A recent report indicates that four out of five Protestant churchgoers in the United States believe pastors should address current issues during their sermons.
According to the Lifeway report released on Tuesday, 80% of Protestants “believe a pastor must address current issues to be doing their job,” while 16% disagreed, and 4% were unsure.
The survey found that 62% of respondents stated their pastors address current topics “every week” or “almost every week,” while 23% mentioned they discuss such issues “at least once a month.” Additionally, 12% reported that their pastors address current issues “rarely” or “several times a year.”
Methodists (96%) and members of Restorationist Movement churches (89%) demonstrated the highest likelihood of believing that pastors should tackle current issues. Conversely, churchgoers aged 65 and older were noted as the demographic most likely to disagree, with 22% expressing that pastors do not need to address these topics.
Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, commented on the findings, stating, “As the culture increasingly includes fewer overtly Christian elements and more non-Christian ideas, churchgoers are hungry to know what the Bible says about life’s issues.”
He added, “Churchgoers notice that most pastors are not just preaching from the Bible as a historical document. Pastors seek to explain the original meaning and context, but then apply those principles to issues and situations today. Such application of the biblical text helps churchgoers recognize its relevance.”
The report was based on an online survey of 1,008 U.S. Protestant churchgoers conducted from September 19 to 29, 2023, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2% at a 95% confidence level.
Earlier this month, Lifeway released another report indicating that “the percentage of Americans who see pastors endorsing a candidate in church as appropriate has risen steadily over the past 16 years.” This earlier study revealed that while only 13% of respondents in 2008 found it appropriate for pastors to endorse a candidate in church, that figure increased to 29% this year.
Support for the idea of churches publicly endorsing candidates for public office also saw an uptick, rising from 22% in 2008 to 32% this year.
These findings come as the United States approaches the presidential election, which will feature Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris opposing Republican challenger and former President Donald Trump.
