Research On Religion » Millennials

Jeremy Castle on Religion and Voting Behavior

tonygill — Sun, 25 Jun 2017 08:00:49 +0000

How do American voters react when candidates prompt them with religious cues? Dr. Jeremiah (Jeremy) Castle, an assistant professor at Central Michigan University, discusses a recent study he conducted with his colleagues regarding how religious cues and prompts affect opinions towards various candidates. We start the discussion with Prof. Castle’s dissertation work on young evangelical Christians and whether they are becoming more liberal/progressive in their political views. It turns out, that Millennial evangelicals are not becoming more liberal when you examine those who are actively involved in their church. Younger Christians who are peripherally involved in their faith do show a leftward drift, though. Moving on to a recent article published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, we pick up the topic of whether or not voters are influenced by how a candidate is presented to them in media (e.g., voter pamphlets). Jeremy reviews the extant literature on why people vote the way they do, noting that partisan affiliation is — not surprisingly — the primary factor determining how one views, and votes for, a partisan candidate. The question moves back one step to explain what determines party affiliation and Prof. Castle notes that a number of factors condition this, including race, income, education, and religion. The interesting phenomenon that social scientists have observed over the past few decades, though, is a shift away from denominational affiliation (e.g., Presbyterian, Catholic) and party identity, to one that is based more upon religious intensity. Christians, irrespective of denomination, who are more active in their faith subculture tend to be conservative and Republican in their political identity, whereas less active and secular individuals lean Democrat and liberal. (There are some exceptions including Jews and black Protestants who still largely vote Democrat.) Jeremy then details the survey experiment he conducted with David Campbell, Geoffrey Layman, and John Green wherein they created a “generic” candidate and manipulated how that candidate was presented to individuals. Some test subjects received a moderate religious prompt, others a strong religious prompt, a third group received a secular prompt, and of course there was a control group that did not have any religious/secular identifying characteristics. Jeremy reveals that the strong religious prompt tended to improve the favorability of candidates amongst individuals who identified as strongly religious, and secular prompts tended to reduce the candidates favorability amongst this group. He shares a number of other interesting observations from this study as well. The topic of religious voting during the 2016 presidential election comes up at this point and Prof. Castle notes that some of the trends within Donald Trump’s rhetoric matches with the theoretical expectations of the hypotheses he was testing. We then shift gears to discuss some of Jeremy’s other work on whether or not political messages in movies have an impact on public opinion and he covers an experimental study he did on Notre Dame students exposed to three different films and their attitudes towards health care reform conducted several years ago. He finds that strong political messages in movies do shift attitudes immediately following the viewing of the film and several weeks later. Jeremy closes out with some observations on what he has learned in his young career as an academic. Recorded: June 12, 2017.

Prof. Castle’s personal website.

The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical, by Shane Claiborne (mentioned in podcast).

RELATED PODCASTS

Gerald De Maio on the Electoral Religion Gap.

Joe Fuiten on Clergy and Politics.

David Campbell & Quin Monson on Mormons and Politics in America.

Douglas Baker on Dominionism, Michele Bachmann, and Rick Perry.

Laura Olson on Attitudes towards Religious Free Exercise.

David Buckley on the Demand for Clergy in Politics.

Ken Wald on the Puzzling Politics of American Jews.

Luis Bolce on the Media and Anti-Fundamentalism.

Nathanael Snow on the Evangelical Coalition and Public Choice.

Kevin den Dulk on Religion, Education, and Civic Engagement.

Hunter Baker on the Past and Future of the Religious Right.

Who Would Jesus Vote For? A Redemption Church Small Group.

