. Their predecessors, the Baby Busters (born 1965 to 1983), constitute about one-third of the adult population, but currently fill just 7% of the pastorates in America.

Theological Leanings

Most pastors describe their church as “evangelical” (83%) and as “theologically conservative” (79%). While a majority says theirs is “seeker-sensitive” (54%), only one-third say their church is “seeker-driven” (34%). Four out of ten claim their congregation is “fundamentalist” (40%), while lesser proportions claim the descriptions “charismatic” (23%), “Pentecostal” (22%), or “theologically liberal” (13%).

Mainline churches – with the exception of United Methodist and American Baptist churches – comprise the bulk of the congregations that adopt the label “theologically liberal.” (Most United Methodist and American Baptist embrace the term “evangelical” and are much more likely to say they are theologically conservative than liberal in their doctrinal stance.)

Among the churches that claim to be “seeker-driven” nearly half are located in the South and about half describe themselves as “fundamentalist.”

Survey Methodology

The data described above are from telephone interviews conducted in July and August of 2000 among a nationwide random sample of 601 Senior Pastors of Protestant churches located within the 48 continental states. The sample was balanced nationally according to the incidence of denominational affiliation, with a random selection of churches chosen within each denomination. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

Church Statistics, 1992-2000

	2000	1999	1992
adult attendance at Protestant churches	90	90	102
annual church operating budget ($000)	115	110	82.1
median pastoral compensation package ($000)	38.2	35.2	32.0

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Researcher Predicts Mounting Challenges to Christian Church (010416)

According to researcher George Barna, the Christian Church is struggling to influence the nation’s culture because “believers think of themselves as individuals first, Americans second, and Christians third. Until that prioritization is rearranged, the Church will continue to lose influence, and biblical principles will represent simply one more option among the numerous worldviews that Americans may choose from.”

Barna’s comments were made during an interview regarding his newest book, Boiling Point (published by Regal Books, Ventura, CA) that examines the nation’s current cultural condition and projects what life will be like a decade from now. Barna explained that he and co-author Mark Hatch wrote the book to help Christians anticipate the future and have a greater potential for directing the flow of the culture, rather than to be surprised and influenced by it.

Demographic Shifts

Barna noted that the continued growth of our nation’s population will bring numerous ministry challenges. His book identifies a series of trends that will require new ministry strategies. For instance, the United States will have the world’s third-largest population of senior citizens by 2010; a college education will increasingly be treated as the minimum credential for jobs that transcend the minimum wage, yet the cost of receiving a Bachelor’s degree from a private college will average more than $150,000; crime rates will rise throughout this decade; and racial animosity and race-related violence will escalate in the next decade.

Barna’s work also underscores the growing generation gap that has led Americans to define themselves in relation to how they differ from others rather than on the basis of shared attributes. The book outlines more than three-dozen dimensions on which the five generations in America differ. As examples, the author cited reactions to authority (older Americans accept it, Boomers want to control it, Busters ignore it), handling contradictions (elder citizens ignore them, Boomers strive to solve them, Busters appreciate them), and life fears (uselessness worries Seniors; Boomers fear being out of control and powerless; while Busters are troubled by emotional abandonment). Understanding the generational distinctions and perspectives will be critical toward developing viable ministry strategies and communities of faith, according to Barna.

Moral and Spiritual Anarchy

In a previous book, Barna warned that America was rapidly devolving into a society beset by moral anarchy. In his new volume he flatly states that moral anarchy has arrived and rules our culture today. The argument hinges on a substantial amount of attitudinal and behavioral evidence: record bankruptcy levels, frivolous lawsuits, the rapid growth of the pornography industry, highway speeding as the norm, income tax cheating, computer hacking and viruses, rising levels of white collar crime, rampant copyright violations (movies, books, recordings), terrorism and intimidation tactics, Net-based plagiarism, emotional comfort with lying and cheating, increasing rates of co-habitation and adultery, and so forth.

Moreover, in Boiling Point Barna takes the argument farther and suggests that the United States is now in a state of spiritual anarchy as well. He mentioned that millions of people’s faith activity is no longer affected by parameters such as church loyalty, respect for clergy, acceptance of absolutes, tolerance of Christianity, reverence for God, a desire to strive for personal holiness, sensitivity to theological heresy, and appreciation of tradition. The rejection of these elements has created a void that has been filled by the customized spirituality that lacks biblical moorings.

Future Faith

Virtually every dimension of people’s lifestyles is undergoing serious transitions, and the faith arena is clearly no exception. In one chapter, the religious researcher describes forthcoming models of churches, ranging from house churches and the cyberchurch to faith communes and marketplace affinity groupings. Barna predicts that the fastest growth during the coming decade will be among various non-Christian faith groups, while one of the dominant trends within the Christian community will be that of ecumenism. The California-based author acknowledged the widespread awareness of megachurches, but foresees a cooling down of the public’s appetite for large congregations, predicting a growing fondness for mid-sized congregations.

Providing a wealth of statistics from his national studies, Barna also pointed out that the spiritual beliefs of Christians are continuing to stray from biblical teaching. Among the specific beliefs alluded to in the book are the majorities who believe that the Bible teaches “God helps those who help themselves,” that the Holy Spirit is a symbol of God’s power and presence but not a living entity, that Satan does not exist, and that there are many paths by which a person may experience eternal salvation.

Technology Rules

As the U.S. continues to shift into a service-based, information-rich, technology-driven economy, the signs point to every aspect of people’s lives being substantially reshaped by new advances in technology, medicine and communications. Barna projects coming changes such as a proliferation of smart houses, widespread acceptance of electronic money, global competition for local jobs, ubiquitous computing, real-time language translation software, the harvesting of body parts, gene therapy, chip implants, and life span expansion through genetic manipulation.

Based on his research, Barna suggested that among the numerous changes resulting from impending technologies, ministries will have to reconsider their event scheduling. “In a 24/7 world, Sunday at 11:00 a.m. simply won’t work for many people. Similarly, anchoring a church’s ministry offerings to a physical ministry campus won’t work for increasing numbers of Americans. Flexibility and creativity will be crucial ingredients to successful ministries in the future.”

Challenge to Christians

When asked why he and Hatch wrote the book, Barna replied, “We hope it will serve as an informative wake-up call to believers. The Christian Church is losing influence. Non-believers are unimpressed by sermons and events; they want to see what difference faith has made in our lives - and they are struggling to see that impact. If Christianity is to represent a viable and compelling alternative to the prevalent options available in our society today, then believers must model its application and effect for others.”

Barna also hopes the book will encourage Christians. “Realize that as difficult as it is for a Christian to demonstrate authentic Christianity, non-Christians are struggling with the same issues, pressures, concerns and challenges - but without a viable faith perspective to guide them. Christians have an incredible opportunity to help Americans face a daunting future with confidence and joy by showing the fruit of applied biblical truths and principles. But we cannot be effective unless we understand our context and boldly lead our culture to a higher plane.”

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Most Americans Are Concerned About the Nation’s Moral Condition (010430)

Americans have recently been battered by a variety of crises, threats and concerns. U.S. relations with China in the wake of the downed surveillance aircraft, the bombing of Iraq, riots in Cincinnati, rising gasoline prices, insufficient energy in the western states, and the faltering economy have caused many Americans to fret about the days to come. In fact, a national survey of adults by the Barna Research Group (Ventura, CA) reveals that two out of every three (65%) are concerned about the future. One of the significant reasons for that discomfort is the perceived America’s moral standing. Three out of four adults (74%) reported that they are presently concerned about the moral condition of the United States.

Concern Is Widespread

The survey data show that this anxiety spans all segments of the nation’s population: a majority of people from each of the three dozen demographic subgroups examined shares such concern. The segments which demonstrated the highest levels of concern about moral ideals and behavior were women (80% said they are concerned), people 55 and older (80%), residents of the South (80%), and Republicans (84%).

The survey indicated that the younger a person was, the less likely he/she was to harbor concern about the national morality. However, even among the Baby Busters - the generation including those of ages 17 to 35, and often described as “post-modern” or even “post-Christian” - a substantial majority (67%) registered their concern.

Religious Leanings Affect Concern

One of the most striking findings related to the religious orientation and involvement of adults. The more deeply committed to the Christian faith an adult was, the more likely he/she was to express concern about the moral condition of the U.S. In fact, the only subgroup of the eighty that were studied for which a minority noted their concern regarding existing morality was atheists. While just 6% of all adults deem themselves to be atheists, only 41% of that group is worried about the nation’s moral condition. In contrast, 56% of adults who are associated with a non-Christian faith group expressed concern; 68% of those who are associated with the Christian faith but are not born again were concerned about our moral standing; 89% of the born again population indicated concern; and 92% of evangelicals noted their concern.

Similarly, the more involved in personal faith practices an individual was, the more likely they were to have concerns. People who had read the Bible during the week before the survey were 32% more likely than those who had not to be concerned. Adults who had attended a religious service during the preceding week were 20% more likely to harbor concerns than were individuals who had not attended such an event, while those who had prayed to God during the prior week were 47% more likely to be concerned than were those who had not prayed.

Even within the Christian community differences in concern were evident. For instance, 73% of Catholics said they were concerned about the country’s moral condition, compared to 80% of Protestants. Among the Protestants, a larger proportion of those attending non-mainline congregations cited concern than did those aligned with a mainline church (83% versus 76%, respectively).

Changing the Climate Requires Moral Leadership

The impetus to examine people’s level of concern about American morality arose from the background research undertaken by George Barna, whose recent book, Boiling Point, explores the changes U.S. is experiencing and where the nation is headed during this decade. In his analysis of the culture, Barna brazenly describes the U.S. as being immersed in both “moral and spiritual anarchy.” To illustrate the point, he lists more than a dozen common examples of moral anarchy as well as various forms of spiritual anarchy.

The fact that three out of four adults are disturbed by the moral conditions of the nation is an important indication that Americans are struggling with moral fatigue and confusion, according to Barna. “People’s faith commitment impacts their moral perspectives. There is a clear relationship between a deep Christian commitment and serious concern about the moral state of America. But people are seeking more than mere public awareness or outrage over the moral demise of the nation. Amidst the confusion as to what constitutes moral behavior and how to regain a sense of societal decency, people are actively seeking moral leadership.”

Barna suggested that leaders who operate from a genuine conviction about moral standards and behavior have a window of opportunity to exploit. “Our research shows that there are few true heroes in our society anymore,” he explained. “People cannot name individuals who provide our nation with compelling moral leadership. There is a growing public hunger for leadership that transcends personal gain, economic progress or political advantage. Americans want leaders who reflect distinguished character and are devoted to a vision of a culture that transcends rampant selfishness and total disrespect. Many Americans are burning out on radical individualism and nihilism. Millions of people are yearning for leaders who will rebuild our society on compassion, decency, authenticity, and character. Millions of citizens are fatigued from the endless posturing, positioning and games played by leaders. This is one of those moments in history when genuine, fervent leaders of righteous character and with a vision to foster higher ideals can galvanize the public will for a better society. The big question is whether those who are capable of providing moral leadership are willing to pay the personal price to redirect the heart of the nation.”

Survey Methodology

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More Americans Are Seeking Net-Based Faith Experiences (010521)

You can buy books on the Internet, strike up relationships on the Internet and a growing proportion of the population are experiencing God in cyberspace, as well. A new study released by the Barna Research Group, of Ventura, California, indicates that among the growing number of Americans who use the Internet, millions are turning to the digital dimension to get them in touch with God and others who pursue faith matters. The report projects that within this decade as many as 50 million individuals may rely solely upon the Internet to provide all of their faith-based experiences.

