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                <title><![CDATA[Sabbaticals, role changes top pastor wishlist for burnout relief—but few can access them]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/sabbaticals-role-changes-top-pastor-wishlist-for-burnout-reliefbut-few-can-access-them</link>
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                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[pulpit]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Mitchell Leach | Unsplash ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 16:33:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[More than half of Protestant pastors in the United States say they need help with their physical and mental health, while the burnout-relief measures they believe would work best remain largely out of reach, according to new research from Barna Group.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
More than half of Protestant pastors in the United States say they need help with their physical and mental health, while the burnout-relief measures they believe would work best remain largely out of reach, according to new research from Barna Group.
The findings, published July 6 from a survey of 507 U.S. Protestant senior pastors conducted in early 2026, come as pastoral exhaustion has eased and confidence in calling has largely recovered from pandemic-era lows. Vocational satisfaction, however, has not followed. The share of pastors who describe themselves as "very satisfied" with their vocation has dropped 20 percentage points since 2015, from 72 percent to 52 percent.
When asked which area of their lives needed the most support, 52 percent of pastors named mental and physical health—well ahead of close relationships (41 percent) and financial stability (36 percent). Spiritual connection came in at 30 percent.
Age and gender shape those priorities. Pastors under 45 flag health concerns at higher rates than older colleagues—62 percent versus 51 percent. Female pastors prioritize health at even higher rates, with 66 percent naming it a top need compared to 49 percent of male pastors. Men, meanwhile, are somewhat more likely to identify close relationships as a pressing concern.
On the question of what would actually help, pastors were asked to rate a set of burnout-relief actions by both helpfulness and difficulty. Three responses stood out as high on both dimensions: extended rest such as a sabbatical, delegating responsibilities to staff or other leaders, and restructuring one's role to better match personal gifts and limits. Pastors say these measures would make the most difference. They also describe them as the hardest to take.
Sabbaticals require congregational backing and staffing cover. Delegation depends on having people to delegate to. Role restructuring requires a leadership team or board willing to raise and sit with uncomfortable questions. None of these can be accomplished unilaterally.
"There's a difference between recovering from burnout and actually resolving it," said Daniel Copeland, Barna's vice president of research. "Consistent rest, boundaries, and personal spiritual practices build the weekly rhythms that keep a pastor healthy. But the deeper question—whether your role is genuinely an expression of your gifts and strengths—requires a different kind of time and attention altogether."
Several relief measures that pastors find more accessible also registered as meaningful: consistent personal spiritual practices, clearer expectations around role and schedule, short breaks such as a long weekend, and honest conversations with close friends or family. These ranked as helpful and relatively achievable.
At the bottom of the helpfulness rankings, the Barna research found, are resources and curricula specifically designed for burned-out pastors—despite their wide availability. The gap between what is offered and what pastors say would help is substantial.
Support structures within ministry show a similar unevenness. Eighty percent of pastors say they rely on a spouse as their primary personal support, and 65 percent turn to a fellow pastor or ministry leader. Forty-two percent name a close friend outside the church. Mentors or spiritual directors are cited by 30 percent, and only 18 percent say they rely on a counselor or therapist.
Female pastors draw on a wider range of support: they are more likely than male pastors to name friends outside the congregation (51 percent vs. 38 percent), family members (52 percent vs. 32 percent), mentors (36 percent vs. 28 percent), and therapists (29 percent vs. 14 percent).
Copeland said the data points to a gap between the institutional support structures churches typically offer and the conditions pastors say they actually need. "Pastors deserve the time to step back and ask honestly whether their role is an expression of their actual gifts," he said. "If there's any vocation we want liberated from the mundane, it's this one."
