Have I told you the story of the funeral I officiated for a 93-year-old woman who had been a faithful member of a Baptist church all her life but had no relation to a church or a minister to lead…
ECFA study finds pandemic hit church finances harder than for other nonprofit ministries
Individual evangelical churches struggled financially much more during the COVID-19 pandemic than other kinds of ministries and nonprofits, leaders of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability revealed in a webinar hosted to unpack ECFA’s “2022 State of Giving” report. “Unfortunately,…
Americans may be pessimistic about public education in general, but parents remain largely pleased with their kids’ schools
American parents remain as satisfied as ever with the quality of their children’s education despite the hardships of COVID-related school closings, virtual learning and a national campaign to discredit public education, recent research shows. Even a federal study documenting drops…
What The Great British Baking Show teaches us about life and politics
A new season of The Great British Baking Show just hit Netflix, meaning 10 episodes of brand-new bakes are in our future. Like everyone else with good taste, I love The Great British Baking Show. I love the polite and…
At nearly 90, Charles Stanley makes half a million a year and his ministry is awash in cash
Editor’s update: Charles Stanley died April 18 at age 90. Read his obituary here. If you’re worried about Charles Stanley being destitute in his old age, worry no more. He’ll turn 90 years of age on Sept. 25 and…
Despite financial hardships, Americans upped their giving to congregations during pandemic
The financial hardships many Americans faced during the COVID-19 pandemic did not result in the predicted revenue declines for U.S. churches, according to new research into congregational giving trends. In fact, the study conducted by the Lake Institute on Faith…
Frowns all around: World drops to new low on sadness scale
Globally, emotions took a deep dive in 2021, surpassing negativity levels documented the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and hitting all-time lows in terms of stress, sadness and worry, a new Gallup poll shows. The June survey revealed negative…
Church religious education took more of a hit than worship during pandemic
Much has been written about the challenges churches faced in maintaining corporate worship during the pandemic, but little has been reported on the changes brought about in religious education. Yet a new national study from Hartford Institute for Religion Research…
Yet another study confirms: Many pastors are hanging on by a thread
New research confirms that the past year has been an especially tough one for pastors in the United States as they’ve faced partisan rancor and feelings of isolation and stress that led a growing number to consider leaving full-time ministry….