Kelsey Dallas on Religious Journalism

tonygill — Sun, 12 Feb 2017 09:00:36 +0000

In a world where the non-affiliated are on the rise, religious journalism is still alive, well, and adapting to a changing media environment. To discuss the world of “faith-driven stories,” we are joined by Kelsey Dallas, a regular journalist for the Deseret News who has written over 600 news articles of varying length and depth about the world of faithful. We begin the discussion with how a kid from a small town in Illinois makes it to the University of Iowa, on to graduate school at Yale University, and then lands a job as a religion beat reporter in Utah. Ms. Dallas shares her religious upbringing and intellectual experience at Yale, including taking a class from the famed-journalist Bob Woodward, and how she was able to bring together her three great passions — writing, reading, and religion. She also explains her membership in the Religion News Association and how important that organization has been in helping to link journalists and columnists who focus on religious news. This draws us into a discussion about where the topic of religion is in today’s mainstream media. Kelsey then explains the difference between news stories about religion and faith-driven stories, the latter which are based less on changes in major institutions (e.g., a new appointment of a Catholic bishop) and more about personal stories about how people live their daily lives. Throughout the podcast, Kelsey shares a number of her favorite, most interesting, and oddest stories. The latter includes a piece on how religions would react to the discovery of life on other planets (see link below). We talk about the prominence that stories on religious liberty have taken over the past few years with events such as the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court case and Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act controversy. Ms. Dallas also shares her insights on being a journalist attending the services of different faith traditions, including one where she visited an Islamic mosque and was moved to the women’s section during the formal prayers. Our conversation also covers football, both prayer circles after NFL games and the fantasy version. Kelsey finishes off with some personal reflections on what she has learned over the span of the past few years and reaffirms for Tony the importance of ice cream. Recorded: February 10, 2017.

RELATED LINKS

Kelsey Dallas’s news feed at Deseret News.

Kelsey Dallas on Twitter.

Religion News Association.

“How Would Religions React to the Discovery of Life on Other Planets?” by Kelsey Dallas (Deseret News

“Taking a Knee: Professional Football and Its Mysterious Postgame Prayer,” by Kelsey Dallas (Deseret News).

“How Religious Pilgrimages Feed Mental, Physical, and Spiritual Health” by Kelsey Dallas (Deseret News).

RELATED PODCASTS

Jeremy Lott on Real Clear Religion.

Jeremy Lott on Episcopalians, Ex-Atheists, Health Care, and German Circumcision.

Jeremy Lott on America’s Shifting Religious Election Coalition.

Jeremy Lott on the Media’s Pope-O-Rama.

Jeremy Lott on Mormons, Pope Francis, and Ugly Churches.

Jeremy Lott on Religious Newsmakers of 2013.

Karen Elliott House on Journalism and Saudi Arabia.

David Brody on the 2010 Midterm Elections and Religious Journalism.

Michael Cromartie on Religion, the Media, and Think Tanks.

Luis Bolce on the Media and Anti-Fundamentalism.

Frank Newport on Survey Research and American Religiosity (Encore Presentation)

tonygill — Sun, 16 Oct 2016 08:00:30 +0000

Due to illness and windstorms, the staff at RoR is taking a short break. In the meantime, here is a conversation from three years ago regarding survey research, a still-timely episode given all the polling data we are hearing on a daily basis. Enjoy and know that we will be back with crescent fresh episodes soon, including some spooky stuff for Halloween.

Dr. Frank Newport, editor-in-chief of the Gallup Poll and author of the new book God Is Alive and Well, joins us to talk about how survey research is conducted and what polls have been telling us about the changing religiosity of the American people. The first half of our discussion devotes attention to the issue of polling methodology, specifically as it relates to phone surveys. While many folks see poll results reported on the evening news, few people understand the underlying procedures that produce these results. We talk about several issues that may affect the results of surveys, including non-response bias, the drop in response rates, the increased usage of cell phones and how that affects how people answer questions, strategic answering of questions in a socially-acceptable manner, and interview interaction. Dr. Newport notes that all of these issues are known to his profession and a great deal of effort is made to overcome the various problems associated with these potentially-biasing factors.