The research was conducted by Barna Group as part of its State of the Church initiative, produced in partnership with Gloo.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Secular charity challenges UK Government’s evidence for LGBT conversion therapy ban]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/secular-charity-challenges-uk-governments-evidence-for-lgbt-conversion-therapy-ban</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/secular-charity-challenges-uk-governments-evidence-for-lgbt-conversion-therapy-ban</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Chris Eyte]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 4: A parade-goer applies rainbow face paint ahead of the Pride In London 2026 parade on July 4, 2026 in London, England.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 4: A parade-goer applies rainbow face paint ahead of the Pride In London 2026 parade on July 4, 2026 in London, England. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 15:33:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A secular sexual rights group challenged the reliability of evidence supporting UK Government plans for a ban on LGBT conversion practices, claiming the underlying data fails to justify the creation of a new criminal law.]]></description>
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A secular sexual rights group challenged the reliability of evidence supporting UK Government plans for a ban on LGBT conversion practices, claiming the underlying data fails to justify the creation of a new criminal law.
Parents and church pastors in the United Kingdom could face court trials, hefty fines, and prison time under the proposed ban on practices aimed at changing sexual orientation or identity, as previously reported by Christian Daily International. 
The Labour government published the Conversion Practices Draft Bill on June 25, aiming to criminalize abusive practices intended to  change or suppress sexual orientation or transgender identity. The legislation, which follows similar proposals introduced by the previous Conservative government, aims to introduce civil protection orders alongside criminal penalties to protect vulnerable individuals. 
Under the draft text, the law would apply to any conduct directed at people with the explicit intention of changing or suppressing their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Sex Matters, a U.K.-based human rights charity that campaigns for clarity on sex in law, policy, and language, challenged the evidence used by the government for the planned law.
"I am satisfied that, given the available evidence, it represents a reasonable view of the likely costs, benefits and impact of the leading options," Minister for Equalities Olivia Bailey said after signing the impact assessment.
Bailey also told the House of Commons that her decision relied on evidence regarding the prevalence and types of conversion practice abuse in the UK. She highlighted a new report titled "Still not Illegal: Evidence of modern-day conversion practices" by LGBT anti-violence charity Galop, which she said revealed hundreds of case studies alleging appalling abuse happening right now across the country.
However, Sex Matters pointed out that the report only contained a few dozen brief accounts.
"Most describe experiences that should not concern criminal law at all, such as family disagreements and 'misgendering,'" Sex Matters said in an online statement challenging the methodology of the research. "A handful concern assault and rape, which are already crimes. Overall it contains analysis of fewer than 200 cases, which are described in minimal detail."
The charity noted that both Bailey and Galop failed to mention that the evidence appeared to include the entirety of calls received by the government’s national conversion-therapy helpline. Galop received £360,000 ($479,966 USD) over three years to run the service, describing it at the time as a vital lifeline for the community. The funding followed a competitive bidding process managed by the Cabinet Office.
The Government Equalities Office (GEO) initially anticipated around 10,000 calls each year, based on a 2018 National LGBT Survey where 2% of respondents said they had undergone conversion therapy and 5% said they had been offered it.
"But the Galop report’s findings seem to suggest that only a handful of people – in single figures each year – called to report 'conversion therapy,'" Sex Matters said.
Sex Matters also stated that the Cabinet Office’s impact assessment made no mention of the three-year helpline data. When the charity requested performance and outcomes data from the GEO in 2023, the government office refused to disclose the details, claiming it would prejudice Galop’s commercial interests. 
According to Sex Matters, the figures in the Galop report indirectly reveal that only a handful of people ever called the helpline to report actual conversion practices. Instead of reflecting on the evidence from an almost silent helpline, the government doubled down on the idea that tens of thousands of people experience conversion therapy annually.
The group also challenged a survey commissioned by the LGBT rights charity Stonewall and conducted by Opinium Research in early 2024. The survey involved interviewing 2,000 adults online who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.
"It came up with a ludicrous figure of 10% for the proportion of LGBTQ+ people in the UK who have undergone an exorcism, and 2% for the proportion who had undergone an exorcism in the previous year alone," Sex Matters stated, questioning the demographic weighting of the study.
