Recent Research Updates

Dissertation Review: Analyzing Attitudes as Predictors of Sexual Abstinence Among Adolescents

Fri, 8 Feb 2008 12:13:19 PST

Most public sex education programs assume teenagers will be sexually active and focus on educating adolescents about safe sexual practices and providing access to contraception. “Such approaches have been shown to have little or no efficacy (Rivara & Stout, 1989)”1

“Unfortunately, many public health initiatives intended to promote healthy behaviors are met with limited success because they focus entirely on education while neglecting to address the reasons that individuals often knowingly and willingly make choices that are neither in their own best interest nor in the best interest of their families and society.”2

1 David C. Weidner, “Analyzing Attitudes as Predictors of Sexual Abstinence Among Adolescents,” Psy.D. dissertation., Wheaton College Graduate School, 2005, 17-18.

2 Weidner, 10.

Dissertation Review: Clergy burnout and removal from ministry

Fri, 8 Feb 2008 00:00:00 PST

Burnout can lead to inappropriate behavior or other circumstances that necessitate the removal of the pastor from the church. The Recovery Program of the Evangelical Free Church of America Ministerial Association identifies six crises associated with the traumatic experience of losing one’s ministry that must be addressed by a recovery program.

Housing Crisis—Where can we live?
Financial Crisis—How can we pay our bills?
Friendship Crisis—Have we lost all our friends?
Job/Career Crisis—Where can I work now? In the future?
Spiritual Crisis—How do I deal with the guilt, shame, broken dreams and vision?
Personal Crisis—Can I be helped? Can I change?

6 Jeremy S. Haskell, “An evaluation of the recovery program at the Evangelical Free Church of Hershey, Pennsylvania,” Wheaton College Graduate School, 2004, 16-17.

Research Reveals that Many Americans Are Turned Off By Church But Are Accepting of Christians

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:00:00 PST

A study by Lifeway Research and the North American Mission Board revealed that sixty-four percent of the respondents think "the Christian religion is a relevant and viable religion for today."
Seventy-nine percent think Christianity "is more about organized religion than about loving God and loving people."
Eighty-six percent of those surveyed believe they "can have a good relationship with God without being involved in church."

The International Bulletin of Missionary Research Reported that 2,231,421,000 People in the World Are Christian

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:00:00 PST

Every twenty-four hours the world has a population net growth of 219,000 people.
Christians number 170,000 converts per day but find 91,000 defectors, so the net growth is 79,000 Christians each day.
Of the 2,113,199,000 "affiliated" Christians, 1,476,690,000 are "church attenders."
There were 175,000 Christian martyrs worldwide this year, which means 480 per day.

Barna Research Reveals Top Three Issues That Concern Americans

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:00:00 PST

Americans are most concerned with three issues, which are perceived as “major” problems facing the country by three-quarters of the general population.

The problems are poverty (78 percent), personal debt of individual Americans (78 percent), and HIV/AIDS (76 percent), according to the Barna survey.

Current Research Shows That Participants of the Southern Baptist Convention Are Not Getting Any Younger

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:00:00 PST

A new study of attendance at Southern Baptist Convention annual meetings shows the percentage of messengers in the 18-39 age group steadily declining since 1980 – the early days of the SBC’s Conservative Resurgence – and dropping sharply since 2004.

The percentage of messengers in the 60-plus age group, however, has increased dramatically.

Research Reveals Young Adults Stop Attending Church Between the Ages of 18-22

Wed, 8 Aug 2007 00:00:00 PST

Barna Research Found That Mothers Are Very Spiritual

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:00:00 PST

A Survey By Relevant Magazine Shows That Young Christians Still Hold Traditional Moral Values

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:00:00 PST

According to a survey by Relevant Magazine, the younger generation of Christian voters shared some of the same moral values held by traditional Christian right leaders.

They differed significantly from traditional Christian right leaders in other aspects such as foreign policy, abortion, and healthcare.

Abortion was still considered one the most important issues in the presidential election by younger Christian voters.

Gay rights, a core issue for Christian right leaders, was selected out of a provided list (abortion, gay rights, church and state issues, bioethics, illegal immigration) as the least important presidential issue.

Most Americans Support School Prayers, Religious Displays

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:00:00 PST

New Millennium Ministers Survey Results

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 14:10:49 PST

Reflection Evangelism and Recent Seminary Graduates (pdf)
Reflection Church Planting and SBC Seminaries (pdf)
Reflection Denominational Loyalty of Recent Seminary Graduates (pdf)
Persistence and Loyalty (PowerPoint Presentation made at the Southern Baptist Research Fellowship in Fort Worth)

A Study By Ellison Research Shows That Church Attendance As A Child Laid A Strong Moral Foundation for Adults

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:00:00 PST

An Ellison Research study found that 66 percent of Americans believe their religious attendance before age 18 gave them a good moral foundation.

Sixty-two percent say they are glad they attended church.

A Recent Harris Poll Determined the Number of Americans Who Believe in Heaven and Hell

Mon, 3 Dec 2007 00:00:00 PST

According to recent study released by the Harris Poll, sixty-two percent of Americans believe in a literal hell and the devil.
Forty-two percent of the Americans surveyed stated that they believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Forty-Seven Percent of Americans Consider This Holiday Season Joyous

Thu, 6 Dec 2007 00:00:00 PST

According to the most recent Rasmussen Reports survey, 47% of Americans consider this holiday season joyous.
A slightly less percentage (44%) however, regard the holiday season as stressful.
More Republicans (61%) deem the season more joyous than Democrats (39%).

According To A Rasmussen Report, 83% of Americans Will Celebrate Christmas

Fri, 7 Dec 2007 00:00:00 PST

Eighty-three percent (83%) of Americans say they celebrate Christmas this year.

Three percent say they celebrate Hanukkah
Three percent will recognize the Winter Solstice

Ten Percent of Pastors in the SBC Affirm the Five Points of Calvinism

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:00:00 PST

Nearly 30 percent of recent SBC seminary graduates now serving as church pastors identify themselves as Calvinists, according to data presented during the opening session of a conference on Reformed theology and the Southern Baptist Convention.
- By contrast in the SBC at large, the number of pastors who affirm the five points of Calvinism is around 10 percent.

A Study by LifeWay Research Indicated Half of Southern Baptist Pastors Believe In A Private Prayer L

Sun, 4 Nov 2007 00:00:00 PST

The Lifeway Research study indicated that the majority of Protestant senior pastors (63 percent) and laity (51 percent) believe in the gift of a private prayer language.

Of the Protestant laity surveyed, 15 percent responded "Don't know" when asked if they believe in the gift of private prayer language.
Of the Protestant pastors, only 3 percent are unsure.

Lifeway Research Revealed that Many Teens Stop Attending Church at Age Eighteen

Wed, 8 Aug 2007 00:00:00 PST

LifeWay Research released study results that showed that more than two-thirds of young adults who attend a Protestant church stopped attending church regularly (at least twice a month) for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22.

A Study by Gallup Indicates that People Have Less Confidence in the Church

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 00:00:00 PST

Of those surveyed, only 46 percent said they have a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in church/organized religion - one percentage point of being the lowest in Gallup's history since 1973.

Fifty Percent of Southern Baptists Believe in a Private Prayer Language

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 00:00:00 PST

Half of Southern Baptist pastors say they believe the Holy Spirit gives some people a special language to pray to God – what is known to some as private prayer language – a surprising new study found.
- Sixty-three percent of Protestant senior pastors believe in the gift of a private prayer language.
- Within the SBC, 50 percent of pastors believe in the gift and 43 percent do not.