The discussion then shifts to the issue of America’s religiosity. We begin with the topic that has been capturing everybody’s attention over the past decade — the increase in “religious nones” (i.e., those people who state that they have no religious affiliation). Frank confirms that there has been a significant rise in the number of people who are not religiously affiliated based upon a standard set of questions that pollsters have been asking over time. However, what this increase means might not be obviously clear. While some scholars have jumped on these results as proof that America is becoming less religious, Dr. Newport has a different take on the matter. We xplore who the “nones” are and Frank notes that the increased prevalence of “nones” tend to be correlated with the demographics of individuals who have always tended to be less religious than in the past — e.g., younger individuals, men, singles, and people in certain parts of the nation. Tony advances a hypothesis that the trend in delayed marriages and fertility over the past twenty years has had an impact on people avoiding religious services in the earlier part of their life, which Dr. Newport confirms. Frank also notes that “nones” are not necessarily atheists or agnostic. Instead, he lays out the idea that there is more “truth in reporting” in surveys as compared with the past; people feel freer today to say they don’t attend church or are unaffiliated with a faith than in the past. This gets us into a brief discussion of achieved versus ascribed characteristics, and that religious affiliation has moved from being an ascribed characteristic to an achieved characteristic. This seems to be confirmed with the tendency that Protestants — who are more fluid in their religious affiliations — are the ones who are most likely to become “nones.”

The interview continues along other paths including an exploration to the rise of non-denominational churches and religious pluralism. We also examine the issue of church growth and Dr. Newport gives his ideas about how and why some churches grow and others do not. Fertility is quite obviously associated with church growth and there are certain denominations, namely the mainline Protestants, that have fewer children. Immigration is also discussed. The other factor that Frank raises is that of “religious marketing.” Churches that focus on marketing their faith so as to bring people into the pews do better at attracting members, not surprisingly. (Tony notes that comfortable chairs and coffee are an important part of that marketing campaign.) We finish the interview with Frank’s thoughts on how the clergy can use modern survey research to better serve their missions. Recorded: August 1, 2013.

Gallup’s Polling Matters.

God Is Alive and Well: The Future of Religion in America, by Frank Newport.

Polling Matters: Why Leaders Must Listen to the Wisdom of the People, by Frank Newport.

Summary of report on marriage survey as mentioned in podcast.

American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR).

RELATED PODCASTS

Joseph O. Baker on American Secularism.

Hunter Baker on Secularism.

Rodney Stark on How Religion Benefits Everyone, Including Atheists.

Paul Froese on America’s Four Gods.

Jeremy Lott on Mormons, Pope Francis, and Ugly Churches.

Thom S. Rainer on Baptist Conventions and Church Health.

Tony Carnes on Jesus’s Auto Body (and Soul) Shop, Blessed Pizza, and NYC Religions Part II.

Tony Carnes on a Journey Through NYC Religions.

Bill Clark on an Academic’s Spiritual Journey.

Rodney Stark on The Triumph of Faith

tonygill — Sun, 17 Jan 2016 10:21:04 +0000

The decline of religion around the world may be greatly exaggerated. This is the assertion made by Dr. Rodney Stark — co-founder and director of Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion and frequent guest on our program. He backs his claim with extensive survey evidence from a number of polling organizations (namely the Gallup World Poll) and other bits of evidence from scholarly studies. We take a tour de force of religion around the world to see that faith is as strong as ever, even in the United States.

Surveys by Pew Forum and the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) have indicated religious practice is on the decline in the United States. Tony asks Rod whether he has seen a similar trend in his own research using the Baylor Religion Study. While there has been an increase in the number of individuals who claim “no religious affiliation” or the infamous “nones” discussed by Pew, Prof. Stark notes that this really affects religious affiliation and not necessarily belief. His own examination of “nones” indicates that a substantial number of them still believe in God, pray weekly, and occasionally attend worship services. He also notes that many individuals who proclaim no traditional religious affiliation believe in “non-conventional” forms of the supernatural such as various New Age ideas of spirituality or entities such as elves. Tony points out that even in Iceland where attendance at church services is near the lowest in the Christian world, there is still a strong belief in elves to the point where people will hire clerics to investigate whether such creatures are inhabiting land they plan to build upon. Our conversation at this point also covers some issues with survey methodology and Rod explains the reason he is relying upon the Gallup World Poll for much of his research data.