Among the findings of the studies described in the report is that born again and evangelical Christians are every bit as likely as non-Christians to use the digital superhighway. Catholics and mainline Protestants are slightly more likely to use the Internet than are Baptists and Protestants who attend non-mainline churches. Adults who are affiliated with a faith group other than Christianity have one of the highest concentrations of Net usage (85%). Adults use the Internet for a wide variety of activities, regardless of their faith commitments. The most universal value of the Internet is to find information, but other common uses include maintaining existing relationships, buying products, and previewing new media.

Religion on the Internet

Presently, 8% of adults and 12% of teenagers use the Internet for religious or spiritual experiences. This application rated eighth among the eight possibilities explored. Less than 1% of all adults and just 2% of teens currently use the Internet as a substitute for a physical-church. Most people indicated that they do not expect to replace their involvement in a bricks-and-mortar faith experience with a Net-based faith experience.

However, the Barna study also found that people are in the early stages of warming up to the idea of cyberfaith. When people were asked about their likely future use of the Internet to seek or engage in specific types of religious experiences, more than two-thirds indicated that they were likely to engage in such pursuits on a regular basis as the decade progresses. Among the Net-based religious endeavors deemed most appealing were listening to archived religious teaching, reading online “devotionals,” and buying religious products and resources online.

In fact, if the research projections hold true, even the least appealing of the 11 Net-based faith alternatives tested (online worship) would likely attract some 30 to 35 million adults. The most attractive option (listening to religious teaching online) would likely draw more than 100 million adults.

Of special importance was the finding that teenagers have a very different profile of cyberfaith interests than do their elders. Activities such as reading devotional passages online and submitting prayer requests were of much greater interest to younger people.

Hispanics and blacks have a far greater level of hope and trust relative to the cyberchurch than do white adults. Other population segments that are more willing to give the Internet a try in regard to significant faith dimensions are men and people under the age of 35.

Pastors and the Cyberchurch

While few clergy consider themselves to be computer experts or cutting edge technologically, more than nine out of ten Senior Pastors use a computer at home or at the church. They tend to use computers mainly for communications and study, with word processing clearly the dominant application.

Four-fifths of all Protestant Senior Pastors have access to the Internet, while about half pastors gain entry to the Internet daily. Pastors use the Internet differently than do those whom they serve. While most pastors and laity utilize the Internet for research and information, pastors are more likely than others to maintain friendships, buy products, and have religious experiences on the Net. Pastors are less likely to use it to explore new media products, play online video games, or participate in chat rooms.

Church Websites

One out of every three Protestant churches has a website – a total of about 110,000 Protestant congregations that have a digital presence. Expansion will proceed at a moderately brisk pace: among the two-thirds of churches that do not presently have a website, 19% say they definitely will have one within the next 12 months, representing another 40,000 or so congregations that are preparing to go online in the coming year. Overall about half of the churches that do not have a website now are not planning to add one in the future. That represents about one-third of all Protestant churches who are expected to ignore the Internet in the coming five years.

The research also showed that the content of church websites varies tremendously. The most common content includes scheduled activities at the church, background information about the church, and current church news. There were no other specific elements that were included online by more than one out of every six churches. Most church websites are developed and maintained predominantly for the use of congregants, although pastors are most likely to say that the target audience was people from outside their church.

Struggles With Technology

George Barna, who directed the study for The Barna Institute, explained that numerous changes in people’s faith experience will emerge in the next few years. “By the end of the decade we will have in excess of ten percent of our population who rely upon the Internet for their entire spiritual experience. Some of them will be individuals who have not had a connection with a faith community, but millions of others will be people who drop out of the physical church in favor of the cyberchurch.” The researcher also stated that virtually every dimension of the faith community will be influenced by online faith developments. “We will have an explosion of self-produced and self-marketed worship music as an outgrowth of sophisticated and affordable digital technology that turns an artist into a full-fledged recording company, including the ability to directly and inexpensively market those products to the millions of consumers on the Internet. Within churches we will see e-mail broadcasting, theological chats, online meetings, broadcasts to congregants who are immobile, live webcasting of mission trips via webcams, and 24/7 ministry training from the best trainers and educators in the world.”

Barna also noted that there will be numerous challenges to churches and faith communities because of the developments in technology. “We found that born again Christians already spend twice as much money on consumer electronics each year as they donate to their church. Believers currently spend seven times more hours each week watching television than they devote to all of their spiritual ventures combined. Christian Internet users already spend more surfing the Net than they do communicating with God through prayer. Clearly, there are many issues related to time management and personal priorities that must be addressed. The Internet did not cause such dilemmas and weaknesses, but its growing significance in people’s lives does magnify the challenges.”

Availability of the Report

For those who wish to read the entire study, which includes the data from nationwide surveys with representative samples of teenagers, adults and Protestant pastors, copies of the Cyberchurch report are now available for purchase. The copyrighted analysis can be obtained directly from the Barna Research Group, either online (www.barna.org) or via telephone (1-800-552-2762). The cost of the report is $450 if purchased before June 10. If purchased after June 10, 2001 the cost will be $500 plus shipping charges.

Survey Methodology

The data described in the research report are based upon three national surveys conducted by Barna Research Group during the last half of 2000. A random sample of 1017 adults was conducted in November. A national random sample of 605 teenagers was conducted in September. The national random sample of 604 Protestant pastors was conducted during November and December. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample of adults is ±3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level; the margin of error for the samples of teenagers and pastors is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence interval.

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Churches Lose Financial Ground in 2000 (010605)

The stock market wasn’t the only institution that took a dive financially in 2000. The Barna Research Group’s annual survey of giving to non-profit organizations, churches and non-church religious organizations shows that support levels dropped significantly in the past year. While the vast majority of Americans remain donors, and churches receive a majority of people’s donations, people’s loyalty to churches has been declining for several years, according to the newly released figures.

Overall Giving Dips

The Barna survey found that more than three-quarters of all adults (78%) donated money to a non-profit organization or a church in 2000. That represents a six percentage-point decline from the previous year, and a nine-point drop from 1998, when 87% of all adults had donated funds.

Americans remain the most generous people on earth, giving away about $100 billion each year. However, the average giving per person plummeted by 15% in 2000 to a mean of $886. In comparison, the mean in 1998 was $1377, a drop of more than one-third in just the past two years. Even among born again Christians there was a 16% decline in dollars contributed to all non-profits and churches in 2000.

Giving to Churches Falters

Churches remain the organizations most likely to receive financial support from individuals. Of all the donations given to charities, churches and other non-profit organizations last year, the Barna survey estimated that about six out of every ten dollars given to any non-profit entities went to churches.

In 2000, six out of ten adults (61%) gave money to one or more churches, a small decline from the prior two years (66%). The average church donor contributed a mean of $649 to churches last year, down from $806 the prior year.

Born again Christians were far more generous than the average church supporter. Born again adults, who constitute four out of every ten adults, were more likely than others to give to a church: 77% did so in 2000, although that figure was also lower than the prior year’s figure (84%). The average cumulative donations of born again adults to churches totaled $1166 last year – 80% more than the average adult gave, but still some 19% lower than a year ago. (Born again Christians, for the purposes of this survey, are defined based upon a person’s religious beliefs, not their self-identification as a born again. A more complete description of the definition of born again Christian can be found in the Survey Methodology.)

The most generous group of church donors are evangelicals, the small subset of the born again population who are just 7% of the national adult population. (For survey purposes, evangelicals are not self-defined but are classified according to nine specific religious beliefs they possess. See the notes at the end of this report for a description of evangelicals.) Not only did a higher proportion of evangelicals give to churches (81%), but their average aggregate giving to churches exceeded the two-thousand-dollar mark ($2097).

Tithing Is Rare

While many Christian churches teach the biblical principle of tithing – that is, giving 10% of one’s income to the church – relatively few people follow the practice. One out of every six adults (17%) claims to tithe, but a comparison of the amount that people gave to churches and their household income revealed that just 6% actually donated one-tenth of their income (pre-tax or post-tax) to churches. The level of misreporting among born again Christians was just as prolific: 32% reported tithing, yet only 12% actually did so in 2000.

Even so, born again Christians were about four times more likely than were non-born again adults to tithe (12% vs. 3%, respectively). The Barna survey also discovered that a large proportion of adults claim to be interested in tithing in the future. Two out of every five born again adults who admitted to not currently tithing stated that they hoped to do so in the future, with the remaining one out of five indicating no interest in or intent to tithe in the future.

Parachurch Giving Is Significant

Slightly more than one-third of all Americans (36%) reported giving money to a religious organization, other than a church or worship center, in the past year. The average per capita amount given to such organizations by those donors was $176. The Barna survey estimated the aggregate giving to such organizations to be near $9 billion.

Adults who were more deeply involved in communities of faith and in ministry activity gave even greater amounts to parachurch organizations. About half of all born again adults (47%) gave to a parachurch ministry in 2000, offering an average total of $264 to such entities. Evangelicals were, again, the most supportive of such efforts. Overall, two-thirds (63%) gave to such work, averaging $502 in gifts beyond their church donations.

Challenges for the Future

Assessing the outcomes of the annual giving survey, George Barna, president of the company that conducts the study, noted several significant challenges facing churches. “Two major trends are in force. First, the Baby Bust generation, which includes adults in their twenties through mid-thirties, barely gives to churches or religious causes. Second, their predecessors, the Baby Boomers, who are in their mid-thirties to mid-fifties, are generous donors but simply do not assume that they ought to give to churches. They are value-donors, giving to organizations that they perceive to be providing personal benefits or significant, unduplicated value to society. As these two generations become more prolific within churches, their tendency to give less to churches will challenge ministries to reconceptualize their budgeting, fundraising and planning practices.”

Barna also pointed out that some of the fastest-growing segments of our population are among those least likely to fund churchwork. “Hispanics, now the second largest ethnic group in America and still rapidly growing, only give 39% as much to churches as does the average adult. Americans who have never been married give just one-third as much to churches as does the typical American. The growth of these groups – and their reluctance to support churches – is a reminder that traditional views about the importance of giving to churches are absent in the minds of a growing proportion of the non-traditional populations in our country.”

Survey Methodology

Giving Patterns Change in America

	2000	1999	1998
Percentage of adults who donated to non-profits, churches	78%	84%	87%
Mean per capita giving to non-profits, churches	$886	$1045	$1377
Percentage of adults who donated to churches	61%	66%	66%
Mean per capita giving to churches	$649	$806	$750
Percentage of adults who donated to parachurch non-profits	36%	NA	NA
Mean per capita giving to parachurch non-profits	$176	NA	NA

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Religious Beliefs Vary Widely By Denomination (010625)

In the land of tolerance and diversity, it turns out that there is very considerable diversity within the Christian community regarding core beliefs. A study of more than 6000 randomly-sampled adults by the Barna Research Group provides some surprising - and, in some ways, shocking - insights into the views of laity in various denominations.

Nationally, in terms of religious classification, about four out of every ten U.S. adults are born again Christians and 8% are evangelicals (which is a subset of the born again segment). In terms of denominational affiliation, one-quarter of Americans are Catholic and a majority (three out of every five) are aligned with a Protestant church. Within that general framework, though, lies some fascinating distinctions.

The Born Again Constituency

Among the 12 largest denominational groupings in the country, the number of individuals who can be classified as born again - not based upon self-report but upon their beliefs about life after death - ranges from a high of 81% among the Assemblies of God to a low of 25% among Catholics. There was a clear-cut pattern within the data: adults who attend charismatic and non-denominational (Protestant) churches emerged at the top of the continuum, while those attending Catholic or mainline churches ranked at the bottom. The types of churches that have the highest percentages of born again believers, after the Assemblies of God, were other Pentecostal churches (80%), non-denominational Protestant churches (76%), and Baptist churches (67%).

