Pastors less informed about popular culture than are the people in their churches

(Original release date:  November 9, 2006)  Research results being released for the first time in the November/December edition of Facts & Trends magazine show just how informed Protestant ministers and laity are about today’s culture:  books, music, sports, celebrities, television programs, politics, magazines, radio and TV talk shows, movies, the internet, video and computer games, and clothing and fashion.  In general, pastors are less informed about the culture in which they live than are the people in their churches.

Facts & Trends is published bimonthly by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Two studies were conducted for Facts & Trends by Ellison Research (Phoenix, Ariz.). One is a representative sample of 797 Protestant church ministers nationwide, and the other is a companion survey of 1,184 adults who attend Protestant churches at least once a month. The studies asked each group to rate how informed they are about 12 different elements of today’s popular culture:  very informed, somewhat informed, not very informed, or they actively avoid it.

Not one of the 12 cultural elements show a majority of clergy or laity claiming to be very informed about it.  Pastors and churchgoers rarely try to avoid popular culture, but they often are relatively uninformed about cultural influences.

The area of today’s culture ministers tend to stay most informed about is politics, with 36 percent saying they are very informed about politics, and another 55 percent claiming to be somewhat informed on the subject.  This is the only one of the 12 areas included in the study about which ministers actually feel better informed than the laity – 29 percent of all churchgoers feel very informed about politics, and another 47 percent feel somewhat informed about it.

Pastors and laity feel about equally informed about sports.  Twenty-four percent of clergy feel very informed about sports in today’s culture, and another 44 percent are somewhat informed about this topic, with laity providing answers which are very similar.

On each of the other ten topics, laity feel significantly more informed about the culture surrounding them than do ministers.  Twenty percent of ministers feel very informed about the internet, compared to 43 percent of laity.  Nineteen percent of ministers feel very informed about what’s on television today, compared to 31 percent of laity.  Eighteen percent are very informed about books, compared to 27 percent of laity, and 16 percent are very informed about movies today, compared to 24 percent of laity.

Pastors rarely feel very informed about the other culture topics on the list:  radio and TV talk shows (12 percent, compared to 20 percent among laity), music (11 percent, versus 28 percent among laity), magazines (11 percent, compared to 17 percent among laity), clothing and fashion (7 percent, compared to 16 percent among laity), video and computer games (5 percent, compared to 16 percent among laity), and celebrities (4 percent, versus 10 percent among laity).

The areas where the greatest gaps exist between pastors and laity are in video and computer games, fashion, and celebrities.  Fifty-nine percent of ministers are uninformed about fashion, compared to 37 percent of the people in the pews.  Sixty-nine percent know next to nothing about celebrities, while this is true of 49 percent of their congregations.  And 71 percent are uninformed about video and computer games, while 49 percent of their congregants know next to nothing on this subject.

Among ministers, there are not dramatic differences in the findings by theology or denominational group.  Most differences among denominational groups (Methodists, Baptists, etc.) are fairly minor.  In general, mainline ministers tend to feel slightly more informed about books and movies than do evangelical pastors, but other areas are quite similar.

There are some differences according to age, however.  Younger ministers (under age 45) feel more informed about sports, the internet, music, clothing and fashion, celebrities, and video and computer games than do older pastors.  However, this is also true among the people attending their churches – younger people feel much more informed about these areas and others in today’s culture than do older laypeople.

Among the laity, how informed they are about the culture around them does not vary significantly according to how long people have attended their current church, whether they are involved in a mainline or evangelical church, how often they attend it, or whether they are in a volunteer leadership position within the church.

Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research, pointed out that this research raises the question of whether churches are having an impact on how people interact with culture.  “There’s a long-term debate within Christendom about what is an appropriate level of involvement in popular culture.  Some Christians believe separation from the world is part of godly behavior, while others believe involvement in the world is necessary in order to reach out to the world,” Sellers observed.  “Either way, one might logically expect church involvement to change how a person looks at culture – either becoming more involved in order to have more effective outreach, or becoming less involved as they seek to lead a less worldly lifestyle.  But the data shows no difference in cultural awareness according to how frequently people attend church, how long they’ve been there, or whether they are in a leadership position.  This raises the question of how much churches actually impact how people live their daily lives.”

