Some Ministries Are Favored By Divergent Groups:

• Worship was a relatively higher priority for mainline pastors (37%) than for Baptist (12%) or Pentecostal (13%) pastors.  It was also less frequently cited by pastors of small churches (16% of those at churches with 100 or fewer adults) than by their colleagues pastoring larger congregations (23%).
• Ministry to teenagers was most likely to be promoted in Pentecostal congregations (25%) and churches in the South (21%).
• Missions gained the highest proportion of support from pastors of Baptist churches (22%) and theologically liberal congregations (23%). The least support for missions was expressed among pastors under the age of 40 (10% listed missions).

Today’s American congregations, on the whole, reflect a very different population than exists in the United States.  Congregations in the United States contain

• more women (61%) than the general population (51%),
• more retired people (25%) than the general population (14%),
• more married people (66%) than the general population (52%), and
• a greater percentage of educated people (38%) than the general population (23%).
            

• "New Tasks for the New Congregation, Reflections on Congregational Studies" by Jeff Woods, from “Resources for American Christiantiy” http://www.resourcingchristianity.org.

• There are nearly 13 million residents in the United States who trace their roots to Asia and Oceania. 
• The Committee of 100 surveyed American attitudes towards Asian Americans and reported that:
  • One out of four Americans hold "strong negative attitudes" towards Chinese Americans
  • 23 percent would be uncomfortable voting for an Asian American to be President of the United States
• Some of the positive attitudes towards Chinese Americans voiced by survey respondents include:
  • "strong family values" (91percent)
  • "honesty as business people" (77percent)

• The participating ministers were asked about changes in the overall worship style of their churches over the past five years.
  • 44 percent reported no significant change
  • 15 percent said their churches had moved in much more contemporary direction
  • 36 percent said their worship had become a little more contemporary
  • 5 percent said their worship had become more traditional during the time period in question.

• In the area of opportunities for children and youth, respondents were most likely to say their congregation does very well in "teaching children and youth what we believe" (57%).
• They were least likely to say they do very well at "giving children and youth opportunities to develop leadership skills" (38%).
  • The strongest area was "supporting families in times of crisis" (43%)
  • The lowest area, "supporting families in doing religious rituals or ceremonies at home" (23%).
• In the area of intergenerational opportunities, people rate most highly "offering adults opportunities for spiritual growth and  learning" (59%).
• Only 29% rated each of the following as something the congregation does very well: giving children and youth leadership roles in the whole congregation, providing intergenerational learning opportunities, and providing opportunities for children, youth, and adults to get to know each other.

A national telephone survey last Advent involved repeated calls to 3,400 randomly selected Protestant churches and revealed 55 % of those congregations either answered via machine or made no response whatsoever.

• 19% of the churches allowed the phone to ring without any response in each of the five attempted calls
• Actual responses by people were most likely at mainline churches (63 percent) including American Baptist, UCC, Episcopal, Evangelical Lutheran and Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations

• Four in five college freshmen indicate "having an interest in spirituality" and "believing in the sacredness of life" 
• Two-thirds say that "my spirituality is a source of joy."
• About four in five report attending a religious services in the past year and that they discussed religion/spirituality with friends and family.
• More than three-fourths believe in God, and more than two in three say that their religious/ spiritual beliefs "provide me with strength, support, and guidance."
• Four in ten also consider it "essential" or "very important" to "follow religious teachings in my everyday life"

The Alban Institute estimates that 17 percent of pastors are experiencing burnout. A study of one major denomination concluded that less than one-third of its pastors were happy in their work. Another 30 percent were "deeply ambivalent" about ministry. And 40 percent described themselves as "heading for burnout."