One of the most startling revelations is that the percentage of Mormons who have born again beliefs is higher than the percentage of born again believers within either the Episcopal or Catholic churches. In total, 34% of the adults who attend a Mormon church say they have made a personal commitment to Christ that is important in their life today and also say that when they die they know they will go to Heaven solely because they have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. In contrast, the same perspective is held by just 30% in the Episcopal church and 25% within Catholic parishes.

George Barna, president of the research firm that conducted the research, noted, “It is important to remember that we are not reporting the official teachings of these churches. The data reflect what the people within those churches believe. If nothing else, this outcome highlights the substantial theological shift that has been altering the nature of the Episcopal church, in particular, as well as other Christian churches, in recent years.”

Within the two largest mainline churches, slightly less than half of their adherents were born again. Forty nine percent of those who attend Methodist churches fit the born again classification, as did 48% of those aligned with a Lutheran church.

The study also showed that during the last five years there has been substantial growth in the percentage of born again adults in four of the twelve groups examined: Mormons (a 26% increase), Presbyterians (+26%), Protestant non-denominationals (+12%) and Methodists (+11%). The percentage of born again adults remained relatively unchanged in the other eight denominations.

Belief by Belief

Besides people’s views about their own ultimate eternal destiny the study also evaluated people’s opinions related to eight faith-related perspectives. A similar pattern emerged, showing that individuals associated with charismatic or non-denominational congregations were more likely than adults from other types of churches to possess biblical views on each item.

Given the statement “the Bible is totally accurate in all that it teaches,” strong agreement with that view ranged from four out of five among those who attend a charismatic or Pentecostal church down to just one out of five Episcopalians. Nationally, less than half of all adults (41%) believe the Bible is totally accurate in all it teaches.

Most Americans do not accept evangelism as a personal responsibility: only one-third (32%) claim they have an obligation to share their religious faith with those who believe differently. Acceptance of that responsibility was most widely adopted by those who attend Pentecostal churches (73%) and least widely accepted among Episcopalians (12%) and Catholics (17%).

The notion that Satan, or the devil, is a real being who can influence people’s lives is regarded as hogwash by most Americans. Only one-quarter (27%) strongly believes that Satan is real while a majority argues that he is merely a symbol of evil. Mormons are the group most likely to accept the reality of Satan’s existence (59%) while Catholics, Episcopalians and Methodists are the least likely (just one-fifth).

There is a huge gap across denominations in relation to what their adherents believe about eternal salvation. Just three out of every ten Americans embrace the traditional Protestant perspective that good works cannot earn a person salvation, but that salvation is a gift of God through the atoning death of Jesus Christ. People attending Pentecostal, Assemblies of God and Protestant non-denominational churches are most likely to share this view (about six out of ten do so) while Catholics are least likely (9%).

One of the most remarkable insights into America’s faith is the fact that less than half of all adults (40%) are convinced that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life during His three decades on earth. Following the established pattern, the people most likely to describe Jesus’ life as sinless were those who attend Pentecostal and Assemblies of God churches, as well as Mormons, while those least likely to view Jesus as sinless attend Episcopal, Catholic and Lutheran churches.

Seven out of ten Americans perceive God to be “the all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect creator of the universe who still rules the world today.” This view received near universal adoption among Assemblies attenders (96%), but was accepted by a much smaller majority of Episcopalians (59%).

When individuals were asked to estimate their level of commitment to Christianity, those who were most likely to say they are “absolutely committed” were associated with Pentecostal, Assemblies of God and Protestant non-denominational churches, representing about two-thirds of the participants of those churches. The lowest levels of commitment were shown among those affiliated with Catholic, Episcopal, and Lutheran churches.

People’s Beliefs Vary by Denomination

When seven theological perspectives are combined to determine the overall purity of people’s biblical perspectives, the ranking of the twelve denominations shows three groups far outpacing the rest of the pack, with two far below all others. At the top of the list were people who attend Pentecostal churches (who had a firm biblical view on the seven items 72% of the time), Assemblies of God (72%), and non-denominational Protestant (65%) churches. The next echelon included people who attend Baptist (57% accuracy) and Church of Christ (54%) churches. In the lower portion of the standings were those aligned with Mormon (49%) Adventist (48%), Presbyterian (43%), Methodist (38%), and Lutheran (37%) churches. Lowest on the continuum were people affiliated with Catholic (28%) and Episcopal (28%) churches.

Evangelicals Are Scarce

All Barna Research studies define “evangelicals” as individuals who meet the born again criteria; say their faith is very important in their life today; believe they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians; acknowledge the existence of Satan; contend that eternal salvation is possible only through God’s grace, not through good deeds; believe that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and describe God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today. In this approach, being classified as an evangelical has no relationship to church affiliation or attendance, nor does it rely upon people describing themselves as “evangelical.”

This classification model indicates that only 8% of adults are evangelicals. Barna Research data show that 12% of adults were evangelicals a decade ago, but the number has dropped by a third as Americans continue to reshape their theological views.

Not surprisingly, there were only three denominations that had at least one-quarter of their adherents qualify as evangelicals: the Assemblies of God (33%), non-denominational Protestant (29%), and Pentecostal (27%) churches. One out of every seven Baptists (14%) met the evangelical classification. An unexpectedly high proportion of people associated with the Churches of Christ - 12% - fit this standard. (Barna explained that this was because a majority of the category was comprised of individuals associated with congregations not part of the United Church of Christ cluster, which tends to have very liberal interpretations of Scripture.) Churches that have the lowest proportion of adherents meeting the evangelical criteria were the Catholic, Episcopal, and Mormon churches, each of which has just 1% of its people in this category.

The Protestant-Catholic Gap

The theological differences between Protestant and Catholic laity are pronounced on many issues, but the gap appears to be closing in some areas. Looking at the seven core theological perspectives tested in the research, the difference between Catholics and those attending the largest of the mainline churches (i.e., Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian and Episcopal) is negligible on most of the seven views. The gaps that are the most noteworthy pertain to views on salvation. Catholics remain much more likely to see good deeds as necessary to attain eternal salvation, but even so, a majority of mainline adherents do not rely solely upon God’s grace for their salvation.

The study noted that Catholics comprise about one out of every seven born again Christians in the nation (13%). In contrast, Baptists represent twice as many of the born again believers living in the U.S. (28%) while attenders of mainline congregations constitute about one out of every five born again adults. Ironically, the denominations that contribute the greatest number of born again adults are the Roman Catholic and Southern Baptist churches, noted for their mutual theological antagonism.

Insights Into Belief Patterns

Barna commented that the survey challenges some widely held assumptions. “Charismatic and Pentecostal churches are often characterized as attracting people who respond on the basis of emotions but who lack strong biblical training. This survey did not go deeply into people’s theological knowledge, but even in examining some very basic biblical concepts the study shows that the common wisdom about the Bible knowledge and convictions of charismatics is inaccurate. In fact, there is interesting correlation between the educational achievement and theological interpretation. Overall, charismatics have lower levels of education but higher levels of biblical accuracy, while individuals attending mainline churches are generally better educated but are more likely to have theological perspectives that conflict with the Bible.”

The researcher also expressed concerns about the overall pattern in beliefs. “The Christian body in America is immersed in a crisis of biblical illiteracy. How else can you describe matters when most church-going adults reject the accuracy of the Bible, reject the existence of Satan, claim that Jesus sinned, see no need to evangelize, believe that good works are one of the keys to persuading God to forgive their sins, and describe their commitment to Christianity as moderate or even less firm? The Episcopal church certainly stands out as one that is struggling to find its theological identity and equilibrium, but millions of individuals who attend other Protestant churches are going through similar substantive redefinition.”

Barna also predicted that many church leaders would take exception with the data about the biblical beliefs and born again nature of Mormons. “Keep in mind that this research is neither a commendation nor a condemnation of any given church, but merely a reflection of what the people attending various churches believe. Millions of Mormons attended Protestant and Catholic churches for years, and appear to have taken their prior theological training along with them. Likewise, recent theological battles over scriptural interpretations regarding homosexuality, women in leadership, divorce, and euthanasia have encouraged more people to ignore the teachings of their church in favor of customized theological views. In many ways, we are living in an age of theological anarchy.”

Survey Methodology

The data described above are from telephone interviews with a nationwide random sample of 6038 adults conducted from January 2000 through June 2001. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is ±2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

Born Again and Evangelical Christians, by Denomination

	born again	evangelical	% of U.S. population	sample size
all adults	41%	8%	NA	6038
Adventist	37%	5%	1%	89
Assembly of God	81%	33%	2%	94
Baptist (any type)	67%	14%	17%	1035
Catholic	25%	1%	22%	1358
Church of Christ	56%	12%	2%	118
Episcopal	30%	1%	2%	112
Lutheran (any type)	48%	6%	5%	287
Methodist (any type)	49%	4%	6%	392
Mormon/Latter Day Saints	34%	1%	1%	86
Christian non-denominational	76%	29%	5%	321
Pentecostal/Foursquare	80%	27%	2%	124
Presbyterian (any type)	54%	8%	3%	192

Ranking of Theological Purity of People’s Beliefs, by Denomination*

(average percentage of denominational adherents who had a biblical perspective on each of seven theological considerations, items A,B,D-G listed below plus the born again questions)

Pentecostal/Foursquare	72%
Assembly of God	72
Christian non-denominational	65
Baptist	57
Church of Christ	54
Mormon/Latter Day Saints	49
Adventist	48
Presbyterian	43
Methodist	38
Lutheran	37
Catholic	28
Episcopal	28

A Comparison of the Beliefs of Catholics and Mainline Protestants*

	A. Bible is totally accurate	B. must tell faith to others	D. Satan is real	E. works don’t earn Heaven	F. Christ was sinless	G. God is the all knowing, all powerful Creator	H. born again Christian
Catholics	26%	17%	17%	9%	33%	70%	25%
Mainline Protestants	34	25	20	27	35	70	45

*Mainline Protestants included in these aggregated statistics include those who attend a Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian or Episcopal church. Those associated with a United Church of Christ or American Baptist Church are excluded.

Theological Beliefs, by Denomination

	A. Bible is totally accurate	B. must tell faith to others	C. relig. faith is import-ant	D. Satan is real	E. works don’t earn Heaven	F. Christ was sinless	G. God: all-powerful Creator	H. absolutely committed to Christianity
all adults	41%	32%	68%	27%	30%	40%	69%	41%
Adventist	64	42	73	37	32	45	76	53
Assembly of God	77	61	86	56	64	70	96	66
Baptist (any type)	66	51	81	34	43	55	85	58
Catholics	26	17	68	17	9	33	70	43
Church of Christ	57	51	81	36	42	54	80	59
Episcopal	22	12	60	20	26	28	59	46
Lutheran (any type)	34	27	63	21	27	33	72	55
Methodist (any)	38	28	74	18	24	33	73	47
Mormon/Latter Day Saints	29	55	90	59	15	70	84	NA
Christian non-denominational	70	59	86	48	60	63	89	67
Pentecostal/Foursquare	81	73	94	47	62	73	90	66
Presbyterian (any)	40	33	71	22	31	45	76	60

A=strongly agrees that the Bible is totally accurate in all that it teaches
B= strongly agrees that they have a personal responsibility to tell others about their religious beliefs
C= strongly agrees that their religious faith is very important
D= strongly disagrees that Satan is just a symbol of evil
E= strongly disagrees that if a person is generally good, or does enough good things for others they will earn a place in Heaven
F= strongly disagrees that Jesus Christ committed sins while on earth
G= believes that God is the all-powerful, all-knowing perfect creator of the universe who rules the world today
H= says that they are absolutely committed to Christianity
NA=not asked

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Protestants, Catholics and Mormons Reflect Diverse Levels of Religious Activity (010709)

The religious activity of adults varies widely according to their denominational affiliation, according to a new study released by the Barna Research Group of Ventura, California. The study found that people associated with Pentecostal, Assembly of God and Mormon churches are the most active in a variety of religious endeavors, while individuals who attend Catholic and Episcopal churches are generally the least involved in the eight religious activities evaluated in the national research study.

