Which is the bigger threat to the U.S. church today
Percent of Protestant pastors, 2021 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Racism (48%). Lowest: Not sure (6%).
- Racism: 48%
- Critical Race Theory: 29%
- Neither is a threat: 16%
Source: Lifeway Research, Most Pastors See Racial Diversity in the Church as a Goal but Not Reality · Lifeway Research phone survey of 1,000 Protestant pastors. Article published 2022-02-15.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Racism (48%). Lowest: Not sure (6%). Racism: 48%. Critical Race Theory: 29%. Neither is a threat: 16%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2021. Source: Lifeway Research, Most Pastors See Racial Diversity in the Church as a Goal but Not Reality (https://research.lifeway.com/2022/02/15/most-pastors-see-racial-diversity-in-the-church-as-a-goal-but-not-reality/).
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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.