The charity referenced calculations by mathematician Dr. John Armstrong, who pointed out that this percentage would imply that clergymen in the UK perform approximately 24,600 gay exorcisms a year. For comparison, the total number of religious weddings in England and Wales in 2022 was 41,915, making the statistical claim highly improbable.
Furthermore, Sex Matters questioned the government’s interpretation of data from the Stonewall survey regarding allegations of conversion practice abuse.
"The government plucks from the Stonewall survey the number who said they had been told to ingest 'purifying' substances (11% ever and 2% in the past year) or who said they had been given 'pseudo-scientific counselling' to try to change their sexual orientation or gender identity (12% ever and 2% in the past year)," Sex Matters said. 
"It adds these figures and multiplies the sum by the number of LGB or T people found in the most recent census to conclude that 'approximately 75,000 to 93,000 people each year in England and Wales experience conversion practices based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.'"
Using those figures alongside an American study on depression risks, the government’s impact assessment calculated that a ban would prevent 28,486 to 35,268 cases of depression annually, saving the country around £700 million over 10 years. The government estimated the ban would cost £45 million ($60 million USD) to implement, including providing 45 minutes of education about the new law for public sector workers, including police officers, doctors, nurses, and social workers.
"These figures are fantastical," Sex Matters said.
The charity noted that Galop released its research report claiming to show the stark reality of modern-day conversion practices on the exact same day that the government published its draft bill. The Galop report, funded by UK Research and Innovation through Leeds University, examined records of 13,500 Galop clients between November 2022 and November 2025. This period coincided with the operation of the federally funded helpline, which also received a contribution of £30,000 per year from the Welsh government.
The principal investigator for the study, Professor Ilias Trispiotis, sits on the steering group of the Ban Conversion Practices coalition. 
Researchers found 371 potential cases among the client base, but judged only 195 to have sufficient depth and detail to use as evidence. Only 29 of those cases came through any of Galop's helplines, with most originating from official referrals for domestic abuse, housing, or hate crimes.
According to Sex Matters, 76% of the identified cases occurred within families, mostly involving actions by parents toward their often adult children. The charity noted that no examples of historical aversion therapy involving electric shocks or physical mistreatment appeared in the study.
"Cases such as 'intentional refusal to use a chosen name or pronouns' or suggesting that healing trauma could lead to a client no longer being transgender are not abuse at all, but are rather accounts of parents or therapists not accepting the idea of 'gender identity,'" Sex Matters said. 
"The Stonewall survey and the Galop cases are the best evidence the government has of conversion practices in the UK which merit a new criminal law. Even added together, they are remarkably weak."]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[PCUSA sees membership drop by nearly 27,000, loss of 128 churches: report]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/pcusa-sees-membership-drop-by-nearly-27-000-loss-of-128-churches-report</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/pcusa-sees-membership-drop-by-nearly-27-000-loss-of-128-churches-report</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[The Christian Post]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[PCUSA sees membership drop by nearly 27,000, loss of 128 churches: report]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Courtesy PCUSA ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ The national office for the mainline denomination Presbyterian Church (USA), located in Louisville, Kentucky. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2026 07:03:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Presbyterian Church (USA), the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States, lost over 26,000 members and 128 congregations in 2025, according to a new report.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Presbyterian Church (USA), the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States, lost over 26,000 members and 128 congregations in 2025, according to a new report.
A "Narrative Summary" of statistics released ahead of the PCUSA's 227th General Assembly was emailed to The Christian Post on Monday, showing a decline of 26,845 members from 2024 to 2025, with the denomination’s official membership number being 1,019,003 by the end of last year.
The summary was part of the Annual Statistical Report, prepared by the Office of Statistics and Rolls in collaboration with Research Services.
Although the denomination continued its decades-long decline, the report described 2025 as its "slowest rate in a decade." Membership fell by about 2.6% last year, well below the average annual decline of 4.6% over the previous 10 years.
Regarding member demographics, the report found that 60% were over the age of 55, including 35% who were aged 71 or older. By contrast, only 4% of members were aged 18 or younger.
