Ways pastors encourage Bible reading
Percent of U.S. Protestant senior pastors, 2017 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Give out free Bibles to those who need them (86%). Lowest: Provide digital reading plans (40%).
- Give out free Bibles to those who need them: 86%
- Include Bible-reading reminders in sermons: 86%
- Include Bible readings in worship services: 76%
Source: Lifeway Research, Lifeway Research: Americans Are Fond of the Bible, Don’t Actually Read It · Lifeway Research survey of 1,000 Protestant senior pastors. Article published 2017-04-25.
See all 7 categories, the full chart and more
Free account: full chart, CSV and PNG downloads, ready-to-paste citation, branded share image, and a discussion question for your team.
Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Give out free Bibles to those who need them (86%). Lowest: Provide digital reading plans (40%). Give out free Bibles to those who need them: 86%. Include Bible-reading reminders in sermons: 86%. Include Bible readings in worship services: 76%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2017. Source: Lifeway Research, Lifeway Research: Americans Are Fond of the Bible, Don’t Actually Read It (https://research.lifeway.com/2017/04/25/lifeway-research-americans-are-fond-of-the-bible-dont-actually-read-it/).
Where can I get the full data and a citation?
Create a free Leader Insights account to open the full chart, download CSV or PNG, copy a citation and save the statistic to your own library.
More Bible & Discipleship statistics
- Americans in the Movable Middle, curious about the Bible American Bible Society, 2026
- Americans who have not read any of the Bible American Bible Society, 2026
- Churches with an intentional plan for discipling individuals Lifeway Research, 2026
- Adults who are Bible users Barna Group, 2018
- Adults who believe the Bible has transformed their life Barna Group, 2018
- Americans curious to know more about the Bible Lifeway Research, 2018
About this data
Leader Insights collects statistics about U.S. churches from published research by organizations such as Lifeway Research, Barna Group, Springtide, the American Bible Society and PRRI. Every number is checked against the wording of the original source before it is published, and each statistic links back to the study it came from. Figures are reproduced from the publishers named above; see the source for full methodology.