Sellers also noted that one criticism people often have about churches is that they are out of touch with the world around them.  “The data shows ministers are, generally speaking, not all that informed about the culture in which they seek to minister.  The people in the pews feel much more informed about the internet, movies, videogames, and other expressions of popular culture than do their pastors.  People are definitely impacted by the culture they consume – the web sites they visit or the music they listen to, for instance.  Pastors need to be informed about what’s out there in order to understand how the culture is influencing the people they are trying to reach,” Sellers said.

Ellison Research has conducted a series of studies among clergy and laity for Facts & Trends.  Facts & Trends is a bimonthly magazine produced by the corporate communications office of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.  It is designed to assist pastors, church staff and denominational leaders in their roles of ministry by informing them about LifeWay resources and how they relate to current issues in Christian ministry.  For information about Facts & Trends, contact Chris Turner at 615-251-2307.

Both studies were conducted by Ellison Research, a marketing research company located in Phoenix, Arizona.  The sample of 802 Protestant ministers included only those who are actively leading churches.  The study’s total sample is accurate to within ±3.3 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level with a 50 percent response distribution.  The sample of 1,184 people who attend a Protestant church once a month or more is accurate to within ±2.7 percentage points under the same parameters.

Both studies were conducted in all 50 states, using a representative sample of pastors and laity from all Protestant denominations.  Respondents’ gender, age, geography, church size, and denomination were carefully tracked to ensure appropriate representation and accuracy.

How informed pastors stay about secular/popular culture, by denominational group…

How Informed about Popular Culture All Southern Baptist Other Baptist Meth-
odist		 Luth-
eran		 Pente-
costal		 Presby-
terian		 All Others
Politics:
• very informed 36% 35% 40% 30% 35% 38% 38% 36%
• somewhat informed 55 53 52 65 54 53 55 55
• not very informed 7 11 7 4 10 6 7 8
• actively avoid 2 1 1 1 -- 3 -- 2
Sports:
• very informed 24 28 20 21 28 20 25 26
• somewhat informed 44 43 56 42 46 39 50 39
• not very informed 26 24 20 33 23 29 23 27
• actively avoid 6 5 4 4 3 12 2 7
The internet:
• very informed 20 14 14 27 30 20 16 22
• somewhat informed 51 50 44 54 46 54 56 53
• not very informed 22 27 38 13 18 14 23 18
• actively avoid 7 9 4 6 6 12 5 7
Television programs:
• very informed 19 18 15 20 25 18 20 20
• somewhat informed 56 61 64 60 47 50 52 54
• not very informed 20 16 17 15 24 24 23 21
• actively avoid 5 5 4 5 4 8 5 5
Books:
• very informed 18 20 11 18 26 17 32 19
• somewhat informed 60 52 66 70 51 60 55 58
• not very informed 21 26 22 12 23 22 13 22
• actively avoid 1 2 2 -- -- -- -- 1
Movies:
• very informed 16 15 10 23 23 16 26 15
• somewhat informed 51 45 56 50 62 47 50 54
• not very informed 27 33 29 26 14 25 17 28
• actively avoid 6 7 6 1 1 12 7 4
Radio and TV talk shows:
• very informed 12 13 12 10 18 17 10 8
• somewhat informed 46 37 46 50 40 53 44 45
• not very informed 34 44 33 27 36 25 32 39
• actively avoid 8 6 8 13 5 6 15 8
Music:
• very informed 11 13 8 10 16 9 5 13
• somewhat informed 46 42 48 54 44 44 52 45
• not very informed 39 38 39 34 38 42 43 39
• actively avoid 4 7 6 2 2 4 -- 3
Magazines:
• very informed 11 10 6 12 20 3 14 16
• somewhat informed 43 37 50 48 52 46 59 36
• not very informed 41 47 40 40 28 42 19 45
• actively avoid 4 6 4 -- -- 8 7 4
Clothing and fashion:
• very informed 7 8 6 9 14 10 2 5
• somewhat informed 34 33 34 27 27 44 34 33
• not very informed 52 52 58 62 54 36 47 53
• actively avoid 7 7 2 2 4 11 17 9
Video and computer games:
• very informed 5 5 5 8 11 3 5 3
• somewhat informed 24 25 24 22 25 26 31 21
• not very informed 54 54 59 58 48 47 40 57
• actively avoid 17 15 12 12 16 25 24 19
Celebrities:
• very informed 4 4 3 4 13 1 2 4
• somewhat informed 28 21 23 37 26 30 33 28
• not very informed 54 60 65 47 55 49 54 50
• actively avoid 15 16 9 12 7 20 10 18