We then expand our exploration to the rest of the world outside of the US and Europe. Whereas Europe has not seen any significant increase in religious practice or belief recently (outside of Muslim immigrants), the rest of the globe is experiencing a major explosion in religious affiliation, practice, and belief. Rod lists a couple statistics to bolster this point, including 81% of the world population claiming to belong to some organized religious faith, 71% saying that religion is important in their lives, and 51% having participated in some organized form of worship in the past week. Atheism rates remains relatively stagnant with only three countries registering more than 20% of the population as non-believers. Attendance and affiliation remains most flaccid in Europe. This continent registers low among individuals who attend religious services largely because Christianity was never deeply embedded in a number of these countries to begin with (particularly in Northern Europe) and monopolized state churches have little incentive to recruit and serve members, according to Prof. Stark.

Moving from the least religiously active part of the world, we then travel to Africa where religious practice has been growing exponentially. This is particularly true in sub-Saharan Africa where there was nary a Christian on the continent in the late 1800s, but a vast majority now proclaim Christianity and attendance rates are the highest in the world. Rod points out that this is not only due to missionary work by Europeans in the early 20th century who introduced the faith, but more importantly is the result of indigenous church growth — i.e., Africans developing and organizing their own Christian denominations. Catholicism also shows strong growth in the region, surprising even the Vatican itself with its strong indigenous roots. We talk briefly about Islam in Northern Africa, and how contact between Muslims and Christians has created unfortunate conflict in some parts of the continent.

Asia is our next region of focus. Having recently co-authored a book with Xiuhua Wang on Christianity in China (see below), Rod explains how this country poses a unique challenge to secularization theory. While China is modernizing rapidly, it is also Christianizing equally fast and despite attempts by the communist regime to suppress or control the growth. Interestingly, the growth in religious practice is coming amongst the most educated and prosperous in Chinese society. While the central regime in China is concerned about this religious growth, many local officials take a hands-off approach to the practice of house churches. Tony speculates that there may be many parallels between what is currently happening in China to what went on in the pre-Constantine Church in the first three centuries. Japan becomes the next topic of conversation. Here, religious practice remains rather low. Rod points out that even with high rates of unbelief, many people still rely upon Shinto priests to bless their autos, homes, and even military equipment (which Tony mentions from a previous podcast with Ron Hassner).

Our last two topics cover Latin America and Islam. In the former, religious practice has increased dramatically despite the notion that Latin Americans have always been (since colonization) firmly Catholic. Prof. Stark tips his hat to Tony’s own research on the region and how Protestant missionaries in the 20th century lit a competitive fire underneath the Catholic Church, which prompted this institution to better serve its parishioner base. We discuss how the Latin American Catholic Church, whereas it used to rely upon imported priests, now sees significant growth in native seminarians and Rod provides an interesting anecdote from his time in California about how competition from Pentecostals motivated a Catholic parish. We touch a bit on Islam noting that while religious practice has been relatively high in North Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia, this faith has become “more intensified” in recent decades. The display of religious symbols (e.g., hijab) has become more pronounced, and Rod discusses how Islam provides a great deal of internal religious competition that can give rise to this, particularly in an environment that is showing increased resentment of Western morals.

We finish off with some reflections on secularization theory and why this perspective is still so entrenched in the Academy. Prof. Stark shares some comments on political correctness and encourages more honest research amongst intellectuals. Recorded: December 30, 2015.

The Triumph of Faith: Why the World Is More Religious than Ever, by Rodney Stark.

America’s Blessings: How Religion Benefits Everyone, Including Atheists, by Rodney Stark.

The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World’s Largest Religion, by Rodney Stark.

America’s Blessings: How Religion Benefits Everyone… Including Atheists, by Rodney Stark (available November 2012).

Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion.

RELATED PODCASTS

Rodney Stark on How Religion Benefits Everyone, Including Atheists.

Rodney Stark on the Triumph of Christianity, Part I.

Rodney Stark on the Triumph of Christianity, Part II.

Rodney Stark on the Triumph of Christianity, Part III.

Rodney Stark on The Crusades.

