The basic problem, Gallup told me in 2004, is that far too many clergy “simply fail to take discipleship seriously. They assume that because people say they believe something, that this means they will live out those beliefs in daily life….”
Far too many pastors, he lamented, seem afraid to ask tough questions.
“America is a churched nation, for the most part. Most Americans are either going to church or they used to go to church,” said Gallup. “At some point we need to start focusing more attention on what is happening or not happening in those churches. … Are our people learning the basics? Is their faith making a difference in their lives? Is their faith attractive to other people? “These are the kinds of questions we must be willing to ask.”
Read it all (emphasis mine).
Famed pollster George Gallup Jr.'s interest in religion went beyond numbers
The basic problem, Gallup told me in 2004, is that far too many clergy “simply fail to take discipleship seriously. They assume that because people say they believe something, that this means they will live out those beliefs in daily life….”
Far too many pastors, he lamented, seem afraid to ask tough questions.
“America is a churched nation, for the most part. Most Americans are either going to church or they used to go to church,” said Gallup. “At some point we need to start focusing more attention on what is happening or not happening in those churches. … Are our people learning the basics? Is their faith making a difference in their lives? Is their faith attractive to other people? “These are the kinds of questions we must be willing to ask.”
Read it all (emphasis mine).