Despite Financial Strains, Fewer Pastors Say Economy Is Hurting Churches
Protestant pastors (49 percent) say the current economy is negatively impacting their churches, according to the latest tracking survey from Lifeway Research.
- 41 percent don’t feel any economic impact
- 9 percent say the economy is a positive factor for their congregation
“Pastors’ general impressions of the impact of the economy on their churches have noticeably improved since a year ago, but pastors are still five times more likely to be seeing negative effects as positive,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research.
Protestant pastors felt a negative impact from the economy, the highest since 2011. Giving at local churches is not keeping up with inflation, but pastors feel better about the economy than they did last year.
Author's summary: Pastors see less economic impact on churches.