For a while now, Barna has been reporting on the credibility crisis America’s pastors are facing. Overall, U.S. adults are unsure whether pastors in their local community can be trusted, are in touch with their community’s needs and are reliable sources of wisdom and leadership.

Amid lukewarm feelings about their credibility, pastors may wonder how they can regain the trust of their communities in the current climate. Below, we’ll share data from The Resilient Pastor—a newly released book from pastor, author and Barna senior fellow Dr. Glenn Packiam—to explore current perspectives on the credibility of America’s pastors as well as insights from Packiam on pastoral trustworthiness and reliability.

Just Half of Americans See Pastors as a Trustworthy Source of Wisdom
Recent Barna data collected amid the pandemic show that just 57 percent of all U.S. adults agree at least somewhat that a pastor is a trustworthy source of wisdom. Christians, naturally, are far more likely to agree (31% definitely, 40% somewhat), while non-Christians tend to disagree (18% not really, 29% definitely not).

Still, many Americans—including one in five Christians—admit feeling unsure whether pastors are trustworthy (24% all adults, 21% Christians, 31% non-Christians)….

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57% of all U.S. adults agree at least somewhat that a pastor is a trustworthy source of wisdom. Christians, naturally, are far more likely to agree (31% definitely, 40% somewhat), while non-Christians tend to disagree (18% not really, 29% definitely not). https://t.co/B3ySSAQsqW

— Eugene Scott (@Eugene_Scott) February 16, 2022

Just who does Justin Welby think he is? In an interview this week the Archbishop of Canterbury declared “I am not the Pope”. But to some Anglicans, there was a hint of The Boss in the way he dealt with Covid-19 in the early days, when the Church of England locked down, shutting its doors not only on churchgoers but on its own clerics, banning them from their altars. The evidence was that this came from the top, though he now says not.

But back in March 2020, Archbishop Welby and the then Archbishop of York, John Sentamu wrote to all priests that they were bringing in measures to shut down churches. It meant an end to weddings, funerals, baptisms and Sunday services – the first time that churches in this country had entirely closed their doors since the days of King John. Services went digital with vicars live-streaming from their kitchen tables or rectory studies – and it infuriated many Anglicans. They couldn’t understand why the vicar could not celebrate at the church altar, alone, with that service live-streamed. After all, that was what Roman Catholics were doing – although decisions about worship came from local bishops, not directed by Rome.

The familiar altar table, with its candles, its altar cloth, and glimpses of the much-loved nave where countless generations had worshipped down the years – all these were banished and invisible for months at a time when they might have brought comfort to those at home.

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"The trips abroad, the photocalls, and the constant Twitter updates give the impression that Welby is the apex of the pyramid" | Writes Catherine Pepinster https://t.co/p0WceJx1rk

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) February 16, 2022

The financial cost of domestic violence in South Carolina runs to nearly $1 million a day when you add up the burden put on families, courts, law enforcement and the economy, a study conducted by researchers at the University of South Carolina says.

USC economist Dr. Joseph Von Nessen said the spread of domestic violence cost the state approximately $358.4 million in 2020 alone, a sum that victim advocates describe as leaving a “staggering” toll on the state’s health care facilities, businesses, nonprofits and the judicial system.

“Domestic violence does occur in every county in our state,” Von Nessen said Feb. 15 at a Statehouse press conference to discuss details of the findings. “So it is critical for us to make sure that there’s sufficient resources for intervention and support services within reach of all South Carolinians.”

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A new study conducted by researchers at the University of South Carolina says the financial cost of domestic violence in the state runs to nearly $1 million a day. https://t.co/1ZlvxAJDRs

— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) February 15, 2022

The omicron surge is declining fast in the U.S. One state after another is lifting their mask mandates.

But more than 175,000 people are still catching the virus, and more than 2,200 people are still dying from COVID-19, every day. And federal officials say it’s too soon to loosen restrictions.

Is your head spinning? Are you feeling anxious?

It’s not surprising, according to psychologists, sociologists and medical anthropologists.

“It’s very confusing,” says Ayelet Fishbach, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago. “You wake up in the morning and and you wonder: ‘Maybe we are over it and no one told me.’ Or maybe: ‘It’s terrible and I should not do my shopping in person.’ ”

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It's another discombobulating moment in the pandemic, with conflicting signs of where the virus is heading and what people should do about it on a daily basis. If you feel that way, you're not alone.https://t.co/H3fGDY3tAN

— MPR News (@MPRnews) February 16, 2022

In the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, which has sweltering temperatures for much of the year, children are ditching their flip flops for skis and hitting the indoor slopes.

Out west, high up on the Tibetan Plateau, Qinghai Province has become an unlikely center for curling, the traditional Scottish sport known as “ice kettle” in Chinese.

Over in the northeastern province of Liaoning, a group of retired men gather every day in the winter to strap on helmets and hockey pads and face off on an outdoor ice rink.

Such scenes, once rare, are growing more common as the ruling Communist Party charges ahead with an ambitious campaign to transform China — large parts of which have never seen a single flake of natural snow — into a global winter sporting power.

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After China won the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, Xi Jinping vowed to create a nation of winter sports fans. Did he succeed? https://t.co/SvB4lcWYzg

— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) February 15, 2022

Mighty God, we bless thy Name for the example of thy bishop Charles Todd Quintard, who persevered to reconcile the divisions among the people of his time: Grant, we pray, that thy Church may ever be one, that it may be a refuge for all, for the honor of thy Name; through Jesus Christ, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Today the Episcopal Church commemorates Charles Todd Quintard, Bishop of Tennessee, 1898 http://t.co/vTHolNCFxF pic.twitter.com/YBF5moGmuG

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) February 16, 2015

Grant us, O Holy Spirit, wisdom and understanding that we may receive your light; prudence and strength that we may persevere in faith; knowledge and awe that we may rest in you alone, fear and delight that we may rejoice in your love. Amen.

Shade & Shadow 😎 #Tamworth #NSW #StormHourThemes #ThePhotoHour #StormHour ⁦@StormHour⁩ pic.twitter.com/OlLBPnD3Zl

— Lord Wes Mason (@wapple15) February 16, 2022

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides for ever.

–1 John 2:12-17

Sunrise at Portmarnock Beach 🌞#Portmarnock #Dublin #Ireland #ThePhotoHour pic.twitter.com/TIMEBm94Qb

— Emma McArdle | Ireland 🇮🇪 (@McArdlePhoto) February 16, 2022