The survey showed that Protestants remain the largest religious segment of America, claiming 56% of the adult population. Catholics represent about 22%, atheists and agnostics are about 7%, and Mormons are just under 2%.

Frequent Practices

By far the most common religious practice among adults is praying. Overall, 82% of all Americans - including 90% of all Protestants and 88% of Catholics - prayed to God within the past seven days. The figure was highest among those who attend a Pentecostal church (97% of whom said they had prayed in the past week), and lowest among those who attended an Adventist church (79%).

Similar proportions of adults attended a church service in the past week (43%) and read the Bible other than when they were at a church (38%). Adults who attend a Mormon church were the most likely to have attended during the past week (71%). Among people aligned with a Protestant church, those associated with Assembly of God churches (69%), Pentecostal churches (66%) and non-denominational Protestant churches (61%) were the most likely to have attended in the past week. The people who were least likely to attend a church service in the past week were those going to an Episcopal church (30% of whom had attended).

Bible reading was most likely among those who attend a Pentecostal church (75%) and least likely among those who frequent the Catholic (23%), Episcopal (30%) and Lutheran (32%) churches.

The other five activities evaluated were each undertaken by less than one-quarter of the adult population. In a typical week, just 15% of adults engage in a small group (other than a Sunday school or 12-step group) that meets for Bible study, prayer or fellowship; 16% attend a Sunday school class; and 16% volunteer their time to a church. Eighteen percent donate some money to a church during a typical month, and just 24% shared their faith in Christ with a non-Christian during the prior year.

Big Range of Activity

The differences in levels of activity between the churches that have the greatest levels of participation and those with the lowest levels ranged from just 11 percentage points in relation to volunteering at church to a whopping 47-percentage-point difference in regard to sharing one’s faith with non-Christians. The study shows that there were three religious activities for which the range of difference was more than 40 points: attending church (41-point range), reading the Bible (45-point range) and verbally sharing one’s faith (47 points). The two religious activities that reflected the most limited differences were volunteering at their church (11-point range) and donating money to their church during a typical month (13 points).

George Barna, whose company conducted the research, noted that the range of differences regarding religious activity was not nearly as prolific as was the range related to people’s core religious beliefs, as described in a study released two weeks ago. “When we examined seven core beliefs, among those who attend churches associated with the ten largest denominational groupings the average range was 47 percentage points. Compared to the average difference related to religious activities among people attending those churches, the implication is that there is much greater similarity in the nature of people’s religious activity than in the substance of their beliefs.”

Some Surprises

Among the outcomes that surprised the researchers were the depressed percentages of people associated with most Protestant churches who shared their faith in Christ with a non-Christian during the previous twelve months. There were only three of the ten Protestant groups examined for which at least half of their adherents had shared the faith: Pentecostal churches (61%), Assembly of God churches (61%), and non-denominational Protestant congregations (57%). The Protestant group least likely to engage in evangelism was Episcopalians, among whom just one out of every seven had verbally shared their faith in Christ in the past year.

Another surprise was the fact that most Baptists had not shared their faith in Christ with a non-believer in the past year. Baptist churches are often known for their evangelistic focus, yet only four out of every ten adults who attend a Baptist church had verbalized their faith in Christ to a non-Christian in the past twelve months. Even so, that proportion of evangelizers is higher than is found in most denominations.

The study also revealed that barely half of all Protestant adults (54%) read the Bible during a typical week. Barna pointed out that Mormons are more likely to read the Bible during a week than are Protestants - even though most Mormons do not believe that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God.

The study also showed the downward trend in Sunday school participation. Barna indicated that many churches are attempting to shift adults into small groups that meet during the week, but the proportion of Protestant adherents who are involved in small groups - 21% - has remained unchanged in the past several years, while adult Sunday school attendance has slowly deteriorated.

The research suggests that large numbers of people who have no type of personal relationship with Jesus Christ or who possess an unorthodox view of God nevertheless pray to God on a regular basis. “The emphasis upon prayer during the past five years has influenced many people,” commented Barna. “However, many people pray without any sense of assurance that there is a living and powerful God who hears their prayers, or that they are praying to a God who has offered forgiveness for their sins. For many Americans, prayer is like snacking - we don’t really think about it, but we do it out of habit and without much passion.”

The study also showed the continuing decline in church attendance among Roman Catholics. While large majorities of Catholics attended weekly in past decades, a majority is absent on a typical weekend these days. The Protestant average - 52% - is now slightly higher than that among Catholics, a complete reversal of the historical trend.

The Big Picture

Barna pointed out that there is a moderately strong correlation between the data on people’s beliefs and the statistics regarding their religious activity. “If you compare the ranking of the 12 religious groups in the study in terms of the orthodoxy of their beliefs, as described in our prior report, and the levels of their religious activity, you find considerable consistency. The groups whose adherents are most likely to possess biblical perspectives are also those whose adherents are most actively pursuing spiritual experiences. The churches where people’s beliefs have strayed farthest from the Bible tend to be those in which the people are least involved in religious and spiritual pursuits.”

Overall, Barna contends that the data portray a nation that is comfortable with religion but not particularly committed to spiritual growth. “Most people who are aligned with a Christian church really make a rather minimal investment in religious activity. There are those who are completely committed to spiritual growth and invest themselves quite heavily in such development, but they constitute less than one out of every five adults in America. Similarly, relatively few adults have completely negated the role of faith in their lives - again, perhaps one out of five. Most people describe themselves as religious, describe their faith as being very important in their daily life, but make only a half-hearted effort to truly master the foundations of their chosen faith and live a life that is determined by that faith.”

Survey Methodology

The twelve denominational groupings described in the research are based upon people’s self-report of the type of church they most often attend. Several of the groupings, such as Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, and Church of God, encompass more than one denomination associated with that label. (For instance, there are more than two dozen Baptist denominations in the U.S.) Other groups, such as Orthodox and Nazarene churches, were excluded from specific analysis because the sample size of adherents was too small to permit reliable analysis.

This report is related to a report released two weeks prior that focused on the religious beliefs of people associated with these church groups. The results of that study, released June 25 under the title “Religious Beliefs Vary Widely by Denomination,” can be accessed through the link at the top of this page.

Religious Practices, by Denomination

	A. attend church	B. read Bible	C. pray to God	D. attend Sun sch	E. small group	F. church volunteer	G. donate money	H. share faith	Sample size
all adults	43%	38%	82%	16%	15%	16%	18%	24%	6038
Adventist	47	49	79	18	27	16	16	26	89
Assembly of God	69	66	93	35	29	30	22	61	94
Baptist (any type)	50	55	92	30	22	19	20	43	1035
Catholics	48	23	88	6	8	12	13	10	1358
Church of Christ	58	53	92	37	28	22	29	35	118
Episcopal	30	30	85	11	13	19	17	14	112
Lutheran (any type)	43	32	84	13	13	19	21	21	287
Methodist (any)	49	43	90	18	15	19	23	20	392
Mormon/Latter Day Saints	71	67	95	62	27	40	24	26	86
Christian non-denominational	61	66	94	21	32	22	26	57	321
Pentecostal/Foursquare	66	75	97	36	37	25	27	61	124
Presbyterian (any)	49	48	89	17	18	26	17	23	192

Religious Practices, by Groups

	A. attend church	B. read Bible	C. pray to God	D. attend Sun sch	E. small group	F. church volunteer	G. donate money	H. share faith	Sample size
all adults	43%	38%	82%	16%	15%	16%	18%	24%	6038
all Protestants	50	54	90	23	21	20	21	36	3402
Baptist (any type)	50	55	92	30	22	19	20	43	1035
Catholics	48	23	88	6	8	12	13	10	1358
Mainline*	45	39	87	16	15	20	20	20	983
AG/Pentecostal	67	71	95	35	33	27	25	61	218
Christian non-denominational	61	66	94	21	32	22	26	57	321
Atheists	4	9	27	1	1	1	3	2	398

A=attended a church service, other than a special event such as a wedding or funeral, in past 7 days
B= read from the Bible, other than while at church, in past 7 days
C= prayed to God, in past 7 days
D= attended a Sunday school class at a church, in past 7 days
E= participate in a small group that meets regularly for Bible study, prayer or Christian fellowship, not including a Sunday school or 12-step group, in past 7 days
F= volunteer at your church, in past 7 days
G= donated money to your church, in past 30 days
H= explained your religious beliefs to someone who had different beliefs, in hope that they might accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, in past year

Ranking of People’s Religious Activity Levels,

by Denomination(average percentage of denominational adherents who participated in the eight religious activities measured

1	Pentecostal/Foursquare	53%
2	Mormon/Latter Day Saints	52
3	Assembly of God	51
4	Christian non-denominational	47
5	Church of Christ	44
6	Baptist	41
7	Lutheran	38
8	Presbyterian	36
9	Methodist	35
10	Adventist	35
11	Episcopal	27
12	Catholic	27

	All Protestant Churches	41
	Charismatic/Pentecostal	52
	Mainline Churches*	34

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Born Again Adults Remain Firm in Opposition to Abortion and Gay Marriage (010723)

Although there has been a closing of the gap between the behaviors and attitudes of born again Christians and non-born again adults in the past quarter century, a new report from the Barna Research Group of Ventura, California shows that there are at least two issues related to which their differences remain substantial. The national survey of born again and non-born again adults shows that the former are much more likely to reject both abortion and homosexuality as defensible activities.

Abortion Views Far Apart

When a national, representative sample of 1003 adults were asked to select one of four positions related to abortion, 18% said abortion should be legal in all circumstances, 24% said it should be legal in most cases, with a few exceptions, 32% said it should be illegal except in a few, special circumstances, and 23% said it should be illegal under all conditions. Four percent did not have a position on the matter - an unusually small proportion of people who refuse to take a position on a controversial issue.

However, people’s answers differed markedly according to their religious inclinations. For instance, just 1% of evangelicals said abortion should be legal in all situations, compared to 9% of all born again Christians (i.e., both evangelicals and non-evangelical born again adults), 23% of all non-born again adults, 36% of adults aligned with a non-Christian church, and 40% of atheists.

When examining the proportion of individuals from those segments who said that abortion should either be illegal in all instances or illegal in all but a few special circumstances, 94% of evangelicals and 73% of all born again adults took that position. In contrast, just 43% of all non-born again adults concurred, including 24% of adults connected to non-Christian faiths and 30% of atheists.

The study showed that there is even a huge gap within the Christian community. Half of all adults (50%) who attend a mainline Protestant church said abortion should be legal in all or most circumstances, which was nearly double the proportion (29%) among Protestants attending non-mainline congregations. Similarly, only 11% of mainliners said abortion should be illegal under all circumstances, while three times as many other Protestants (33%) took that position. Not quite two out of every three Catholics (63%) said abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, including 26% who said it should be illegal in all cases.

Labels associated with one’s position on abortion can be confusing, or even deceptive. The nation is evenly split between those who describe themselves as “pro-life” (45%) and “pro-choice” (45%), with 10% not embracing either label. Even though 73% of the born again population said abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, only 65% chose to describe themselves as “pro-life.” Similarly, among adults who are not born again, 43% held that abortion should be illegal in all or most situations, yet just 32% embraced the label “pro-life.”

Homosexuality Somewhat Less Divisive

When asked if homosexual relations between consenting adults should be legal or not legal, a slight plurality of adults (48%) said such relationships should be legal, while 42% said they should not be legal. One out of every ten adults did not have an opinion on the matter. The gap between born again and non-born again adults was less pronounced on this issue than was the gap related to abortion rights. While 57% of non-born again adults opted for the “legal” response, they were joined by just 34% of the born again constituency. The relative closeness of opinion on this issue is partially attributable to a surprisingly large proportion of adults who attend non-mainline Protestant churches preferring the legalization of homosexual relations.

