2022 Senior Pastor Survey Results

2022 Senior Pastor Survey Results

The second annual Senior Pastor Survey was conducted in October 2022. Nearly 600 pastors responded to the 2022 survey (about 15 percent of all pastors of self-governing churches) with participation from all 58 districts in North America. Key findings:

• Estimated statistics for North America, based on a 15 percent sample of UPCI pastors in 2022:
  • 611,000 attendees
  • 290,000 first-time guests
  • 98,000 taught Bible studies
  • 65,000 water baptisms
  • 55,000 Holy Spirit infillings

• Typical weekly attendance averaged 97. Half of pastors reported typical attendance of at least 60. This reflects a 7 percent increase in typical attendance from 2021 reports.
• Peak attendance averaged 146. Half of pastors reported peak attendance of at least 97, a 14 percent increase from 2021 reports.
• Congregational demographics shows age and cultural diversity; more than one‐third of attendees are from minority groups (39 percent) and under age 30 (43 percent).
• One‐third of respondents founded the church they currently serve. Most non‐founding pastors (pastors who take an established church) transitioned to a church established more than 30 years ago.
• Nearly one‐third of pastors (30 percent) reported that their church has a daughter work or preaching point.
• While most churches hold service in English (95 percent), pastors indicated service options in more than 20 languages.
• Pastors rated overall stress as moderate and reported a good balance of ministry and personal life.

The Senior Pastor Survey will be conducted annually. The primary goal is to assess the health of local churches. Each year, the survey may feature selected questions for a particular topic of interest. For example, the 2021 survey sought to understand the impact of the pandemic, while the 2022 survey investigated factors related to mental health, specifically pastoral stress and attitudes toward professional counseling.

The full report for the 2022 Senior Pastor Survey is available at upci.org/stats.

NACLC Prayer & Fellowship Summit

On June 7-8, the National Apostolic Christian Leadership Conference (NACLC) will host its first annual Prayer and Fellowship Summit in Washington, D.C. David K Bernard chairs this organization with assistance from David Tipton and Ken Gurley. The oversight team includes the leader of the seven major Apostolic organizations. The objective of the NACLC is to unify 3 to 4 million Apostolic voices in the United States to speak to the most pressing issues of our day. The Prayer & Fellowship Summit serves as the annual gathering and fundraising event.

These two days will feature a dinner and gala at the Museum of the Bible on Wednesday evening, June 7. Retired Admiral Barry Black, US Senate Chaplain, will address the assembly. On Thursday, June 8, participants may visit elected representatives on Capitol Hill, tour the museum, or share in some briefings. The meeting will culminate in the prayer and worship service on Thursday evening at the Museum of the Bible.

More information can be downloaded here.

To sponsor a table of ten participants, please follow this link.

The Jesus Message

The Jesus Message is an endorsed ministry of the United Pentecostal Church International. Podcasts prepared by Dannie Hood are distributed to 40 radio stations in the United States. They are also available on Apple Podcast. There are an estimated 2-3 million listeners internationally on shortwave radio. Through this means, The Jesus Message is reaching countries where we have no access. The social media network on Facebook has increased from 3,500 to 23,000 followers in a few months with plans to reach 50,000 followers this year. You may visit The Jesus Message website by clicking here.

Sincerely in Christ,

David K. Bernard