New LifeWay Research statistics show Protestant participation in social justice efforts is on the rise.
Recently, I wrote an article for Sojourners magazine on new data that shows that Protestant churches are steadily increasing their interest and involvement in social justice ministries. We highlighted a number of churches, including Imago Dei Church in Raleigh, NC and 12Stone Church in Gwinnett County, GA. You can subscribe to Sojourners magazine here and read my full article here.
According to a series of telephone surveys conducted by LifeWay Research between 2008 and 2012, there is a growing awareness of and involvement in social justice ministries among Protestant churches in the United States, aimed at caring for the forgotten, disenfranchised, and oppressed.
Almost all—95 percent—of the 1,000 or more Protestant senior pastors we surveyed agreed that caring for the poor is mandated by the gospel. When pastors believe this, their churches tend to care more about social justice issues. Studies show the percentage of churches engaged in care for the poor has increased over the past four years. In 2012, 90 percent of Protestant pastors said their churches had "mobilized its members to directly engage and care for the poor in their communities," up from 76 percent in 2009 and 85 percent in 2010. Keep reading
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