The denomination also reported having 8,304 congregations at the end of 2025, which is 128 fewer than in 2024. Nearly all of these losses involved dissolutions of churches.
PCUSA reported launching 11 “newly organized congregations” last year, but also had 12 congregations that were “dismissed to other denominations,” according to the summary.
In recent decades, the PCUSA has seen a sharp decline in its membership, dropping from more than 2.5 million members in 2000 to just over 1 million members as of last year.
One contribution to the decline has been the theologically liberal direction of the denomination, which has prompted hundreds of congregations to disaffiliate in protest.
In 2010, for example, when the PCUSA General Assembly voted to allow regional bodies to ordain non-celibate homosexuals, about 300 congregations opted to leave the denomination in response, forming the theologically conservative ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.
PCUSA dipped below the 2 million member mark in 2011, according to numbers released in 2012, with then-PCUSA Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons saying at the time that it came down to "[a]t least two challenges."
"The first and primary need is to continue to increase our efforts to live out the Great Commission and share the good news of Jesus Christ," stated Parsons. "The second is to connect with the growing number of the 'Spiritual But Not Religious.'"
In May 2025, PCUSA's Interim Unified Agency reported that the denomination lost nearly 49,000 members in 2024, going from approximately 1.094 million in 2023 to approximately 1.045 million.
The Rev. Tim Cargal, who oversaw the report, told Presbyterian News Service last year that, at the current rate of decline, the PCUSA will dip below 1 million members by the end of 2025.
"Like all 'milestone' numbers, that will certainly garner a lot of attention, and deservedly so," Cargal explained at the time. "However, net losses do not tell the whole story."
"The broader American societal trends are of declining religious participation across denominations and faith traditions, but even in that context, the PCUSA is continuing to bring people into Christian community."
Originally published by The Christian Post.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[New study links marriage to lower rates of family breakdown]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/new-study-links-marriage-to-lower-rates-of-family-breakdown</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/new-study-links-marriage-to-lower-rates-of-family-breakdown</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Christian Today]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[New study links marriage to lower rates of family breakdown]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ New study links marriage to lower rates of family breakdown ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2026 02:24:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A new study has challenged decades of academic and policy assumptions about the role of marriage in family stability, arguing that its benefits have been significantly underestimated.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A new study has challenged decades of academic and policy assumptions about the role of marriage in family stability, arguing that its benefits have been significantly underestimated.
The report, "The Timing of Marriage and Union Dissolution", was produced by the Marriage Foundation in partnership with the Centre for Social Justice and is based on the doctoral research of Dr Harry Benson at the University of Bristol. 
The study examines whether lower rates of relationship breakdown often associated with marriage are primarily the result of factors like income, education and age, or whether marriage itself contributes to relationship durability.
According to the report, previous influential studies, including work by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), concluded that married couples were more likely to stay together largely because they tended to be older, wealthier and better educated than those who cohabit. 
Dr Benson argues that these studies were methodologically flawed and that they substantially underestimated the independent role of marriage.
“My analysis of the entire sample, using improved state-of-the-art methodology, shows that marriage accounts for half or more of the gap in union dissolution,” he writes in the report. 
The research uses data sourced from the Millennium Cohort Study, which followed 18,827 children born between 2000 and 2002 in the UK through their early teenage years. 
Dr Benson analysed a representative sample of more than 3,300 couples over a 14-year period and controlled for 27 factors, including age, education, income, religion, housing tenure and smoking habits.
The findings suggest that couples who marry before having children experience substantially lower rates of separation than couples who never marry. 
By their child’s fourteenth birthday, parents who had never married faced a separation rate almost twice (45%) that of those who had married before their first child was conceived (26%). 
Dr Benson suggests this may reflect what commitment theorists describe as “sliding” into marriage under social or family pressure, rather than making a deliberate commitment earlier in the relationship. 