How informed pastors stay about secular/popular culture, by church size and theology…

How Informed about Popular Culture Age <45 Age 45 - 59 Age 60+ Mainline Evangelical
Politics:
• very informed 40% 32% 42% 38% 35%
• somewhat informed 54 58 48 52 57
• not very informed 6 8 7 8 6
• actively avoid -- 2 2 1 2
Sports:
• very informed 39 21 16 26 24
• somewhat informed 36 47 42 43 42
• not very informed 22 26 31 26 28
• actively avoid 3 5 12 5 6
The internet:
• very informed 32 17 17 25 20
• somewhat informed 45 58 38 51 50
• not very informed 18 21 26 21 22
• actively avoid 6 4 19 3 9
Television programs:
• very informed 26 16 20 23 18
• somewhat informed 54 60 50 53 56
• not very informed 15 21 21 20 21
• actively avoid 5 4 10 4 5
Books:
• very informed 17 18 20 25 16
• somewhat informed 54 61 61 62 57
• not very informed 29 20 16 12 26
• actively avoid -- -- 4 -- 1
Movies:
• very informed 28 14 13 24 13
• somewhat informed 52 58 35 51 51
• not very informed 18 25 38 24 29
• actively avoid 3 4 14 1 7
Radio and TV talk shows:
• very informed 14 10 13 10 14
• somewhat informed 42 46 48 43 46
• not very informed 38 35 28 35 35
• actively avoid 6 8 11 12 6
Music:
• very informed 16 8 13 12 10
• somewhat informed 45 47 46 51 44
• not very informed 34 43 33 36 42
• actively avoid 4 2 8 1 4
Magazines:
• very informed 10 10 14 16 9
• somewhat informed 38 44 49 46 42
• not very informed 49 43 30 37 43
• actively avoid 3 3 8 1 6
Clothing and fashion:
• very informed 15 6 5 9 6
• somewhat informed 34 35 34 29 36
• not very informed 46 54 50 56 50
• actively avoid 5 6 11 6 8
Video and computer games:
• very informed 6 4 7 7 4
• somewhat informed 40 23 11 22 23
• not very informed 46 58 51 53 55
• actively avoid 8 15 31 18 18
Celebrities:
• very informed 8 2 3 6 3
• somewhat informed 37 26 22 27 27
• not very informed 47 58 52 56 53
• actively avoid 9 13 23 12 16