Whitney Bauck on Religion and Fashion

tonygill — Sat, 03 Oct 2015 08:00:50 +0000

What is fashion theology? And what is the link between Christianity, clothing, and the textile industry? Freelance journalist and photographer Whitney Bauck, creator and host of the blog Unwrinkling, gives us a glimpse into the world of fashion and religion, and how the two worlds are, and should be, related. This is a fascinating conversation into something few people actually know about.

The conversation begins with a little background on Whitney, from her roots as the daughter of missionaries in the Philippines to her time at Wheaton College, and finally to how she came to create a website devoted to the link between faith and fashion. Her passion for the topic started young, while in school in Manila and exposed to a diversity of cultural customs and a world of poverty. This passion was furthered in college where she was able to work her interest in art and clothing into every one of her classes that she took at Wheaton. Indeed, she recalls fondly how she convinced a professor to allow her to write on fashion for her art history class even though that theme was a bit off topic for the course. This further spurred Whitney onwards to think more critically about the linkage between clothing, consumer choices, and the textile industry, and to eventually develop a blog devote to the subject.

The next topic to fall under our gaze is Christian Fashion Week, an event that Whitney attended and wrote about in a recent article in Christianity Today (see link below). Whitney notes how this event is in its third year of existence and is not merely a “runway show.” She discusses the various discussion panels that were hosted, including ones on ethical labor practices and environmental concerns. Interestingly, a number of these panels were inspired by Whitney’s conversations with the organizers of the event who were very open to her comments. We also discuss some of the themes that were addressed during Christian Fashion Week, including the ever-discussed topic of “modesty.” We also discuss the C.A.R.E. approach to doing business in the fashion world, which is an acronym for Contextual modesty, Affordable & sustainable fashion, Responsible use of natural resources, and Ethical hiring.

We move then into the broader topic of Christian ethics in the clothing industry and Whitney talks about two businesses that she has written about recently that put these ethics into practice — Sseko Designs and the Akola Project. The former (Sseko) takes in high-achieving women into their business in an effort to help fund their college tuition. The latter business (Akola) takes a more comprehensive approach to their employees, incorporating spiritual formation into their labor practices. Tony then challenges Whitney on the topic of sweatshop labor noting that some boycotts of sweatshop factories might force the employees of these businesses into worse alternatives such as picking garbage or prostitution. Whitney notes that the issue of boycotts is complicated, but that boycotts can put pressure on industries to improve workplace conditions. She then reviews how consumers can make better choices in their garments with a seven step process to ethical consumerism.

Tony turns the conversation to issues of Millennials and wonders when the fashion trend towards beards on men will ever end. (Note: Your host has sported facial hair for 25 years running now.) This propels us into a general discussion of how Millennials relate to religion, with Whitney’s thoughts on the topic of why more young people today are turning away from traditional religion. She notes that much has changed in her worldview in just the past few years and that she is in the process of searching for a new language with which to engage others in spirituality. Recorded: September 25, 2015.

RELATED LINKS

Unwrinkling, a fashion and theology blog created and hosted by Whitney Bauck.

“Why Fashion Matters,” by Whitney Bauck in Christianity Today.

Christian Fashion Week.

The Akola Project, mentioned in podcast.

Sseko Designs, mentioned in podcast.

RELATED PODCASTS

Daniel Libenson on Present and Future Judaism.

Warren Bird on Church Leadership Teams

tonygill — Sun, 17 May 2015 08:00:41 +0000

What makes for successful church team leadership? Dr. Warren Bird of the Leadership Network, and a frequent listener to Research on Religion, discusses his new study (with Ryan Hartwig) on team leadership within Protestant denominations. The study is based upon a survey of over 1,000 church leaders encompassing roughly 250 churches in a variety of locales.

Before we dive into Hartwig and Bird’s book, Teams that Thrive, we discuss a recent report issued by the Pew Research Center claiming a significant drop in Christian affiliation in the United States over the past several years. While noting that some millennials are attending church less, we dig a bit deeper into the data to see that most of the losses are coming from mainline denominations, whereas evangelicals are holding their own or gaining slightly. Warren offers some of his observations on this topic, including his thoughts on churches that try to adapt to a changing culture.

