Thousands of Bibles headed to soldiers
CONYERS, Ga. (BP)--In a dry, dusty place during a season known more for destruction than cultivation, God planted the seed for a ministry in Scott Reed's heart.
Churches & the ‘digital cloud’ studied
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–A survey conducted by LifeWay Research has found that few churches are thinking about “the cloud” as anything more than fluffy white vapor hanging in the sky. It seems that many churches have not moved from the desktop and hard drive-based world of church management — or even from the paper and pencil […]
BP 2010: YEAR IN REVIEW — LifeWay Research: Recession catches up to U.S. churches
EDITOR’S NOTE: Baptist Press today is concluding a 12-part series re-publishing some of the most significant stories of 2010. Three stories have appeared each day, Tues.-Fri., Jan. 4-7. Baptist Press initially published the story below on Dec. 14, 2010. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–The National Bureau of Economic Research declared in September that the recession that began […]
BP 2010: YEAR IN REVIEW — LifeWay Research: Recession catches up to U.S. churches
EDITOR’S NOTE: Baptist Press today is concluding a 12-part series re-publishing some of the most significant stories of 2010. Three stories have appeared each day, Tues.-Fri., Jan. 4-7. Baptist Press initially published the story below on Dec. 14, 2010. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–The National Bureau of Economic Research declared in September that the recession that began […]
Rainers examine beliefs of Millennials in new book
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources, and his son Jess Rainer have teamed up to write "The Millennials: Connecting to America's Largest Generation," a book released in January by LifeWay's B&H Publishing Group. The book unpacks the results of an extensive August 2009 LifeWay Research project that surveyed a national sample of 1,200 Millennials. Millennials are categorized as individuals born between 1980 and 2000, but for research purposes, only older Millennials, those born between 1980 and 1991, were surveyed. Thom Rainer visited the "Inside LifeWay" studio and Jess joined the conversation via telephone to discuss the data and offer some perspective beyond the statistics themselves. "The Millennial generation, by our count, is the largest generation in America's history, so just the sheer number of Millennials is something that we want to focus upon," Thom Rainer said, noting that about 80 million individuals can be classified as American Millennials. "We have to say, We need to know about this group, how the church can reach them and why we are not reaching them at this time." Thom Rainer and his wife Nellie Jo have three sons, all Millennials, so some of the study's findings simply affirmed what he had experienced personally. For instance, Rainer pointed out that Millennials cite philanthropy as an important goal -- a goal the elder Rainer said he has seen carried out among his sons and their wives. "On a whole, [Millennials] seek to serve others," Thom Rainer said, "and it is more about what I can do for someone else than what everyone else can do for me." "On a whole, [Millennials] seek to serve others," Thom Rainer said, "and it is more about what I can do for someone else than what everyone else can do for me." Similarly, Jess Rainer said his experiences among his peers allowed him to accurately anticipate some of the study's findings, such as how technology has enabled Millennials to become well connected. But other results, such as the importance of family among Millennials, did surprise him. "[The importance of family] really grabbed me just because our family situation, unfortunately, in America is probably not what it needs to be," Jess Rainer said. "It was good to know that the Millennials were wanting to get back into that family mindset. Two out of three Millennials say ... the most important thing to them in life is their family." Father and son acknowledged that while the Rainer siblings provide some anecdotal evidence in support of the data ...
AMERICANS CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS: To many, however, it’s devoid of religious meaning, LifeWay survey finds
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and it's not just Christians turning December into a festive month of themed décor, gift giving and mailboxes packed with greeting cards.
Christmas prime time for church invitations
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--LifeWay Research explored nine seasons or life moments in December 2008, asking in a survey: "Have you been more open to considering matters of faith during any of the following times ..."
Poll: Recession catches up to U.S. churches
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–The National Bureau of Economic Research declared in September that the recession that began in December 2007 ended in June 2009. According to a new LifeWay Research study, pastors of Protestant churches might disagree: Data gathered Oct. 7-14 shows that 2010 is on course to be the third straight year with an increased […]
POLL: Pastors sour on Obama’s performance & oppose pulpit political endorsements
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--A new survey by LifeWay Research indicates that 61 percent of Protestant pastors disapprove (47 percent strongly) of President Barack Obama's job performance. Yet they remain opposed to pulpit endorsements of political candidates.
Largest, fastest-growing churches tallied
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--The Southeast led the way, but churches from coast to coast are on the 2010 list of America's largest and fastest-growing churches, according to Outreach Magazine based on research from LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.