Americans are evenly divided on the matter of whether homosexuality should be considered an acceptable lifestyle. In total, 45% said it should be considered an acceptable alternative while 46% said it should not, and the remaining 9% were not sure. The religious gap was wider on this item with born again Christians twice as likely as non-Christians (66% vs. 34%, respectively) to portray homosexuality as an unacceptable lifestyle. The distinction between mainline and non-mainline churches was larger on this issue than was true regarding the legality of homosexual relations: only 44% of the adults who attend mainline churches said homosexuality is not an acceptable lifestyle, compared to 64% among those attending non-mainline Protestant churches.

While there is evidence that a growing number of people believe that homosexuality is genetic, about half of all adults (49%) contend that homosexuality is due to non-genetic factors such as upbringing and environment, one-third say people are born gay (34%), and the remaining 17% are not sure. Eighty-five percent of evangelicals, 61% of born again adults, and 65% of those who attend non-mainline Protestant churches believe that a person chooses to be a homosexual. On the other hand, 45% of adults affiliated with non-Christian churches, 44% of atheists and 40% of Catholics contend that a person is born into homosexuality.

The biggest gap observed relates to clergy marrying gay couples. By a 2-to-1 margin (62% - 30%) adults disapprove of clergy marrying gay couples or blessing their marriage unions. Disapproval was virtually universal among evangelicals (97%) and widespread among born again adults (79%) and Catholics (61%). In sharp contrast, just one-third of atheists (33%) and those who associate with non-Christian faith groups (36%) disapproved of such clergy involvement.

Younger Adults Leaning Liberal

One of the trends that emerged from the research concerns the divergent perspectives of young adults. People 35 and younger are substantially more likely to approve of abortion in all or most circumstances than are people over 35; are much more likely to describe themselves as “pro-choice” than are any other age segment; were much more likely to argue that homosexual relations should be legal; substantially more likely to consider homosexuality an acceptable lifestyle; and notably more likely to approve of clergy conducting or blessing gay marriages.

George Barna, who directed the study, explained the significance of this finding. “Over the long term, we expect to see a growing acceptance of abortion and homosexuality as Baby Busters and Mosaics, the youngest generation, become more influential in public policy and business policy. The comparatively liberal views of the younger two generations will not have as significant an impact upon Christian churches since churches often base their positions on these matters upon biblical views. However, even the debate on these matters may become less divisive than might be expected since Busters and Mosaics are less likely to participate in the life of such churches and, consequently, will have relatively less impact on the positions taken by Protestant churches.”

Insights Into the Findings

The study shows that the traditional moral values upheld by Christians are continuing to lose ground. Overall, about seven out of ten born again adults have consistently pro-life positions and about six out of ten consistently oppose homosexuality. However, because the born again population represents just four out of every ten adults, and one-third of all teenagers, reaching a national consensus on such issues may be more difficult in the years ahead. Traditional moral stands are held by a bare majority of adults on abortion, while adults are about evenly split on matters related to homosexuality.

The data indicate that a significant minority of people who attends Christian churches maintains that abortion and homosexuality should be legal activities. “Increasingly we find that the positions on moral issues that are taught from the pulpit are not necessarily views embraced by regular attenders of those churches,” according to Barna. “Most congregations exhibit a diversity of opinion on doctrinal and moral matters that would shock the average pastor.”

Barna noted that people who read the Bible have a more conservative view on these issues. “Among people who read the Bible on their own, three-quarters oppose abortion, two-thirds call themselves “pro-life,” three-fifths say homosexuality should be illegal, two-thirds call homosexuality an unacceptable lifestyle, and three-quarters oppose clergy participation in gay marriages. Exposure to the Bible clearly affects a person’s views on these matters, compensating for other factors such as age, education and church ideology. It seems that if conservative Christians have any chance of restoring a more traditional moral perspective to America, it is most likely to be accomplished by encouraging people to base their moral choices on the basis of God’s Word rather than on the basis of cultural leanings or political arguments.”

The researcher also pointed out that millions of Americans have made a distinction in their minds regarding legality and morality. “Americans are more likely to support the legality of behaviors that they, personally, do not endorse than they are to shift their personal moral views in relation to those matters. That’s why we have millions of individuals - including numerous born again adults - who say that homosexuality should be legal but not church-sanctioned. Strategically, that’s a wise decision if people believe that the Church is influencing our culture sufficiently to enable Americans to make informed moral choices. One must wonder, however, if the emerging generations of Americans are being adequately and compellingly exposed to Christian perspectives to make such informed choices.”

The data clearly underscore the breadth of the gap in moral views between those associated with Christian churches and those associated with non-Christian faith groups or atheism. “In all six of the items tested in the research, evangelicals were at one end of the ideological continuum while atheists and people from non-Christian faith groups were at the other end. We seem to be on the precipice of a moral showdown in which the Christian moral foundations are being challenged by the growing proportion of Americans who have embraced non-Christian faith traditions.”

Survey Methodology

The data described above are from telephone interviews with a nationwide random sample of 1003 adults in May, 2001. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is ±3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

Views on Abortion Differ by Religious Leanings

(N=1003)

	all adults	evangelical	born again	not born again	Protestant mainline	non-mainline	Catholic	non-Christian faith	atheist
legal, all cases	18%	1%	9%	23%	18%	12%	12%	36%	40%
legal, with a few exceptions	24	4	14	30	32	17	21	33	28
illegal, with a few exceptions	32	33	39	28	36	35	38	15	23
illegal, all cases	23	61	34	15	11	33	26	9	7
don’t know	4	2	4	4	3	3	4	8	3

Views on the Acceptability of Homosexuality as a Lifestyle

(N=1003)

	all adults	evangelical	born again	not born again	Protestant mainline	non-mainline	Catholic	non-Christian faith	atheist
an acceptable lifestyle	45%	2%	27%	55%	49%	29%	47%	64%	72%
not an acceptable lifestyle	46	95	66	34	44	64	38	27	20
don’t know	9	3	7	11	7	6	15	9	8

==============================

A Profile of Protestant Pastors in Anticipation of “Pastor Appreciation Month” (010925)

During the past several years, churches across the nation have embraced October as Pastor Appreciation Month. With more than 500,000 pastors serving in Christian churches in the United States, including some 300,000 Senior Pastors, newly-released survey data from the Barna Research Group of Ventura, California provides insight into the background of America’s Protestant clergy.

Pastors’ Self-Perceptions

The survey data reveal some surprises regarding the self-perceptions of pastors. For instance, more than four out of five Senior Pastors (83%) describe themselves as “evangelical.” Large majorities of clergy representing churches not generally thought of as evangelical embraced that label, such as seven out of ten who serve mainline churches, eight out of ten located in the Northeast, and eight out of ten who pastor churches that attract fewer than 100 adults.

Equally surprising is the fact that four out of five Protestant Senior Pastors (81%) say they are “theologically conservative.” This includes three out of five mainline pastors (60%) and three out of four in the Northeast (75%).

Although many of the nation’s best-known denominations are associated with Reformed or Calvinist theology, a slightly larger share of pastors claimed to be Wesleyan or Arminian in their theological views than Calvinist (37% versus 32%, respectively). Pastors serving churches in the western states were considerably more likely to associate with Wesleyan theology (44%) than with Calvinist theology (28%). Pastors who were not seminary graduates were also more likely to associate with a Wesleyan view (39%) than with a Calvinist perspective (29%). Pastors of non-denominational churches were twice as likely to embrace Calvinism as to endorse Wesleyanism (30% vs. 14%, respectively).

The survey discovered that one-third of the nation’s Protestant congregations are headed by pastors who claim to be seeker-driven. This is somewhat surprising given the lack of growth in church attendance during the past decade and in light of the fact that only 8% of all pastors claim to have the spiritual gift of evangelism.

The spiritual gifts claimed by Senior Pastors are also revealing. Two out of every three cite teaching or preaching as their gift. In fact, there is no other gift claimed by even half as many pastors. Some gifts that might be expected to be relatively common were not, such as leadership (12%), evangelism (8%) and encouragement (6%). Other gifts were more common than expected, including administration (16%) and prophecy (13%).

Background Attributes

Some pastoral attributes are obvious and have remained consistent over time: more than nine out of ten Senior Pastors are men, are married, and serve full-time. More than four out of five have a college degree and the median age of pastors is slightly under 50. In fact, pastors often do not mirror the attributes of their congregations: they are more likely than their congregants to be college educated, married, over the age of 40, live in a rural location, and to earn less than $40,000 annually, and they are less likely to have been divorced (13% have been divorced at least once).

However, the survey data did highlight some surprises. For instance, although most of the country’s Protestant churches have fewer than 100 adults in attendance on a typical weekend, eight out of ten churches that have congregations of fewer than 100 adults have a full-time, paid Senior Pastor. What makes this even more astounding is the median annual budget of those churches - barely $68,000 annually!

A sign of the changing times is the emergence of the Baby Boomers as the dominant force in the pastoral ranks. Once known as the generation that frequently and loudly criticized the local church for its irrelevance, Boomers now constitute roughly six out of every ten pastors - with a growing number of Boomers enrolled in seminary courses designed to prepare them for pastoral ministry in the future.

Even though pastors spend a substantial portion of their time fulfilling educational functions such as teaching, preaching, training and mentoring, an unexpectedly large percentage of them does not possess a seminary degree. Four out of ten Senior Pastors lack a seminary degree - including six out of ten among those who pastor non-denominational churches.

One of the most interesting comparisons is between male and female pastors. While women represent just 5% of all Protestant Senior Pastors, the survey data indicate a substantial dissimilarity in the backgrounds of these two groups. Female pastors are much more likely to be seminary-trained (86% have a seminary degree, compared to 60% of male pastors); are more than twice as likely to have been divorced (31%, compared to 12% among male pastors); have less experience in the pastorate (9 years in full-time paid ministry, compared to a median of 17 years among men); last less time in a given church than do men (three years per pastorate, compared to almost six years among men); are almost four times more likely to describe themselves as theologically liberal (39% vs. 11%, respectively); much less likely to embrace the label of “evangelical” (58%, vs. 85% among male pastors); and receive much lower compensation packages.

Challenges Include Juggling and Continuity

George Barna, president of the company that conducted the research, added perspective to the statistics. “To appreciate the contribution made by pastors you have to understand their world and the challenges they face. Our studies show that church-goers expect their pastor to juggle an average of 16 major tasks. That’s a recipe for failure - nobody can handle the wide range of responsibilities that people expect pastors to master. We find that effective pastors not only love the people to whom God allows them to minister, but also provide firm, visionary leadership and then delegate responsibilities and resources to trained believers. Ultimately, the only way a pastor can succeed in ministry is to create a team of gifted and compatible believers who work together in loving people and pursuing a commonly held vision. The pastor who strives to meet everyone’s demands and tries to keep everyone happy is guaranteed to fail.”

The researcher also noted that many pastors are not given an adequate opportunity to shine. “Our work has found that the typical pastor has his or her greatest ministry impact at a church in years five through fourteen of their pastorate. Unfortunately, we also know that the average pastor lasts only five years at a church - forfeiting the fruit of their investment in the church they’ve pastored. In our fast turnaround society where we demand overnight results and consider everyone expendable and everything disposable, we may be shortchanging pastors - and the congregations they oversee - by prematurely terminating their tenure.”

