News

Go Figure

Recent numbers on female senior pastors, abortion, and the megachurch.

10% Senior pastors of Protestant churches who are female, double the proportion of a decade ago. 58% Of all female senior pastors, those who are in mainline churches. 23% Of all male pastors, those who are in mainline churches. Source: Barna Research

*ย  *ย  *

8% Self-described liberal Democrats who say abortion is a critical issue. 34% Liberal Democrats who said this a year ago. Source: Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life

*ย  *ย  *

47% Americans who say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, 54% Americans who said this last year. Source: Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life

*ย  *ย  *

34% Megachurch pastors who are involved with a sports league outside their church 32% Megachurch pastors who are part of a denomination. Source: Leadership Network

Copyright © 2009 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

See our earlier Go Figure postings from October 2009, September 2009, August 2009, July 2009, June 2009, May 2009, April 2009, March 2009, February 2009, January 2009, December 2008, November 2008, October 2008, September 2008, and earlier issues.

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

News

Songs of Justice, Missions of Mercy

Excerpt

'Tithing' by Douglas LeBlanc

A Middle Way

Review

Mourning as Gospel Drama

Quick Media Takes

My Top 5 Movies on Thankfulness

The Green Baptist

The Next Redesign

'A Voice for Sanity'

Trees Of Life

Review

The Cleaner

Christ at the Center

Wilson's Bookmarks

'O, Evangelicos!'

The Best and Worst New Tech

Readers Write

News

A Different Kind of Neighbor

News

Beauty Will Rise

News

Less Charity, More Justice

News

Clean Water, Clean Blood

My Top 5 Books on Life Ethics

Review

Mystic with a Spreadsheet

The Mushroom Hunt

Let us Tell You a Story

Matrix: International Religious Liberty Advocates

Editorial

Looking for Clear Signals

News

Most Improbable Dialogue

News

Not All Evangelicals and Catholics Together

News

The Litmus Test

News

Splitting Babies

News

Nigeria: Christian Movie Capital of the World

News

Should Christians Fast During Ramadan With Muslims?

Sin: The Rest of the Story

News

Quotation Marks

Destiny or Free Will?

News

Mass Arrest: Christianity and the Deadly Mexico Drug War

American Idols

View issue

Our Latest

News

UK Regulators Investigate Barnabas Aid over Reports of Misused Funds

The charity is under an โ€œunprecedented level of scrutiny on our financial processesโ€ after founders and top leaders were suspended.

News

Gaza War Strains Bible Scholarsโ€™ Model of Christian Conversation

How Hamasโ€™ October 7 terror attack and Israelโ€™s response exhausted a group of evangelical Bible professors pursuing unity on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Being Human

The Four Spaces of Anxiety with Lisa Cuss

Learning to identify reactivity in ourselves and others.

News

Gordon Students Count Cells, Hoping to Unlock Cancer Mysteries

Cutting-edge microscopy research could explain why some get sick while others donโ€™t.

News

Chinese Christians Want the Church to Adopt Children with Disabilities

After China banned international adoptions, some believers want the Chinese church to step up.

News

Global Methodist Bishops to Dance

The new denomination tussles over its authority structureโ€”but also finds surprising points of unity.ย 

Excerpt

The Chinese Christian Who Helped Overcome Illiteracy in Asia

Yan Yangchu taught thousands of peasants to read and write in the early 20th century.

The Bulletin

A Brief Word from Our Sponsor

The Bulletin recaps the 2024 vice presidential debate, discusses global religious persecution, and explores the dynamics of celebrity Christianity.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube