Churches are facing a troubling issue: trust in clergy is falling off a cliff.
"Clergy member" isn't the least trusted profession out there (that would be lobbyist and car salesperson), but according to a new poll from Gallup, clergy have suffered the largest decline in public trust since the turn of the century.
The poll shows clergy currently ranking at a historic low when it comes to public confidence, with only 30% of Americans agreeing they are ethical. That's down from more than half of Americans just 25 years ago.
America is losing confidence in their religious leadership. Why?
Clergy Trust in Free Fall
According to the survey, which was conducted late last year, clergy rank below professions like auto mechanics and funeral directors when it comes to public trust.
They still rank above lawyers, but that's not exactly a high bar.
Per the survey, only 30% of Americans say clergy have high ethical standards. 42% say they have average ethical standards, and 20% say they have low ethical standards.
While clergy members still rank significantly higher than professions which are viewed with high levels of public distrust – like members of Congress, business execs, and those in car sales – the poll reveals clergy suffered a sharp decline in public trust since the year 2000.
Aggregate surveys from 2000 to 2009 show that clergy were rated as trustworthy and ethical by an average of 56% of Americans, ranking amongst other professions with consistently high levels of public trust like police officers and doctors.
Fast forward to today and only 30% of the public views clergy as trustworthy. The shocking 26% drop in just a quarter century is the largest drop in public confidence of any surveyed profession.
Why the Drop?
Experts say that some drop was inevitable. Polls show a loss of public confidence in nearly every major industry (even the ever-trusted nursing profession lost 6% approval in that timeframe). And though clergy still rank amongst the top half of surveyed professions when it comes to public trust, their sharp decline was the major headline coming out of this poll.
In a Reddit thread, one comment which received more than 100 upvotes argued the reason religious leadership lost so much trust was obvious. “Well, duh,” reads the comment. “The clergy is the second group most likely to abuse children and they cover their crimes.”
This was a sentiment cosigned by many. “Perhaps if they'd quit molesting children and supporting fascist candidates, they wouldn't rate so poorly,” said another user.
In fact, even Lifeway Research, a prominent evangelical research organization, agrees.
“In early 2002… The Boston Globe uncovered and reported on a sex abuse scandal involving Roman Catholic priests and subsequent coverups,” they wrote. “In the following years, additional sex abuse reports in other denominations and Christian groups were exposed. The public perception of pastors began to sour.”
This perception hasn't been helped by the fact that revelations related to that scandal have continued to come to light over the past two decades. Subsequent inquiries have revealed hundreds of thousands of previously-unreported abuse cases in the Catholic Church, for example.
The Church has even tried to block legislation that would require clergy to report child sex abuse to authorities.
What Happens Next?
Are clergy facing a crisis of confidence? Yes, but they're not alone – many professions which once widely held the public trust are now struggling to keep it.
Still, clergy are viewed as having poor ethical standards by one in five Americans, and with Gen Z as the least religious generation in American history, it seems nearly inevitable that trust in clergy will continue to decline in the future.
The only question is by how much.
What do you think? Is the precipitous downturn in clergy support merited? Why are Americans more distrustful of clergy now than in years past?
And finally, what can clergy do to staunch the bleeding and regain the shattered confidence of the public?
6 comments
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Paul Johnson
The Bishop who was chastsing the President and vice President along with their families picked the wrong place and the wrong time to go after the leader of our country. So disrespectful and rude. She needs to be removed if she can't contain her hateful agenda not only at the President but at other believers who would never have went that far. The Word says your to love and pray for your leaders not talk down to them and their family and the other 99% of people who understand the Word.
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Reverend Paula Copp
It was the exact perfect time and the exact perfect sermon. You either don’t understand the teachings of Christ, or choose to ignore it. She was neither disrespectful nor rude; she was gentle with the orange menace, which is far kinder than I would have been to the bloated buffoon! She asked for mercy. That was very Christlike. The orange clown master is an affront to all thinking people and doesn’t deserve the grace she gave him. Pray for him? I pray that he rests in peace.
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Chris
What did she say that was so horrid and disrespectful and rude? I've read the transcript and couldn't find anything in it, so could you please clarify for me what it was she said that was so wrong?
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Robert Hauck, MD, FAAP
The Rev Budde was honest, respectful, and true to Christian principles. Above all, she was courageous. The timing was perfect. I applaud her actions.
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James Richard Norby
The lovely Bishop made her statement with grace and caring. She spoke for the God and Jesus I learned of. It took courage and I admire her for following the bible on that important day.
Of course fewer people trust clergy. Not only are so many of them child molesters, but with the increase of Alt-Right folk not liking the "Woke" teachings of Jesus, it's a wonder there are so many churches still open. I mean, look at what happened with the Methodist church, split over whether to love LGBTQ+ or not. People don't want a preacher who teaches love.
Yeah, my wife is a pastor in a rural area, so I know what I'm talking about. She teaches Jesus and some of the congregation don't care for it.