Even so, these marriages remained more stable than relationships in which parents never married. Couples who married during pregnancy (34%) or after the birth of a child (23-30%) had considerably lower rates of relationship breakdown than those who remained unmarried (45%).
The report found that relationship instability was highest among cohabiting couples during the first three years of parenthood, with annual separation rates of around 4.1%. 
Married parents, by contrast, experienced separation rates of approximately 2.5-2.7% during the same period.
Dr Benson said the findings support the view that marriage itself plays a role in strengthening relationships.
“In short, being married substantially increases the chances that parents stay together, regardless of when marriage occurs, before, during, or after pregnancy, and regardless of socio-economic background,” he wrote in the report.
He added: “This groundbreaking study categorically demonstrates the benefits of marrying, and blows apart decades of Government policy that has consistently downgraded marriage to just another form of relationship like cohabitating. 
“It also serves as a rebuke to those politicians who have sneered at the institution and have, through their actions, actively discouraged marriage among the poorest couples with punitive welfare policies and a lack of courage to promote marriage for fear of being seen as old-fashioned or judgmental.”
The study draws on several psychological theories to explain the findings. These include commitment theory, which suggests that marriage solidifies dedication between partners while producing legal, social and emotional boundaries that raise the cost of exit. 
The report also references cognitive consistency theory and signal theory, both of which argue that marriage can strengthen commitment by publicly signalling long-term intentions and aligning behaviour with those commitments.
The report places its findings within the context of wider social changes in Britain. 
It notes that births outside marriage have risen from around 5% in the early 1960s to nearly half of all births today, while family instability increasingly occurs among cohabiting rather than married couples.
Crucially, most of these non-marital births are jointly registered by cohabiting couples rather than lone mothers, reflecting a structural shift in how families form.
According to the study, these trends have contributed to growing concerns about the social and economic costs associated with family breakdown.
The report argues: “If marriage itself contributes to stability, then policies that are neutral on marriage are not neutral in effect. Reducing social and fiscal barriers to marriage could therefore play a meaningful role in strengthening family stability and reducing the long-run social and economic costs of family breakdown.”
Among its recommendations, the study calls for greater public awareness of the stabilising effects of marriage, reforms to welfare policies that may discourage marriage, and targeted support for lower-income couples. 
It emphasises that “policy interventions which encourage timely marriage, through social messaging and targeted fiscal incentives, can strengthen family stability without coercion.”
Dr Benson said that reducing the social and fiscal barriers to marriage “would play a meaningful role in strengthening family stability and reducing the massive social and economic costs of family breakdown”, which he said run into the billions. 
“Yet the Government spends as little as £1 helping families stay together for every £6,000 in dealing with the consequences of family breakdown,” he said. 
“Even if they only addressed the appalling couple penalty in the benefits system that has actively deterred people from getting married, and stopped spouting the crazy and factually inaccurate mantra that all relationships are the same, and recognised that marriage is the gold standard of relationship types, that would be a step in the right direction.”
The report recommends further research into commitment and relationship outcomes, including the impact on children's wellbeing.
Originally published by Christian Today.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Pastoral burnout, AI, and micro-credentials among top agenda for ICETE's Mombasa gathering in 2027]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/pastoral-burnout-ai-and-micro-credentials-among-top-agenda-for-icete-s-mombasa-gathering-in-2027</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/pastoral-burnout-ai-and-micro-credentials-among-top-agenda-for-icete-s-mombasa-gathering-in-2027</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[At a house church in Durán, Ecuador, house church leaders study a theological education curriculum — an example of the grassroots, non-formal training ICETE aims to represent at its C27 global consultation in Mombasa, Kenya, in 2027.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ At a house church in Durán, Ecuador, house church leaders study a theological education curriculum — an example of the grassroots, non-formal training ICETE aims to represent at its C27 global consultation in Mombasa, Kenya, in 2027. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:37:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Pastoral burnout, artificial intelligence, micro-credentials and the recognition of prior learning are set to dominate the agenda when the world's leading evangelical theological education body convenes in Mombasa, Kenya, in April 2027 — signaling a field grappling with pressures that traditional seminary models were never designed to address.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Pastoral burnout, artificial intelligence, micro-credentials and the recognition of prior learning are set to dominate the agenda when the world's leading evangelical theological education body convenes in Mombasa, Kenya, in April 2027 — signaling a field grappling with pressures that traditional seminary models were never designed to address.
