I am in Atlanta today talking about two research projects from LifeWay Research.

The first focuses on younger evangelicals and their views of social justice. I am presenting that data at the Flourish Conference. Thus part of that will deal with our recently released data on global warming which was all over the news a few weeks ago. There is much additional data which I will comment on here when it is published.

This afternoon, I am at the North American Mission Board presenting data on first generation immigrant groups and their receptivity to the gospel.

Below is a recent blog post I wrote on our global warming research. Below that is information about our soon-to-be-completed research on first generation immigrant groups.

Lifeway Research recently conducted a phone survey of over 1,000 randomly selected Protestant pastors concerning global warming. The question was not just whether or not global warming is happening, but if it is happening and is the result of anthropogenic greenhouse gases.

Participants were asked to indicate their level of agreement with the statement, "I believe global warming is real and man-made," and it turns out that Protestant pastors are split right down the middle. 47% agree (either strongly or somewhat), and 47% disagree (either strongly or somewhat). But the study is also interesting in that it shows that these views tend to settle in particular denominations, locations and ideologies.

Here's some of the breakdown...

75 percent of pastors in mainline denominations agree global warming is real and man-made, but only 32 percent of pastors in evangelical denominations agree. Pastors in rural areas are less convinced than large-city pastors. Forty-three percent of rural pastors and 55 percent of large-city pastors agree. Pastors in the Eastern and Western United States are more persuaded, 60 percent and 53 percent respectively, than pastors in the South (45 percent) and Midwest (40 percent).

When the pastors' personal beliefs are factored in, the differences grow even more pronounced. Among pastors who consider their political ideology liberal or very liberal, 93 percent agree that global warming is real and man-made, and 79 percent of self-perceived moderates agree. Among those who identify themselves as conservative or very conservative politically, however, agreement is only 37 percent and 16 percent respectively.

Go and read the entire article here, and the PowerPoint presentation of the data is available here.

Here is some information on the people groups research we will complete this summer (excerpted from an earlier blog post):

The latter project, focusing on first-generation immigrants, is some desperately needed research, and the first of its kind. The need for this study "stems from the fact that between 1970 and 2005, the foreign-born population in the United States doubled from about 5 percent to more than 12 percent. By 2050, half the U.S. population is expected to be of a different race than non-Hispanic white."

Why does this matter?

Well, the NAMB leadership explained it this way:

"Out of all the people groups in North America -- and there are 587 based on ethnicity and language -- we need to decide which groups to address first," said Van Kicklighter, senior church planting strategist for NAMB in Alpharetta, Ga. "Who are the most receptive? Which groups are most readily engaged in the Gospel or spiritual things?"

You see, research like this can help us better what people what people believe and how they behave. It can uncover presuppositions, prejudices and preferences, and therefore help us to see what we as the church can emphasize with ease, and what we will have to work at building a case for. I believe in research because it can aid us in developing strategies and determining emphases that allow us to preach and teach with precision. So, I'm grateful for what the North American Mission board is doing as they seek to plant biblically faithful, culturally relevant, counter-cultural churches for the glory of God.

So, a full day of research... but that's a good day if you are me. ;-)