We turn next to the issue of team leadership and Dr. Bird notes the growing importance of groups in managing churches of all size, though as the number of attenders increases for any given congregation the use of teams in managing the church also grows. Warren defines what a “team” is and reviews some of the ways in which they are used. We review the methodology of the study he and Ryan Hartwig conducted, talking about the sample and some of the questions that were used. They based their study off of Harvard’s Team Diagnostic Survey, which is used frequently to analyze businesses, and modified it in a second round to be more applicable to faith organizations. Warren points out that they also did several site visits to churches within their sample for direct observations.

The discussion then focuses on a number of the findings from the study. There are five key disciplines that they identified that work enhance team leadership: 1) a focus on purpose; 2) inspiration favored over control; 3) leveraging the different skills of team members; 4) having a structured decision-making process; and 5) a process of regular and continuous collaboration. He illustrates these features with Faith Promise, a large multi-site church in Tennessee. Our discussion closes out with some general thoughts on how a focus on congregational leadership can help churches adapt to a changing religious environment, wrapping around to our discussion at the outset of the podcast. Recorded: May 15, 2015.

RELATED LINKS

Warren Bird’s personal website (with links to books and other material).

The Leadership Network.

Teams that Thrive: Five Disciplines of Collaborative Church Leadership, by Ryan T. Hartwig and Warren Bird.

Next: Pastoral Succession that Works, by William Vanderbloemen and Warren Bird (featured on RoR — see below).

The Emotionally Healthy Church: A Strategy for Discipleship that Actually Changes Lives, by Peter Scazzero and Warren Bird.

The Other 80 Percent: Turning Your Church’s Spectators into Active Participants, by Scott Thumma and Warren Bird.

Viral Churches: Helping Church Planters Become Movement Makers. by Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird.

See Warren Bird’s Amazon page for additional works written by him.

The Pew Research Center Study on America’s Changing Religious Landscape.

Baylor ISR’s Symposium on the End of Religion.

RELATED PODCASTS

William Vanderbloemen on Pastoral Transitions.

Mike McBride on the Economics of Church Leadership.

Larry Osborne on Church Finances and Growth.

William Wubbenhorst on Serve, West Dallas and FBO Evaluation.

Thom S. Rainer on Baptist Conventions and Church Health.

Matt Boswell on Redemption Church, One Year Later.

Matt Boswell on Starting a New Church, Really Fast!

Frank Newport on Survey Research and America’s Religiosity

tonygill — Sun, 11 Aug 2013 08:00:36 +0000

RELATED LINKS

Frank Newport’s biography at Gallup.

God Is Alive and Well: The Future of Religion in America, by Frank Newport.

Polling Matters: Why Leaders Must Listen to the Wisdom of the People, by Frank Newport.

Summary of report on marriage survey as mentioned in podcast.

American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR).

RELATED PODCASTS

Rodney Stark on How Religion Benefits Everyone, Including Atheists.

Paul Froese on America’s Four Gods.

Jeremy Lott on Mormons, Pope Francis, and Ugly Churches.

Thom S. Rainer on Baptist Conventions and Church Health.

Tony Carnes on Jesus’s Auto Body (and Soul) Shop, Blessed Pizza, and NYC Religions Part II.

Tony Carnes on a Journey Through NYC Religions.

Bill Clark on an Academic’s Spiritual Journey.

Thom S. Rainer on Baptist Conventions & Church Health

tonygill — Sun, 14 Jul 2013 08:00:43 +0000

Prolific author and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, Dr. Thom S. Rainer, joins us today to talk about a various number of issues affecting Southern Baptists and American religion writ large. We start with the recent convention of the Southern Baptist Convention that was held in Houston in June, 2013. Not knowing much about the history of these gatherings, Tony asks Dr. Rainer how far back these conferences date, how often they are convened, and what purpose they serve in guiding the denomination. Thom explains the history of them, the organizational structure of the Southern Baptist denomination, and how individuals are selected to attend the yearly confab. We also review the recent history of the “Conservative Resurgence” (circal 1979-92), also known as “The Battle for the Bible,” that moved the SBC in different directions. Unlike many other conferences that bring out the goofiest in behavior of attendees, Thom points out that there were no funny hats or water balloons at this recent meeting.