The International Council for Evangelical Theological Education announced the gathering, dubbed C27, during a June preparatory call, setting an April 5–9, 2027 date at the Kenyan coastal city.
For the first time in the organization's 46-year history, prospective attendees must be nominated rather than simply registered. Executive Director Dr. Michael A. Ortiz said the event will be capped at 600 delegates, with nominations already exceeding available places.
Julie Shoemaker, ICETE's Director of Communications and Connections, said the change reflects a deliberate effort to shape the room rather than simply fill it. The goal, she said, is to ensure adequate representation from the majority world, women, next-generation leaders, students and all sectors of theological education — formal, non-formal and informal — alongside voices from the church.
There will be no public registration link on the ICETE website. All prospective attendees must submit a nomination form, and invitations to register will be sent by approximately August.
The theme for C27 — "Understanding the times and knowing what to do" — comes directly from 1 Chronicles 12:32, a passage describing the sons of Issachar, who are commended for grasping the moment and acting accordingly. Dr. Marvin Oxenham, ICETE's Quality Assurance Director and Director of the ICETE Academy, said the verse captures what the organization wants the gathering to accomplish.
"There's the understanding of times component, and then there's the knowing what to do component," he said.
Oxenham said the understanding-the-times dimension of the consultation is intended to be driven by hard data and research rather than anecdote. Presentations will be expected to bring evidence that helps participants "become reflective practitioners," with that understanding then feeding into the second dimension: discernment and action.
Collaboration, he added, is a consistent goal of ICETE gatherings, and C27 will be no different.
Among the substantive topics already on the agenda is pastoral training, which Ortiz described as a pressing need — particularly in majority world contexts. Oxenham added another dimension to that concern, citing a recent Lausanne movement article reporting that more than half of pastors have at some point considered leaving ministry due to burnout. He said the data raises direct questions for theological educators: "Are we addressing the issues that lead to burnout, that lead to wanting to leave the pastoral ministry, and how are we addressing those in our training?"
Artificial intelligence will also feature prominently. Oxenham said it would be impossible to hold a consultation under the theme of understanding the times without a serious engagement with AI — a topic that has already generated significant debate across evangelical institutions. Christian Daily International has previously reported on warnings from theological educators that seminaries must balance AI's potential against the risk of bypassing genuine spiritual formation.
Additional topics will include quality standards across all three sectors, mega-trends in higher education — including the growing significance of mental health — micro-credentials, and, for the first time at an ICETE global gathering, the formal recognition of prior learning. Oxenham described recognition of prior learning as a key mechanism bridging formal and non-formal training, and said a separate consultation on the topic may follow C27.
On micro-credentials, Oxenham said a first cohort of providers — mostly from the non-formal sector — will have completed the certification process by the time the Mombasa gathering convenes and will be able to report on whether it is working for them.
ICETE has previously expanded its micro-credentialing offering to include a vocational track aimed at non-formal training providers, a development Christian Daily International has previously reported on as potentially reshaping the field.
Two major research initiatives will feed into C27's agenda. The first is a global student survey of approximately 60 questions, to be launched within weeks of the pre-call and distributed across formal and non-formal programs in multiple languages. The aim is to gather data from thousands of theology students across all regions.
The second is what ICETE is calling the Landscape Project — a mapping exercise covering the organization's roughly 70 member bodies, which together serve an estimated 500,000 people preparing for ministry globally.
Shoemaker described three components: mapping where members are working and whom they are serving, mining that data to identify duplications and gaps, and then convening members to act on what is found.