Barna noted that Pastor Appreciation Month has been hailed by many pastors as a welcome response to the continual pressure and limited gratitude they experience. “Most pastors work long hours, are constantly on-call, often sacrifice time with family to tend to congregational crises, carry long-term debt from the cost of seminary and receive below-average compensation in return for performing a difficult job. Trained in theology, they are expected to master leadership, politics, finance, management, psychology and conflict resolution. Pastoring must be a calling from God if one is to garner a sense of satisfaction and maintain unflagging commitment to that job. Fortunately, we have thousands of men and women who have responded to that call and serve God and His people with energy and grace. May they be encouraged by an outpouring of love and gratitude this October - and beyond!”

Survey Methodology

The data described above are from telephone interviews conducted from July 2000 through June 2001 among a nationwide random sample of 1,865 Senior Pastors of Protestant churches located within the 48 continental states. The sample was balanced nationally according to the incidence of denominational affiliation, with a random selection of churches chosen within each denomination. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is ±3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

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New Barna Book Provides Insight Into Real Teens (011008)

If you think you understand the minds and behaviors of teenagers, consider this: from 2001 through 2019, a new generation of Americans will constitute the teen population. The Mosaics, the new generation entering the limelight, are noticeably different than the generation whose members have dominated the teen ranks for the nearly two decades - the Baby Busters.

A new book by George Barna, president of the Barna Research Group, draws revelations from several national surveys among teenagers to provide a portrait of the evolving teen population. In Real Teens, Barna underscores the significance of the teen population in the development of our nation’s core values, economic stability and emphasis, leadership potential. “We have a classic love-hate relationship with teenagers,” Barna noted. “We love their energy, their creativity, their carefree pursuit of new possibilities, the sense of hope. But we hate their defiance, their unpredictability, their ease with change, and their propensity to challenge what everyone else holds dear.

“But whether the adult population likes it or not, teenagers are the future of the nation, so it is imperative not only to continue to shape the values, morals, beliefs and behaviors of young people, but also to understand where they’re coming from and where they’re going. As a group, teenagers are a force to be reckoned with; increasingly, they are not a group that is looking for moral and behavioral guidance, but are a segment seeking to influence the world based on the moral and spiritual foundations they have already adopted.”

Why They’re Called “Mosaics”

The youngest generation is already starting to makes waves in our culture in areas ranging from music and language to sexual patterns and educational commitment. This new segment of our population earned the label “Mosaics” in response to various attributes it posesses. Among those attributes are their eclectic lifestyle, their non-linear thinking style, the fluidity of their personal relationships, their cut-and-paste values profile, and the hybrid spiritual perspective most of them have developed. While the labels assigned to the previous pair of generations were based upon their size - i.e. Baby Boom, Baby Bust - this new group is more likely to be known for their character, even though they are likely to eventually surpass the Baby Boomers as the most numerous generation in the U.S. history.

The generation’s name also reflects some of the unique qualities of the group. For instance, recent research by the Barna Research Group indicates that Mosaics will baffle their elders by exhibiting comfort with contradictions related to spirituality, family, career development, morality, and politics. The youngest generation will also energetically pursue spiritual insights, although they are less likely than preceeding age cohorts to feel constrained by traditional theological parameters. Mosaics will continue the Buster tradition of prioritizing personal relationships, although they will not place as high a premium on those relationships as do their teen predecessors.

Sadly, Mosaics are also likely to gain the reputation for being the most information-overloaded group ever. The development and acceptance of new technologies over the course of the next decade will challenge the ability of these young adults to process the mountains of data and constant psychological stimuli.

The studies conducted by Barna Research found that one element common to almost all teenagers, whether they fall within the tail end of the Buster generation or the front end of the Mosaics, is both curiosity and concern regarding their future. Nine out of ten teenagers think about their future every week. However, only three out of ten feel they are very well prepared for that future.

Different Personalities

Using his national research to evaluate the personality types of teenagers, Barna says that the emergence of the Mosaics has produced a divergent personality profile from that of past teens. His testing suggests that teens fall unevenly into four personality niches.

Interactives dominate among teenagers. These are young people who are highly personable and develop their lifestyle according to relational possibilities and parameters. Nearly half of the teenage population, this segment operates with a stream of consciousness approach to problem solving while remaining sensitive to the needs and feelings of those with whom they have contact.

Dynamos represent about one-quarter of the teen world. These are the aggressive, focused, driven individuals who are effective at problem-solving and are above-average producers. However, they also irritate some with their relentless energy, competitiveness and self-assurance.

Stabilizers provide continuity and consistency wherever they are found. Roughly one-fifth of the teen contingent, they are appreciated for their loyalty, thoroughness and predictability. They are also criticized for their rigidity and lack of creativity.

The remaining teens fall within the Evaluators segment. At fewer than one out of ten teens, these are the detail-oriented individuals who are continually assessing situations and people, and they insist on accuracy and completeness. They place lofty demands upon themselves - and others. Their perfectionist tendencies and aversion to taking risks can frustrate others.

Barna Research’s trend data shows that this profile reflects a significant increase in the Interactive style, and a sharp decline in the Evaluators mode. Company representatives noted that this will ultimately impact America’s marketplace, with declining quality as details fall through the cracks and more time is devoted to emotionally-pleasing but bottom-line depleting interaction. On the other had, this profile may also foretell a nation that is calmer, more hospitable and less stressed - and even more desirous of entertainment and leisure diversions.

Real Teens Released

The new book, entitled Real Teens, is published by Regal Books (Ventura, CA) and constitutes Barna’s thirtieth book. Like past entries by the researcher, this volume provides practical insights and applications based upon nationwide surveys among a target group (in this case, teenagers). The content of the book ranges from discussing lifestyle realities (entertainment preferences, technology use, time allocation, future goals), to family experiences (relationships with parents, trust of family members, future family goals), to behavioral characteristics (self-image, contradictory behavior, relationships, values).

Ample attention is given to the religious and spiritual lives of young people, too. Barna has chapters devoted to the religious beliefs and spiritual practices of teenagers, as well as to predictions regarding their likely involvement in the Church as they get older. Among the discoveries reported in the text is that the top-ranked faith-related goal of teens is to have peace with God - but that this goal ranked only seventh in relation to all of the primary life outcomes expressed by teens. The book also notes that despite the unusually high levels of spiritual involvement among teens today, these young people have the lowest likelihood of being involved in church life when they are older and living independently of any “class” of teenagers surveyed by Barna since 1981.

The final chapter of the book provides advice for parents and church youth workers who interact with teenagers, based upon the research shared in the prior pages.

Barna described the challenge of writing such a book. “In American society it is difficult to make sweeping generalizations about any group of people. Teenagers are a microcosm of the American population - more than 20 million young people, each of whom is unique and bristles at being stereotyped, categorized or labeled. Yet, the research produced many helpful insights into their thinking and behavioral patterns that allowed me to describe common tendencies, hopefully without being simplistic or judgmental. This book may help teens to see themselves more clearly and to determine if what they see is what they want to be, while at the same time allowing the adults who influence their world to gain a deeper understanding of what makes them tick and how to best enable teens to maximize their potential to do good and to be good.”

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Different Groups Follow Harry Potter, Left Behind and Jabez (011022)

There is no predictable connection between public awareness and the sales of chart-topping books. According to a new study released by the Barna Research Group of Ventura, California, books in the Harry Potter and Left Behind series, as well as the runaway best-seller The Prayer of Jabez, have radically divergent levels of awareness among adults - levels that do not correspond to the sales figures for those series.

Potter Tops Awareness

The Harry Potter series, written by British author J.K. Rowling, includes four books that have sold an estimated 24 million copies. Although the target audience for those books is children, more than two-thirds of American adults (69%) are aware of the series.

The apocalyptic Left Behind books, co-written by Christian authors Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, have set various publishing records over the last several years. The eight existing volumes, along with special versions written for younger readers, have sold more than 45 million copies. That figure that will soon jump as the ninth installment is released October 30, with an initial print run of 2.8 million copies. Despite impressive sales, just one-quarter of the adult population (24%) is aware of the series.

The most recent publishing phenomenon has been Bruce Wilkinson’s small volume, The Prayer of Jabez. With sales eclipsing 5 million copies in less than two years, national awareness of the book is the lowest of the three publications tested. Just one-eighth of adults (13%) are aware of the Jabez book.

Niches Reached

The Potter books are best known among people under 50, whites, women, and adults living along the east and west coasts. In contrast, the Left Behind series has its greatest following among adults in the 35-to-55 age group, Protestants, born again Christians, and residents of the South and West. It drew its slimmest following from among Catholics, non-Christians and adults in the Northeast. Jabez is most widely known among those in the 35-to-55 age segment, Protestants, born again Christians, and residents of the South.

Overall, Baby Boomers (i.e., adults in the 37-to-55 age bracket) emerged as the age group that was most aware of each of the publications tested. For the two religious publications - Left Behind and Jabez - born again Christians had three times the awareness levels as those among non-Christians. Overall, less than one out of every five non-Christians was aware of either the Left Behind or Jabez volumes.

Christians Are the Dominant Left Behind Readers

The Barna survey also asked respondents if they had read any of the Left Behind books. To date, 9% of all adults - nearly one out of every ten - had done so. The types of individuals most likely to have read a book in the series were born again Christians (19% said they had read at least one of the books) and adults who attended non-mainline Protestant churches (18%). The adults least likely to have read a Left Behind book included non-born again adults (only 2% said they had read one or more of the books), Catholics (3%) and adults in the Northeast (2%).

Books As Religious Outreach

George Barna, who directed the survey, pointed out that while born again adults constitute the majority of the reading audience for the Left Behind books, an estimated audience of three million non-born again adults has read one or more books in the end-times series. The researcher noted that the series represents one of the most widely experienced religious teaching or evangelistic tools among adults who are not born again Christians. He pointed out that the series has reached a larger unduplicated audience of non-believers than most religious television or radio ministries draw through their programs.

“The survey suggests that nearly one-tenth of the audience for the series are atheists and people associated with non-Christian faiths,” explained Barna, “while more than two million of the readers are individuals who consider themselves to be Christian but have never accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Although three-quarters of the Left Behind audience attends Protestant churches, these books have also piqued the interest of hundreds of thousands of people who do not normally read books with religious themes that reflect one stream of Protestant theology.”

Barna also noted that book awareness does not automatically translate into book sales. “Developing consumer awareness is just one step in the process of selling books. Potter is better-known because of its longer lifespan in the marketplace and particularly for the moral controversy generated by the content. Left Behind has become a publishing phenomenon in spite of its heavy religious content and supposedly narrow market. Jabez flew off the shelves over the past year thanks to the nature of its message, the unimposing size of the book, and a fresh spin on an old theme (prayer). All three product lines have benefited from strong word-of-mouth promotion within their respective communities. The actual sales figures do not parallel consumer awareness of each product line.”

Survey Methodology

Awareness of Popular Books

	Potter	Left Behind	Jabez
all adults	69%	24%	13%
men	64	23	12
women	73	26	9
Born again	72	42	21
Non-born again	67	13	7
Age: 18-36	72	20	10
Age: 37-55	71	31	16
Age: 56+	59	20	10

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Adults Who Attended Church As Children Show Lifelong Effects (011105)

One of the most-quoted Bible verses by Christian parents and educators is “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). A new nationwide survey provides some statistical support for that notion, showing that adults who regularly attended church as children are much more likely than their unchurched peers to be involved in church-based and personal spiritual activities.

The study, conducted by the Barna Research Group of Ventura, California, found that roughly seven out of ten Americans adults (71%) had a period of time during their childhood when they regularly attended a Christian church. Apparently, old habits die hard: a majority of those who attended church as a youngster still attend regularly today (61%), while a large majority of those who were not church-goers as children are still absent from churches today (78%).

Young Adults Avoiding Church

Church attendance is declining by generation, regardless of childhood church experience. However, the decline is steeper among adults who did not go to church as a child. Among adults 55 and older who attended church regularly as a child, two-thirds still attend regularly (68%). That proportion drops to just half of adults under 35 who were churched when young (53%). However, among adults who now attend a Christian church even though they did not do so as a youngster, more than one-third of the 35-and-over segment presently attends a Christian church, compared to only 16% among those under 35 years of age.

