Are churches of Christ really losing 85% of their young people? Are three congregations closing every week? Are hundreds of preachers leaving ministry every year?Those statistics are repeated frequently—but are they accurate, properly understood, or even applicable to churches of Christ?In Episode 2 of Trends with Truth in Churches of Christ, hosts Dale Jenkins and Dr. Michael Jackson examine how statistics can help church leaders make wiser decisions—and how misleading numbers can create fear, discouragement, and false assumptions.They discuss the unique challenge of gathering data from autonomous congregations, why denominational statistics cannot automatically be applied to churches of Christ, how survey fatigue affects results, and how artificial intelligence is changing data analysis.You will also hear why statistics should be descriptive rather than prescriptive, why good intentions do not justify bad data, and why elders and ministry leaders need to make data-informed—not data-driven—decisions.Every number represents a person. Every congregation has its own story. The goal is not to manipulate the statistics, but to understand the truth behind them.In this episode::• Are churches of Christ actually declining?• Are we really losing 85% of our young people?• How church statistics become distorted• Why congregational autonomy matters• The danger of statistics driven by an agenda• What congregation closures really mean• Claims about preachers leaving ministry• How many survey responses are enough?• The difference between academic research and actionable church research• How statistics can help elders, ministers, and congregationsWhat church statistic have you heard repeated but never seen properly documented? Share it in the comments. It may become the subject of a future episode.Subscribe for future conversations examining church growth, ministry trends, preacher compensation, congregational health, leadership, and the realities facing churches of Christ.Trends with Truth in Churches of Christ is hosted by Dale Jenkins and Dr. Michael Jackson.CHAPTERS:00:00 Every Number Has a Name00:33 Welcome to Trends with Truth01:21 Why Statistics Matter02:11 Survey Fatigue and Bad Survey Design04:08 How AI Is Changing Data Analysis05:05 Statistics, Agendas, and Partial Truths05:49 Are We Losing 85% of Our Young People?07:17 Why Congregational Autonomy Changes the Data08:08 Why Churches Lose Younger Generations09:11 Descriptive vs. Prescriptive Statistics09:34 Are Three Congregations Closing Every Week?11:04 Are We Losing 300 Preachers Every Year?12:55 Good Intentions Do Not Excuse Bad Data13:17 How Statistics Can Help Churches13:49 What Should Churches Pay Ministers and Speakers?15:09 What Numbers Cannot Do16:38 How Many Survey Responses Are Enough?18:14 Actionable Research vs. Academic Research19:14 Who Is Represented in Church Surveys?20:50 What Is Coming in the Next Episode?KEYWORDS:Trends with Truth, Trends with Truth in Churches of Christ, Churches of Christ, church of Christ podcast, churches of Christ statistics, churches of Christ decline, church decline, church growth, church statistics, religious statistics, young people leaving church, youth leaving the church, preacher shortage, ministers leaving ministry, church closures, congregational autonomy, autonomous congregations, Christian leadership, church leadership, eldership, church elders, ministry trends, preacher salary, minister compensation, church surveys, survey fatigue, artificial intelligence data analysis, AI and statistics, data-informed leadership, Dale Jenkins, Dr. Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson Heritage Christian University, The Jenkins Institute, Heritage Christian University, church health, future of the churchHASHTAGS:#TrendsWithTruth #ChurchesOfChrist #ChurchLeadership #ChurchGrowth #ChristianPodcast

Numbers tell a story — but they do not tell it all.

Welcome to Trends with Truth in churches of Christ, a new podcast with Dale Jenkins and Dr. Michael Jackson, created in partnership with The Jenkins Institute and Heritage Christian University.

In this introductory episode, Dale and Michael explain the heart behind the podcast: using data, surveys, ministry trends, and real conversations to better understand what is happening among churches of Christ. This is not just a podcast about statistics. It is a podcast about people, congregations, ministry, leadership, and mission.

Every number has a name. Every church has a story.

Through years of surveys and ministry conversations, The Jenkins Institute has gathered valuable insights about ministers, elders, congregations, attendance, ministry challenges, preacher pay, time off, church trends, and more. Trends with Truth exists to help church leaders look deeper than assumptions, avoid misinformation, and think carefully about what the data may be revealing.

In future episodes, Dale Jenkins and Dr. Michael Jackson will discuss topics such as why ministers enter ministry, minister compensation, ministry health, attendance trends, Sunday night services, church leadership, congregational life, and the realities facing churches today.

This podcast is for ministers, elders, deacons, ministry leaders, Bible teachers, church members, and anyone who cares about the future and faithfulness of the Lord’s church.

Trends with Truth is available on all major podcast platforms and on YouTube in both audio and video formats.

Chapters

00:00 — Every Number Has a Name

00:33 — Welcome to Trends with Truth

00:56 — Is This the Most Boring Podcast Ever?

01:44 — Why Start a Podcast About Church Statistics?

02:19 — Looking Deeper Than the Numbers

02:43 — Dale Jenkins’ Lifelong Interest in Statistics

04:01 — Dr. Michael Jackson’s Research Background

05:07 — The Jenkins Institute Surveys and Church Data

05:54 — Misreading Statistics and Fighting Misinformation

06:56 — Statistics as a Language

07:27 — Guiding Church Leaders Through the Data

08:06 — Future Topics: Ministry, Pay, Attendance, and More

08:52 — Understanding Where We Are to Better Serve the Future

Keywords

Trends with Truth, Dale Jenkins, Michael Jackson, Dr. Michael Jackson, The Jenkins Institute, Heritage Christian University, churches of Christ, Church of Christ podcast, church statistics, ministry trends, church trends, preacher podcast, minister podcast, elder resources, church leadership, ministry leadership, congregation trends, minister pay, preacher pay, church attendance, Sunday night attendance, church surveys, Jenkins Institute surveys, church growth, church decline, ministry data, Bible leadership, church health, congregational health, Christian podcast, Christian leadership podcast, churches of Christ podcast, church data, ministry research, elders and ministers, church leadership resources

Hashtags

#TrendsWithTruth

#ChurchesOfChrist

#TheJenkinsInstitute

#HeritageChristianUniversity

#ChurchLeadership

#MinistryLeadership

#ChurchTrends

#ChurchStatistics

#MinistryPodcast

#ChristianPodcast

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#DaleJenkins

#MichaelJackson

#PreacherLife

#EldersAndMinisters