Pastors with a master’s degree (60%) or a doctoral degree (54%) are more likely to consider racism the bigger threat to the church than pastors with no college degree (28%) or a bachelor’s degree (38%).
Pastors aged 18 to 44 (56%) and 55 to 64 (51%) are more likely to say racism is the bigger threat to churches than pastors over the age of 65 (37%). Mainline pastors (70%) are significantly more likely to say racism is the more significant threat than evangelical pastors (38%).
The Response
One way pastors are addressing issues of racism and racial reconciliation in the church is by preaching on the topic. According to the study, 40% of pastors say they preach on racial reconciliation several times a year, with 19% saying they preach on it at least once a month. In 2014, 35% of pastors said they preached on racial reconciliation several times a year.
Although the number of pastors who preach on racial reconciliation at least several times a year has increased slightly since 2014 from 55% to 60%, 25% of pastors still say they rarely or never preach on racial reconciliation.
“Attitudes, cultural traditions, and friendships within the community do not change by themselves,” McConnell said. “If someone doesn’t call for change, it won’t happen. Most pastors are casting this vision, but about a quarter of pastors aren’t.”
Pastors 54 and younger are more likely to say they preach on racial reconciliation several times a year (44%) than pastors over 65 (32%). Likewise, pastors with a master’s degree (48%) or a doctorate (43%) are more likely to say they preach on racial reconciliation several times a year than pastors with a bachelor’s degree (27%).
The Gap
More than any other group, African American pastors (97%) see the need for racial diversity within the church, and they want to see the church striving to achieve such diversity. Meanwhile, 87% of white pastors and 83% of pastors of other ethnicities say the same.
African American pastors are also the most likely to say they preach on racial reconciliation several times a month (21%).
Not only do these pastors want racial diversity within churches, but they also see racism as an acute threat to churches. African American pastors are the group most likely to select racism (74%) and least likely to select Critical Race Theory (15%) as the greater threat to the church in the United States today.
“Nobody expects the color of churches to change overnight, but the appearance of more integrated churches is just barely noticeable over the last decade,” McConnell said. “The hard work of investing in relationships across ethnic lines and setting aside attendees’ cultural preferences to welcome others is still the exception.”
This article originally appeared here.