C27 is the third in a sequence that began with the C22 consultation in Izmir, Turkey, which focused on integrating formal and non-formal theological education, and continued with C25 in Albania, where the organization gathered data and published a document charting directions for the field. Ortiz described the series as a continuous body of work rather than a set of independent events, with impact teams, micro-credentialing and the landscape project all forming part of the same trajectory.
ICETE Virtual gatherings in July, August and September will address related topics before a second C27-focused preparatory session in October. Those interested in attending C27 or submitting relevant research data for consideration may contact ICETE at info@icete.info.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Young Christians want guidance, not just freedom, Dutch churches hear at landmark youth ministry summit]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/young-christians-want-guidance-not-just-freedom-dutch-churches-hear-at-landmark-youth-ministry-summit</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/young-christians-want-guidance-not-just-freedom-dutch-churches-hear-at-landmark-youth-ministry-summit</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Chris Eyte]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Dutch youth report smartphones hinder personal faith growth, even as many say online content gave them their first connection to Christianity, according to the Youth Trends 2026 report.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Unsplash / Julie Ricard ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Dutch youth report smartphones hinder personal faith growth, even as many say online content gave them their first connection to Christianity, according to the Youth Trends 2026 report. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:56:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Dutch youth say smartphones are hurting their faith — but also credit social media with their first encounter with Christianity, according to a new report presented Friday at the inaugural "Young Generations Day" in the Netherlands.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Dutch youth say smartphones are hurting their faith — but also credit social media with their first encounter with Christianity, according to a new report presented at the inaugural "Young Generations Day" in the Netherlands.
The Youth Trends 2026 report, based on research with more than 700 young Christians aged 12 to 30, identified five currents reshaping how young believers engage with faith: a desire for clear spiritual direction over personal freedom; growing curiosity about the supernatural; a hunger for authentic community; unease about smartphones as a barrier to spiritual growth; and a view of the digital world as a legitimate mission field. The findings prompted more than 80 youth ministry professionals from over 15 church traditions to gather in Veenendaal to discuss how local congregations can respond.
MissieNederland (the Dutch Evangelical Alliance) organized the May 29 event at De Verbinding Baptist Church in Veenendaal, where participants from local churches, youth ministry organizations and research institutions discussed what those trends mean in practice — and what churches should do about them.
Martine Versteeg-ter Veen, director of MissieNederland, told Christian Daily International that the day examined how churches and youth ministries can better serve young people following Christ.
“Following a research report presentation about the five trends, the event’s participants—including local churches, youth ministry organizations, and researchers—discussed what the outcomes meant and explored solutions within different contexts,” Versteeg-ter Veen said.
A follow-up research report detailing the data “behind the trends” is anticipated in the coming week, and organizers are planning a practical toolkit to help churches engage with the findings.
Regarding the trends, Versteeg-ter Veen noted that a prior emphasis on giving young people space to discover what faith means has been superseded. “Now we see that, much more than before, this generation longs for direction and guidance. And that's what they are looking for in Christianity and in following Christ,” she explained.
She also remarked that the trend concerning digital life is particularly striking, given that young people themselves expressed concern over the negative effects of mobile phone use on their spiritual lives.
“What I found interesting in the research was that a high percentage of young people say mobile phones are not helpful in growing their faith,” Versteeg-ter Veen said. “Yet, on the other hand, we do see that it is very much a digital mission field, because many searching young people have their first connection with Christ through online contact and content.”
Versteeg-ter Veen added that the data led participants to discuss how children’s and youth ministries can directly address these concerns.
The Young Generations Day 2026 is the first iteration of an ongoing initiative, with the next event tentatively planned for Fall 2027.
The May event builds upon the February launch of a two-part resource titled “Samen Jong in de Praktijk” (“Young Together in Practice”), as previously reported by Christian Daily International. The workbook was created to help Dutch churches cultivate intergenerational communities.