Church growth experts have long held that one of the major reasons why unchurched people return to a church is to give their children meaningful religious experiences. While there is clearly merit to that argument, the research suggests that this benefit may not be as substantial as in the past. Overall, just less than two out of three adults (63%) who were churched as children take their own children to a church. That’s double the proportion among adults who were not churched and who now have kids of their own (33%).

“Attending a church appears to be more a function of one’s personal experience when young than a sense of responsibility to one’s own children,” explained George Barna, president of the research company that conducted the study. “There is no difference in the likelihood of attending a church these days among those who were churched as a child, regardless of whether they presently have children of their own or not.”

Types of Churches Preferred

Denominational loyalty has remained unexpectedly strong among those who were attending church during their early years. None of the seven Christian denominational groups studied experienced a statistically significant change in attendance among people who attended church when they were young. However, the church preferences of the adults who did not attend a Christian congregation when young were somewhat different than those of their churched-as-children peers. The unchurched-as-children adults who now attend a church are relatively less likely to attend Catholic, Methodist and any mainline Protestant church than are their churched-as-children peers, and comparatively more likely to attend Baptist churches. Adults under 35 who had been unchurched when young reflected a particular disinclination to attend mainline Protestant churches: only 9% currently attend such religious bodies, compared to 21% of the adults who were church-going children.

Barna’s research also noted that adults who are new to church attendance are more likely than adults who were churched as kids to associate with churches of less than 100 adults. Whereas just one-quarter of the churched-as-children crowd affiliates with one of the nation’s 340,000 Protestant or Catholic congregations that claims less than 100 adults, one-third of the unchurched-as-a-child group does so. People under 35 and women were among those most inclined to attend such congregations.

Religious Practices Affected

Attending church over the course of years appears to have affected the religious practices of people, too. The survey discovered that adults who attended church as a child are twice as likely to read the Bible during a typical week as are those who avoided churches when young; twice as likely to attend a church worship service in a typical week; and nearly 50% more likely to pray to God during a typical week. Once again, the generation gap was evident: adults under 35 who were unchurched children were relatively less likely to engage in any of these common religious activities than were their churched-as-children adult counterparts.

Barna stated that he was not surprised by the generational divergence. “We have been tracking the religious behaviors and inclination of teenagers for two decades and have seen a pronounced growth in the notion among young people that involvement in organized religious activity is optional and, in many cases, of no personal value.” The researcher recalled that in his newly-released book, Real Teens, church leaders are warned that the high levels of current religious involvement among teens in misleading. “Millions of teenagers are involved in church-related activities each week, but their motivation is relational rather than spiritual. Once their relational networks change upon graduation from high school and college, we expect a continued decline in church attendance among the emerging generation unless churches revamp their ministries to reflect the unique cultural customs and expectations of the new breed of young people.”

Beliefs Not Influenced As Anticipated

Perhaps the most shocking outcome of the research was the limited affect long-term church attendance has had on the theological beliefs of Americans. The survey revealed that adults from both the churched-as-children and unchurched-as-children segments held similar views - often at odds with biblical teaching - regarding the existence of the Holy Spirit, the reality of Satan, the means to eternal salvation, the perceived accuracy of the Bible, and the holiness of Jesus Christ. “People who were churched as youths were much more likely to state that their religious faith is very important in their life today, but there was not much evidence that such faith had made much of an impact on their belief structure,” indicated Barna.

While churched-as-children individuals were twice as likely as the unchurched-as-children niche to be born again Christians (44% versus 24%, respectively), and significantly more likely to hold an orthodox view of God’s nature (74% versus 54%), a minority of both groups believe in the existence of the Holy Spirit and of Satan, and a majority believe that eternal salvation can be achieved by doing enough good deeds. Also, only a minority of both camps strongly believed that the Bible is totally accurate in all that it teaches.

Survey Methodology

The data on which this report is based are from telephone interviews with a nationwide random sample of 1003 adults conducted in May 2001. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is ±3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The survey population included 711 adults who had attended a Christian church as a child for some period of time, and 292 who did not. The maximum sampling error associated with these segments is (4 percentage points and (5 percentage points, respectively, based on the 95% confidence level.

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How America’s Faith Has Changed Since 9-11 (011126)

Social analysts point out that people turn to religion in times of crisis and instability. The terrorist attacks on September 11 certainly shattered the stability and comfort of American’s lives, leading to a surge in church attendance and Bible sales immediately after the attacks. But what is the lingering effect of the attack and continued tension on people’s religious beliefs and practices? Those questions are answered with startling clarity in a new survey released by the Barna Research Group of Ventura, California. Using 21 indicators of the nation’s spiritual climate, the study gives a comprehensive look at how people’s faith has changed in the aftermath of the terrorist attack.

Concern for the Future

Not surprisingly, there has been a significant upturn in people’s concern about the future. In August, 73% of adults said they were concerned about the future; by November, that figure had increased to 82%. The population segment that expressed the greatest concern was adults 35 and younger, among whom nearly nine out of ten said they were concerned. The biggest increases in concern were registered among people 55 and older (up 17 points from the pre-attack level) and atheists (also up 17 points).

Self-Image Remains Unchanged

Three aspects of people’s self-image did not change in the wake of the attacks. The first factor, regarding adults’ description of their sociopolitical ideology, remained static. Overall, 31% said they are mostly conservative on social and political issues while just half as many - 14% - said they are mostly liberal on such matters.

A second factor tested was the descriptor “Christian.” In August, 86% of all adults said they thought of themselves as Christian. The percentage was statistically equivalent in the post-attack study, with 84% embracing that label. The surveys also showed that the proportion of Americans who think of themselves as Muslim or Islamic remained stable, as well, at less than 1% of the aggregate adult population.

Adults were also asked to rate their level of commitment to the Christian faith. Using a four-point scale, in the late summer survey 42% of adults said they were “absolutely committed” to Christianity. That number remained virtually unchanged (44%) after the eight weeks after the attacks. There was a significant increase among adults who were 55 or older, but their relatively low incidence in the population rendered that eight-point jump (from 56% to 64%) nearly invisible in the grand scheme of America’s faith commitment.

Truth Views Radically Altered

The most startling shift has been in people’s views about moral truth. Given the nature of the terrorist attack, one might have expected Americans to become more convinced of the presence of good and evil, and that there are absolute moral principles that exist regardless of cultural realities and personal preferences. However, Barna’s research showed exactly the opposite outcome.

Prior to the attacks the most recent inquiry concerning truth views was in January 2000, some 20 months prior to the terrorist activity. At that time, people were asked if they believed that “there are moral truths that are absolute, meaning that those moral truths or principles do not change according to the circumstances” or that “ moral truth always depends upon the situation, meaning that a person’s moral and ethical decisions depend upon the circumstances.” At the start of 2000, almost four out of ten adults (38%) said that there are absolute moral truths that do not change according to the circumstances. When the same question was asked in the just-completed survey, the result was that just two out of ten adults (22%) claimed to believe in the existence of absolute moral truth.

The people groups least likely to believe in absolute moral truth were Baby Busters (i.e., those 36 and younger - only 13% embrace absolute truth), Catholics (16%) and adults who are not born again Christians (15%). The groups most likely to endorse the existence of absolute moral truths include Baby Boomers (i.e., people 37 to 55 years of age - 28% of whom embrace absolute truth), adults who attend non-mainline Protestant churches (32%) and born again individuals (32%).

Interestingly, when people were further queried as to the source of the principles or standards on which they base their moral and ethical decisions, the post-attack survey discovered that only one out of eight adults - just 13% - cited the Bible. The most common sources of guidance regarding moral decisions trusted by Americans are feelings (25%) and the lessons and values they remember from their parents (14%).

Religious Activities Explored

Seven religious behaviors were studied to assess the impact of the 9-11 events. The surge in church attendance has been widely reported, and while current levels of adult attendance are higher than before the attack, they are not statistically different than the numbers recorded last November, thus reflecting the usual seasonal increase. It appears that attendance, which nationwide increased by perhaps 25% immediately after the attack, is back at normal levels. The November survey found 48% of adults attending on a typical weekend.

The types of adults who seemed more inclined to be attending church services two months after the attack were women (up eight percentage points since August), people 55 or older (+10 points), Catholics (also up 10 points), and atheists, whose church participation tripled from just 3% in August to 10% in November.

The other six measures of religious behavior were at identical levels to those noted in August. Bible reading remained at 39% of adults pursuing the Bible, other than at church, during a typical week. Church volunteerism, after an initial outpouring of involvement, is back at pre-attack levels (23% invest some time in church-related service during a typical week). Prayer, also alleged to have escalated, is currently at its normal level, with 85% praying to God in a given week.

Adult Sunday school attendance moved up slightly (to 22%) but not enough to be considered a statistically significant change. Participation in a small group other than a Sunday school class that meets during the week for Bible study, prayer or Christian fellowship remained static, as did having a private devotional time during the week.

While Christian churches throughout the nation have encouraged believers to reach out to others during these difficult times by sharing the wisdom, spiritual necessity and personal benefits of having a deep and personal faith in Jesus Christ, few individuals have heeded that call. In fact, among the born again adults surveyed before and after the attack, there was a slight net decrease in the percentage of believers who had shared their faith with a non-Christian at any time during the past year.

Measures of Religious Belief

While changes might have been expected in people’s beliefs, the surveys show that little has been altered by the terrorist attacks and subsequent war efforts. An examination of five core beliefs that might have been expected to change in light of the attacks reveals minimal movement in people’s core theological profile. The number of adults who strongly contends that the Bible is accurate in all of its teachings was statistically unchanged, at 40%. The percentage that said their religious faith is very important in their life was also stable; two out of three adults (68%) strongly affirmed the centrality of their faith.

While some religious leaders posited that the attacks had caused many to turn their lives over to Jesus Christ, the survey found that the pre- and post-attack statistics of those who have made a “personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in your life today” were identical: 68%.

The two sentiments for which there was minor change concerned people’s views of God and Satan - and the change was in the opposite direction of that expected! When asked to describe their idea of God or the nature of God, those who view Him as “the all-powerful, all-knowing perfect Creator of the universe who still rules the world today dropped from 72% to 68%. Although that decline is barely significant from a statistical vantage point, it is quite significant from an emotional standpoint. The types of people most likely to shift away from an orthodox view of God to a more postmodern view included men and Baby Boomers.

The other incredible shift was the decline in people who firmly reject the notion that “Satan, or the devil, is not a living being but is just a symbol of evil.” The five-percentage point decline on this measure is not enormous by statistical standards, but it is quite meaningful in terms of people’s general perspective on good and evil, and regarding the nature of spiritual conflict. This shift in theology was most common among women, atheists and Catholics.

Beyond core beliefs, the survey also evaluated the general faith commitments of people. For two decades, Barna Research has used a series of survey questions to classify individuals as “born again Christians” and “evangelical Christians” based upon their theological views, without regard to how people’s self-descriptions, religious practices, or church affiliations. The current survey showed that there was no change at all in the percentage of adults who could be considered to be “born again” (defined as those who have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is important in their life today and who say they know they will go to Heaven after they die solely because they have confessed their sins and accepted Christ as their savior). Similarly, the nine measures used to classify a person as an “evangelical Christian” remained unchanged.

Making Sense of the Results

Responding to the disappointment of Christian leaders who have been exposed to these findings, George Barna, who directed the study, explained that, “after the attack, millions of nominally churched or generally irreligious Americans were desperately seeking something that would restore stability and a sense of meaning to life. Fortunately, many of them turned to the church. Unfortunately, few of them experienced anything that was sufficiently life-changing to capture their attention and their allegiance. They tended to appreciate the moments of comfort they received, but were unaware of anything sufficiently unique or beneficial as to redesign their lifestyle to integrate a deeper level of spiritual involvement. Our assessment is that churches succeeded at putting on a friendly face but failed at motivating the vast majority of spiritual explorers to connect with Christ in a more intimate or intense manner.”