How informed laity stay about secular/popular culture, by denominational group…

How Informed about Popular Culture All Southern Baptist Other Baptist Meth-
odist		 Luth-
eran		 Pente-
costal		 Presby-
terian		 Non-
Denom.		 All Others
Politics:
• very informed 29% 30% 24% 23% 36% 32% 39% 30% 29%
• somewhat informed 47 56 57 48 35 39 46 51 44
• not very informed 18 11 13 18 26 24 15 14 19
• actively avoid 6 2 5 11 3 6 -- 5 8
Sports:
• very informed 24 23 28 19 25 25 22 28 19
• somewhat informed 39 43 35 42 43 31 55 31 41
• not very informed 28 27 28 26 26 31 18 33 30
• actively avoid 10 7 9 13 6 14 5 7 10
The internet:
• very informed 43 47 41 30 48 39 54 57 38
• somewhat informed 46 41 47 50 43 57 38 37 50
• not very informed 9 12 11 13 7 4 8 4 11
• actively avoid 2 -- 1 7 2 -- -- 2 1
Television programs:
• very informed 31 25 35 26 34 37 46 33 27
• somewhat informed 50 56 46 52 54 45 34 48 51
• not very informed 17 17 17 22 11 17 18 12 19
• actively avoid 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 7 3
Books:
• very informed 27 23 23 18 37 23 39 32 27
• somewhat informed 52 59 56 55 46 50 52 54 50
• not very informed 18 16 19 20 17 27 10 13 17
• actively avoid 3 2 1 8 -- -- -- 2 6
Movies:
• very informed 24 22 27 22 17 24 22 37 17
• somewhat informed 46 48 39 44 50 45 49 47 48
• not very informed 23 18 31 26 28 21 28 12 25
• actively avoid 7 12 3 7 5 11 -- 4 10
Radio and TV talk shows:
• very informed 20 24 22 15 32 17 15 17 15
• somewhat informed 46 53 40 43 43 46 64 48 45
• not very informed 28 19 34 25 21 34 15 29 33
• actively avoid 7 4 4 18 4 3 6 7 7
Music:
• very informed 28 30 26 17 27 30 47 33 25
• somewhat informed 51 48 45 61 58 50 36 51 52
• not very informed 18 18 26 15 11 20 12 14 20
• actively avoid 3 4 3 8 4 -- 5 2 2
Magazines:
• very informed 17 15 23 12 22 16 14 19 15
• somewhat informed 47 52 48 52 39 49 61 46 42
• not very informed 31 28 27 28 28 34 22 30 37
• actively avoid 5 5 2 8 10 1 3 4 6
Clothing and fashion:
• very informed 16 16 16 11 11 19 15 23 14
• somewhat informed 48 50 53 55 43 52 65 39 42
• not very informed 30 30 27 25 30 27 16 33 35
• actively avoid 7 5 4 9 17 3 3 5 8
Video and computer games:
• very informed 16 20 20 10 12 16 9 24 12
• somewhat informed 34 30 39 37 32 34 29 38 30
• not very informed 35 37 32 33 29 40 47 29 42
• actively avoid 14 13 9 20 27 10 15 9 17
Celebrities:
• very informed 10 6 14 10 7 8 13 12 8
• somewhat informed 41 47 32 39 38 47 53 40 40
• not very informed 36 37 37 32 41 35 34 33 38
• actively avoid 13 9 18 19 14 10 -- 14 14

Direct comparison of how informed clergy and laity are on secular/popular culture…

How Informed about Popular Culture Clergy Laity
Politics:
• very informed 36% 29%
• somewhat informed 55 47
• not very informed 7 18
• actively avoid 2 6
Sports:
• very informed 24 24
• somewhat informed 44 39
• not very informed 26 28
• actively avoid 6 10
The internet:
• very informed 20 43
• somewhat informed 51 46
• not very informed 22 9
• actively avoid 7 2
Television programs:
• very informed 19 31
• somewhat informed 56 50
• not very informed 20 17
• actively avoid 5 3
Books:
• very informed 18 27
• somewhat informed 60 52
• not very informed 21 18
• actively avoid 1 3
Movies:
• very informed 16 24
• somewhat informed 51 46
• not very informed 27 23
• actively avoid 6 7
Radio and TV talk shows:
• very informed 12 20
• somewhat informed 46 46
• not very informed 34 28
• actively avoid 8 7
Music:
• very informed 11 28
• somewhat informed 46 51
• not very informed 39 18
• actively avoid 4 3
Magazines:
• very informed 11 17
• somewhat informed 43 47
• not very informed 41 31
• actively avoid 4 5
Clothing and fashion:
• very informed 7 16
• somewhat informed 34 48
• not very informed 52 30
• actively avoid 7 7
Video and computer games:
• very informed 5 16
• somewhat informed 24 34
• not very informed 54 35
• actively avoid 17 14
Celebrities:
• very informed 4 10
• somewhat informed 28 41
• not very informed 54 36
• actively avoid 15 13

Numbers may not add to exactly 100% due to rounding. "Don't know" responses are not shown.  The survey included all Protestant denominations, but the groups shown separately in the table above were the only ones with large-enough subsamples to examine separately.