Less Than Half of Americans Find Pastors to Be ‘Trustworthy Sources of Wisdom,’ Research Finds
“Pastors are no longer perceived as a credible voice or a trustworthy source of wisdom on much,”
(Christian Headlines) According to new data from Barna Research Group, less than half of American adults, including non-Christians, find pastors to be “very reliable” sources of wisdom when it comes to spiritual matters.
The Rev. Glenn Packiam, a senior fellow at the Barna Group, included the research in his latest book, The Resilient Pastor. The book, released on February 15, encourages pastors and Christians to be resilient in their calling as Christianity’s influence on the world continues to wane.
“Pastors are no longer perceived as a credible voice or a trustworthy source of wisdom on much,” Packiam wrote in an excerpt of the book. “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,” he continued. “In fact, Christianity is just one way of making meaning of this world, and it isn’t really even a respected way. For many, it is archaic and outmoded, prude and rude,” Packiam concluded.
The research, which asked whether pastors are seen as trustworthy sources of wisdom, found that 57 percent of Americans generally agreed that pastors were “somewhat” reliable and 23 percent of American adults agreed that pastors are “definitely” a “trustworthy source of wisdom.” Thirty-one percent of Christians said pastors are “definitely” trustworthy, while just four percent of…
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Editor’s Note. This article was written by Milton Quintanilla an published at Christian Headlines.