Barna noted that the post-attack measures emerging from his research are remarkably consistent with the levels recorded each quarter since the beginning of 2000. “Christian churches have had two incredible opportunities to instigate serious transformation in people’s this year. Earlier, the faith-based initiative proposal by President Bush afforded a great chance to impact millions of lives, but that opportunity was squandered. The September 11 tragedy was another amazing opportunity to be the healing and transforming presence of God in people’s lives, but that, too, has now come and gone, with little to show for it.”

Barna stated that he hopes churches can learn some sobering lessons from these events. “These situations, especially the terrorist attacks, bring to mind Jesus’ teaching that no one knows the time and day when God will return for His people, so we must always be ready. These two events are a wake up call to church leaders, emphasizing the particular need to enhance their efforts in the areas of outreach and discipleship. We may never again have such grand opportunities to reach the nation for Christ - but then, we may have an even greater opportunity tomorrow. How many churches have leaders and believers who are poised to take advantage of such a pending opportunity?”

Survey Methodology

The data on which this report is based are from telephone interviews with a nationwide random sample of 1010 adults conducted in late October and early November 2001. The pre-attack research was also a national random sample survey among 1001 adults, conducted in late July through mid-August. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is ±3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

A Comparison of Pre-Attack and Post-Attack Religious Beliefs and Behavior

(Source: Barna Research Group, November, 2001)

perspective	survey	all	men	women	ages 18-36	ages 37-55	age 56+
moral truth is absolute	Fall 01	22%	20%	24%	13%	28%	24%
	Jan 00	38	35	40	25	44	42
consider self to be Christian	Fall 01	84	80	88	77	87	92
	Smr 01	86	83	88	79	91	88
absolutely committed to Christianity	Fall 01	44	35	52	26	48	64
	Smr 01	42	36	48	26	49	56
read from Bible, in past week other than at church	Fall 01	39	30	46	29	42	48
	Smr 01	39	32	46	29	42	49
attended a church service, in past week, other than a special event (e.g. wedding, funeral)	Fall 01	48	41	54	38	51	58
	Smr 01	42	37	46	32	46	48
prayed to God in past week	Fall 01	85	77	91	79	86	90
	Smr 01	84	78	89	78	86	90
Bible is totally accurate in all it teaches (strongly agree)	Fall 01	40	35	45	33	41	50
	Smr 01	43	36	49	35	44	52
your religious faith is very important in your life today (strongly agree)	Fall 01	68	58	77	59	67	83
	Smr 01	69	63	74	61	71	78
Satan/the devil is not a living being but is just a symbol of evil (strongly disagree)	Fall 01	23	26	21	21	29	21
	Smr 01	28	28	29	25	32	28
God is the all-knowing, all powerful Creator, etc.	Fall 01	68	63	73	65	66	76
	Smr 01	72	69	74	64	75	78
made a personal commitment to Christ, important in my life	Fall 01	68	58	77	61	69	79
	Smr 01	68	65	70	58	70	77

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The Year’s Most Intriguing Findings, From Barna Research Studies (011217)

As Americans pause at the end of the year to review what happened over the past 12 months, the story of the year was the 9-11 attack on America. But plenty of other changes and revelations occurred during the past year that merit recollection. Based on more than a dozen national research studies conducted by the Barna Research Group of Ventura, California during 2001, it is obvious that even the faith realm provided its fair share of drama.

In his annual review of the top religious findings, George Barna provided five lists of faith-related survey results - the most revealing, most controversial, most surprising, most significant-but-not-surprising, and most challenging faith-related insights. “Other people would probably place some different outcomes on each of these lists,” admitted Barna. “But based on our on-going assessment of the spiritual climate and religious gyrations in America, these 40 outcomes give a pretty dynamic summary of what happened in the U.S. in its religious life this year. Such lists are always subjective, but the breadth of revelations represented by these factors may be helpful in reviewing the true spiritual condition of America.”

The 7 Most Important or Revealing Results

Poring over hundreds of statistics released during 2001 through The Barna Update, the bi-weekly report on American culture and faith, Barna chose the following seven outcomes as those that have the most significant implications.

1. When people who regularly attend Christian church services were asked to describe the importance of various spiritual endeavors, a minority of regular attenders described evangelism, having meaningful relationships with other people in their church, and giving 10% or more of their income to their church as very important endeavors.

2. After studying more than three dozen different faith practices and biblical beliefs, adults under the age of 35 were the least likely to have a biblical perspective or consistent participation in each of the factors examined.

3. Forty one percent of the adults who attend Christian church services in a typical week are not born again Christians - meaning they have not embraced Jesus Christ as their savior.

4. After exploring the religious life of adults attending a variety of Protestant churches, only three types of churches - Pentecostal, Assembly of God, and non-denominational churches - had a majority of adherents who had shared their faith in Christ with a non-Christian in the past year.

5. Based on people’s reactions to a series of moral issues, Americans are comfortable legalizing activities - such as abortion, homosexuality and pornography - that they feel are immoral.

6. Religious teaching or values minimally affect people’s moral choices. The major influences on such decisions are the expected personal outcomes of their choices, minimizing conflict over their choices, and the values their parents taught them.

7. Compared to two years ago, just half as many Americans believe that absolute moral truth exists, dropping from 38% in January 2000 to only 22% in November 2001.

Barna noted that this list suggests that “faith is just one component in people’s lives that helps them to interpret and cope with reality - and it certainly is not the central shaping influence for most people. The data regarding young adults also pose the possibility that churches are losing ground in terms of influence and may need to consider new approaches to making ancient truths more vivid and comprehensible in a technology-drenched, relativistic global community.”

The 7 Most Controversial Statistics

Based upon the letters, phone calls and e-mail messages received in response to the bi-weekly Updates released during the year, Barna identified the statistics that got the greatest number of people exercised.

1. Among adults who have been married, born again Christians and non-Christians have essentially the same probability of divorce.

2. Mormons are more likely to read the Bible during the week than are Protestants or Catholics.

3. Adults who attend charismatic or Pentecostal churches were more likely to possess biblical beliefs than were those attending other Protestant and Catholic churches.

4. By the end of the decade, 50 million Americans will seek to have their spiritual experience solely through the Internet, rather than at a church; and upwards of 100 million Americans will rely upon the Internet to deliver some aspects of their religious experience.

5. Roman Catholics represent the second-largest denominational group of born again Christians in the nation - trailing the Southern Baptists, but way ahead of Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and others.

6. Although one-third of all born again adults claim to tithe their income, only 12% actually do so.

7. Just half of all home schooling parents are born again Christians.

“One of the greatest values of research is that it can identify myths that we hold on to - myths that often prevent us from seizing opportunities, or that prevent us from responding appropriately to the world around us,” Barna explained. “A lot of the anger that was expressed to us in reaction to these findings reflects the difficulty we sometimes have in changing our predispositions and coming to grips with a world that is rapidly changing and does not conform to the rules we believed were firmly entrenched. Knowing the reality, rather than the myth, can help us address reality and, if need be, redirect it.”

The 7 Most Surprising Findings

Barna acknowledged that after more than two decades of conducting research on faith matters, it is unusual for surprises to emerge from the research. However, he listed the following seven unexpected outcomes:

1. The percentage of US Hispanics affiliated with the Catholic church has declined from 68% in 1991 to just 53% today.

2. Since 1993, the number of pastors who say they have the spiritual gifts of preaching/teaching, pastor/shepherd, discernment, and leadership has risen significantly.

3. Despite their evangelistic reputation, just four out of ten adults attending a Baptist church shared their faith in Christ with a non-believer in the past year - less than the proportion of adherents of many other denominations.

4. A higher percentage of adults are against legalized abortion in all or most circumstances (55%) than supports it (42%).

5. A plurality of adults support the legalization of same-gender sexual relations, and even one-third of born again Christians support this aspect of gay rights.

6. Four out of ten Senior Pastors do not have a seminary degree.

7. Despite sales that top 5 million units, The Prayer of Jabez was known to only 13% of adults; and despite sales exceeding 20 million units, the Left Behind books were known to only 24%. In contrast, the Harry Potter books were known to 69% of Americans - and that was before the movie release and related hype.

Barna stated that these findings tended to remind us that American culture as well as people’s faith is constantly changing, and assumptions need to be continually re-examined to assess their validity.

The 7 Most Significant-But-Not-Surprising Insights

There are some conditions that have been assumed or anticipated, yet having factual evidence of their existence does not diminish the significance of such knowledge. Among the figures Barna cited that meet this description were these seven:

1. After the 9-11 attacks, religious activity surged, but within two months, virtually every spiritual indicator available suggested that things were back to pre-attack levels.

2. Just 12% of Senior Pastors say they have the spiritual gift of leadership; only 8% say they have the gift of evangelism; in contrast, two-thirds say they have the gift of teaching or preaching.

3. There is a fairly strong correlation between regularly reading the Bible and having conservative theological, moral, social and political views.

4. Less than 5% of the nation’s churches have youth groups that attract 100 or more teenagers.

5. The gap between Protestants and Catholics in terms of religious practices and beliefs remains quite substantial.

6. From 2000 to 2001, there were no significant changes in 12 out of the 13 core religious practices tracked; only 2 factors have changed significantly in the past five years.

7. Less than 1% of Hispanics attend a mainline Protestant church, and less than 1% attend a Baptist church.

“Sometimes, it is the things that we have suspected but failed to act upon due to lack of factual support that have the greatest potential for impact in ministry,” the researcher noted. “Some of these findings are perhaps obvious but are nevertheless critical elements in facilitating strategic responses.”

The 7 Most Challenging Outcomes

Barna closed out his lists with one describing the greatest challenges churches face based on the year’s research findings.

1. There has been a substantial deterioration regarding people’s understanding of spiritual gifts, with a five-fold increase in born again adults who are aware of gifts saying God did not give them one, and half of all born again adults listing gifts they possess which are not among the spiritual gifts listed in the Bible. Even one-quarter of all Protestant pastors listed one or more gifts that they possess which are not identified in the Bible.

2. Financial support of churches dropped substantially between 1998 and 2000 - and will likely decline again this year, as a result of changed giving patterns related to the 9-11 attacks.

3. At least three out of ten born again adults say that co-habitation, gay sex, sexual fantasies, breaking the speed limit or watching sexually-explicit movies are morally acceptable behaviors.

4. Half of all adults maintain a non-biblical perspective on the moral acceptability of four or more of the eight core moral behaviors evaluated.

5. Although attending church as a child increases the likelihood of a person attending as an adult, that affect is declining substantially.

6. The religious beliefs of people who have attended church since childhood are no different than those of people who did not attend when young but attend as adults.

7. Compared to teens throughout the past 20 years, today’s teenagers have the lowest likelihood of attending church when they are living independent of their parents.

Barna commented that such data underscore the magnitude of the challenges facing American ministries. “This is an exciting time to be alive for religious leaders who understand the spiritual search that millions of Americans have embarked upon and are willing to engage with people who do not necessarily accept pat answers or traditional solutions to spiritual problems. Our society offers people a plethora of choices. Helping people to comprehend that spectrum of options and the consequences of their choices is one of the exciting challenges facing the religious leaders of our nation.”

Research Background

All of the data mentioned in this report are drawn from previous Barna Updates released throughout 2001 and can be referenced on the Barna Research website at www.barna.org. The specific statistics listed are from nationwide surveys of random samples of adults, teenagers or Protestant pastors conducted during 2000. The sample sizes of those studies range from 600 to 1010 respondents.

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