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Every chart and story on this site shows what the State of Ministry report will look like, but the numbers are preview data, not real survey results. As ministry leaders take the survey, real results replace them.

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Stories from the data

The numbers, told as stories.

Longer reads, each built around one question worth sitting with, and at least one for every area of ministry. Every figure is pulled straight from the data, so the stories rewrite their own numbers as real responses arrive.

Leadership4 min read

Just Me

Nearly a third of leaders plan the entire ministry year alone. What travels with it is harder to see.

plan the year with nobody else in the room
Discipleship4 min read

Taught Once

Most ministries teach spiritual habits. Far fewer come back to them.

rarely or never revisit the habits they teach
Teaching4 min read

Next Sunday

How far ahead teaching gets planned, and why the calendar isn't really the problem.

plan teaching a month or less ahead
Environments4 min read

The First Five Minutes

We asked leaders to describe the room a brand-new kid walks into. They were honest.

say it's warm, but built for kids who already belong
Events3 min read

The Party Has a Point

Why ministries run events, where the ideas come from, and what makes them hard.

run three or more major events a year
Volunteers4 min read

Too Busy to Serve

The three things leaders hear when they ask for help, and the one that's easiest to answer.

hear “I'm too busy” when they recruit
Families4 min read

Who's in the Room

Ministries built for kids and parents rarely ask kids or parents to help plan them.

include neither kids nor parents in any decision
Leadership4 min read

Half the Hours, All of the Weight

Part-time leaders are paid for part of the week. The exhaustion isn't part-time.

exhausted, vs of full-time leaders
Leadership · Pay5 min read

Who Gets Paid

Men and women earn about the same when they're paid. Whether they're paid at all is another story.

of women serve unpaid, vs of men
Leadership · Pay4 min read

What Ministry Pay Actually Tracks

Not years of service. Church size explains more of the gap than anything else we asked about.

between the smallest and largest churches