A new LifeWay Research report found that 74% of pastors agree their congregation "would welcome a sermon on racial reconciliation," representing a 16% decrease from 2016.
Eighty-three percent of pastors said they preached on "racial reconciliation" in the past two years, with 70% of those reporting no negative feedback.
Conversely, 12% of the pastors surveyed said they "have received negative feedback for addressing racial reconciliation" in the past two years — a 7% increase since 2016.
"The typical pastor is addressing racial reconciliation from the pulpit and without pushback from their congregation," said Scott McConnell, executive direction of LifeWay Research. "However, the noticeable increase in pastors avoiding the topic and receiving criticism could signal there are new dynamics emerging."
Twenty-one percent of pastors said they received direct requests to preach on "racial reconciliation," a 5% decrease over the last 5 years.
🔦 The study surveyed 1,007 Protestant pastors from September 2 to October 1, 2020.