We then turn to the particular issues that were raised during the June 2013 gathering, from the trivial to the important, and to some issues that didn’t make many headlines. The trivial issues include some nitpicking over types of products and services offered by the various vendors at this convention. Thom also points out an interesting event that occurred at the conference, namely the presence of the Wetboro Baptist Church (WBC) protesting outside the convention doors. He was encouraged by the presence of these protesters outside their meeting as it demonstrated to the public that WBC is not in any way affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. We then move on to some of the bigger concerns that were raised in Houston, including how individual congregations should handle their charters with the Boy Scouts of America (given the new policy on openly gay scouts) and the issue of mental health. While the former issue garnered more headlines, Thom notes that discussions about mental health — prompted by the recent suicide of Rick Warren’s son — had more profound implications for the direction of the SBC.

Following our discussion on the SBC Convention, we shift gears to discuss what constitutes a healthy church, starting with an examination of some of the major trends that have affected America’s religious landscape in the past few decades. To Tony’s surprise, the first trend that Thom raises is the increasing consolidation of church attendance in megachurches as compared to medium-sized congregations. This is coupled with an increasing tendency to create “multi-campus” or “multi-site” churches. The issue of “religious nones” also comes up and Thom makes the observation that many of the “nones” are coming from what he calls CEO Christians — i.e., religious attendees that only showed up on Christmas and Easter Only. He also observes that attendance among the “millennials” (individuals born after 1980) has also slid, but those among that age group who remain active in the church tend to be extraordinarily committed. Tony challenges Thom regarding the declining faith of youth by noting that nearly every generation has wrung their hands about the moral decline of youth; Thom responds and we both agree that there are various ebbs and flows in the history of Christianity.

The last quarter of our interview focuses on what makes a church grow and what makes a congregation stagnate, starting with the latter. Thom notes that it is fairly easy to identify what causes churches to stagnate, namely a sense of comfortableness and self-centeredness that inculcates a culture opposed to constant change. Tony asks Thom how he advises churches who are in this stagnation mode, and he notes that the first thing is to assess the clergy and members’ willingness to change. Interestingly, he notes that about 90% of congregations that have this problem do not want to make any significant changes to change the direction of stagnation. Nonetheless, there are 10% who do make changes and “breakout,” to which Thom provides a few examples of congregations that make changes without firing the pastor (as the most common way a church deals with stagnation is to toss the minister at the podium). This discussion includes thoughts on what it takes to motivate “tired” clergy and includes a personal story that proved very important in Thom’s own life. Finally, we finish with a few seemingly “trivial” details about what makes for a successful church, but which can have a major impact on attendance and the vitality of a congregation. Such things include the proper size for the sanctuary so that the services feel well-attended but not over-crowded, the number of parking spaces available, how to encourage an appropriate level of giving, and the width of chairs! Recorded: June 18, 2013.

LifeWay Christian Resources.

I Am a Church Member, by Thom S. Rainer.

The Millennials: Connecting to America’s Largest Generation, by Thom S. Rainer.

Transformational Church, by Ed Stetzer and Thom S. Rainer.

Breakout Churches: Discover How to Make the Leap, by Thom S. Rainer.

Simple Church, by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger.

Please consult Thom Rainer’s personal blog above to access other fine books he has authored.

Reflection on the Houston Southern Baptist Convention, Day 1 and Day 2.

Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism.

RELATED PODCASTS

Larry Osborne on Church Finances and Growth.

Marc von der Ruhr on Megachurch Recruitment and Retention.

Dave Travis on Megachurch Myths.

James Brettell on Trends in American Christianity.

Steve Pfaff on Denominationalism, Sin, and Other Stuff.

Gordon Melton on Mega-Trends in American Religion.