I recently read an article from The Barna Group called “Reading Habits of Today’s Pastors”.  This article takes a look at one of the most reading professional groups– us pastors!  Here are some interesting statistics the article touches on:

• Pastors buy 3.8 books per month per person—92% of whom buy at least one book per month—adding up to between 8 million and 13 million books per year!

• Less than one-third (29%) of American adults (non-pastors) buy more than 10 books in the course of a year.

• What are the most popular topics pastors shop for?  Spirituality, theology and leadership are the major topics followed by prayer, history, cultural trends and church practice.

So, this leads to a few questions for you:

• How many books do you buy per month?

• Do you have a system for effective reading?  (see tomorrow’s post for more)

• What if you could double or even triple your reading rate? (again, see my blog again tomorrow)

Click here to read the complete article and view other trends within our profession as readers!

Your partner in ministry,

Nelson

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.