Only less than half of surveyed American adults, including non-Christians, perceive pastors as "very reliable" when it comes to managing spiritual matters, a new survey revealed.
Additionally, the number of pastors who believe the general public sees them that way is much lower. A new study revealed these findings, which led researchers to conclude that the cultural dominance of Christianity may be weakening.
According to newly published data from Barna Research, which is also included in a book titled "The Resilient Pastor" by Rev. Glenn Packiam that was released on February 15, pastors are no longer viewed as a "credible" authority. The book was written to offer pastors and Christians hope in maintaining resilience in their calling in the face of several challenges, including the diminishing cultural influence of Christianity.
"Pastors are no longer perceived as a credible voice or a trustworthy source of wisdom on much," Packiam explained in the book, as reported by the Christian Post. "Churches don't have much of a role in a community unless they can provide tangible help or practical care. And people aren't likely to turn to a church for help when facing difficulties or crises."
This led Packiam to conclude that Christianity has been reduced to just "one way of making meaning of this world" that is not "really even respected" anymore. He said that many believe Christianity is "archaic and outmoded, prude and rude."
Packiam is a senior fellow at Barna Group and an associate senior pastor at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He also leads the New Life Downtown congregation and has been in a position where he could observe firsthand these findings.
According to the research data, only 57% of Americans in general said that pastors are at least somewhat wise, when asked if they thought pastors are a trustworthy source of wisdom.
Breaking down the research data, it showed that only 23% of all adult Americans agreed that pastors are "definitely" a "trustworthy source of wisdom." The figure increases to 31% among Christians, but drops to 4% among non-Christians.
A larger portion of survey respondents said that pastors are "somewhat" a trustworthy source of wisdom, with 40% of Christians agreeing the same.
Meanwhile, non-Christians have the "strongest reaction against pastors," Packiam reported. He found that 29% of them said a pastor is "definitely not" a trustworthy source of wisdom. The pastor and author noted, "That may be unsurprising in our present culture, but it is still telling and discouraging."
Research also showed that a majority of pastors or 67% felt very confident in their own congregations and viewed them to be a trustworthy source of wisdom. Only 21% said that they feel a similar level of confidence in how the general community of the church views them.
Meanwhile, 62% said that they feel that the general community of their church was only "somewhat" confident in their role as a trustworthy source of wisdom.
Moreover, pastors admitted that they were not very confident about how the general public views them as a reliable source of information when it came to spiritual matters. Only 36% of adults view pastors as "very reliable" for spiritual matters, but only 25% of pastors believe the same. Up to 59% of pastors said they were "somewhat reliable."
Among Christians, 44% said their pastors were "very reliable" on spiritual matters, while 39% said they were "somewhat reliable." Packiam recommended that pastors "examine themselves" to determine the role that credibility plays in how they steward authority.
