During Sunday morning worship at your local Christian church, it is a familiar scene. Churchgoers come expecting to see the pastor open his or her Bible to impart words of inspiration and edification. In such a time as this, the people of God need to hear a word from the Lord. However, based on the findings of a recent survey, most church pastors don’t have a biblical worldview.
By a biblical worldview, I mean a view or philosophy of life that largely reflects biblical principles.
How disappointing are those findings. If the church pastor is the main one who feeds the flock and he does not have a biblical worldview and, spiritually, we are what we eat; what kind of disciples can the average Christian church make?
Certainly, not the kind of disciples Christ had in mind. Certainly, not the kind that will seriously impact this world for the Kingdom.
In his first epistle, Peter writes, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2, KJV). Note the word “sincere.” It means pure or unadulterated. That’s the quality of word ministry churchgoers must have if they are to grow strong and properly. That objective can be realized only if those who feed the flock do so from a biblical worldview.
An Overview of the Findings on the Worldview of Church Pastors
The American Worldview Inventory (AWVI) is an annual survey that evaluates the worldview of the U.S. adult population. The American Worldview Inventory includes 54 worldview-related questions. Those questions fall within eight categories of belief and behavior, with worldview scores given to respondents for each of those eight categories.
Based on the findings of the survey, four out of 10 (41%) Senior Pastors have a biblical worldview—the highest incidence among any of the five pastoral positions studied. Next highest was the 28% among Associate Pastors. Thirteen percent of Teaching Pastors and 12% of Children’s and Youth Pastors have a biblical worldview. The lowest level of biblical worldview was among Executive Pastors—only 4% have consistently biblical beliefs and behaviors.
The prevailing worldview of church pastors is best described as Syncretism, the blending of ideas and applications from a variety of holistic worldviews into a unique but inconsistent combination that represents their personal preferences. Based on the findings, more than six out of 10 pastors (62%) have a predominantly syncretistic worldview.
Dr. George Barna, veteran researcher and author of the AWVI studies, with regard to the prevailing worldview of church pastors: “This is another strong piece of evidence that the culture is influencing the American church more than Christian churches are influencing the culture.”
Copyright © 2022 by Frank King. All rights reserved.