Poll: More Protestant pastors say the economy is hurting their churches

A new survey of 1,000 Protestant pastors finds that half are concerned the economy is hurting their churches.

The survey from Lifeway, the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, also found that most pastors say congregational giving is in line with the previous year.

In the survey, 52 percent said the economy was having a negative impact on their churches, up 15 percentage points from 2021. Overall, 40 percent said the economy wasn’t having any effect and 7 percent said the economy is a positive factor for their churches.