The resource was officially introduced by Sabine van der Heijden, a researcher at the Christelijke Hogeschool Ede (CHE); Saskia de Graaf-Bakker of MissieNederland; and Rozamaryn Orsel, 24, who was recently named the “Young Theologian of the Netherlands” for 2025–2026.
A launch event for the book drew 200 participants on Feb. 13 at the CHE campus in Ede, Netherlands. The symposium was organized through a collaboration between MissieNederland, the Christelijke Hogeschool Ede (serving as venue and academic partner), Kerkpunt, and the Theologische Universiteit Utrecht.
At the time, Versteeg-ter Veen told Christian Daily International that the Samen Jong book was published because Dutch churches frequently struggle to build communities where all generations truly belong, resulting in many young people leaving the faith.
“The book is based on the Growing Young research from the United States but contextualized for the Dutch church,” she said. “It is unique because it focuses not on youth ministry in the traditional sense... but on church community development. The core question is: How can we become a church where all generations flourish and grow as followers of Christ?”
According to Versteeg-ter Veen, this approach establishes intergenerational ministry as a distinct discipline within practical theology rather than a mere expansion of youth ministry.
“Since its launch, hundreds of churches have taken up the challenge of cultivating the core values that help churches welcome younger generations and enable all generations to flourish.”
Versteeg-ter Veen listed these core values as: taking Jesus and his gospel seriously; prioritizing younger generations and their families; loving young people; being a warm community; giving meaningful responsibility within the church; and being a church that is good news for the world.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Scotland records highest-ever abortion total as advocate calls for open dialogue]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/scotland-records-highest-ever-abortion-total-as-advocate-calls-for-open-dialogue</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/scotland-records-highest-ever-abortion-total-as-advocate-calls-for-open-dialogue</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Chris Eyte]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiandaily.com/media/original/img/0/46/4690.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Demonstrators gather outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on Sept. 24, 2024, to protest a law banning demonstrations within 200 meters of abortion clinics. New Public Health Scotland data shows the country recorded its highest-ever number of abort]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Demonstrators gather outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on Sept. 24, 2024, to protest a law banning demonstrations within 200 meters of abortion clinics. New Public Health Scotland data shows the country recorded its highest-ever number of abortions in 2024. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 01:24:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Scotland recorded its highest-ever number of abortions in 2024, with nearly 18,800 terminations logged in the latest government figures — a development that has drawn a response from a prominent evangelical advocate who says honest, compassionate conversations are increasingly urgent.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Scotland recorded its highest-ever number of abortions in 2024, with nearly 18,800 terminations logged in the latest government figures — a development that has drawn a response from a prominent evangelical advocate who says honest, compassionate conversations are increasingly urgent.
Public Health Scotland released the data May 26, showing 18,783 abortions performed last year — a 55% rise in demand since 2016. The termination rate stood at 17.6 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44. In NHS Lanarkshire alone, the number of terminations was 86% higher than a decade ago.
The report also documented a sharp disparity based on economic status. Women living in Scotland's most deprived areas terminated pregnancies at a rate of 23.7 per 1,000 — roughly double the rate recorded in the least deprived areas, according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation.
Among other findings: 60.8% of all abortions involved medication taken at home, 277 terminations were recorded as disability-selective, and 209 occurred after 18 weeks of pregnancy. Four in 10 women who had an abortion in the reporting period had undergone at least one previous termination.
Dawn McAvoy, who leads Both Lives, a United Kingdom-wide initiative calling for the protection of both mother and unborn child, said current healthcare systems across the U.K. present abortion as the primary option for pregnant women.
"Across Holyrood, Stormont and Westminster governments are failing to support women to choose life for them and their unborn babies," said McAvoy, who also works with the Evangelical Alliance UK.
She addressed so-called buffer zones — areas around abortion facilities where conversations with patients are legally restricted — arguing that such restrictions remove a critical, last-minute opportunity for women to access support and reconsider their decision.
"The opportunity to speak with a woman outside an abortion clinic — to offer support, compassion, and practical help — may be the last chance for her to choose life," she said. "That matters because we know that, even at that stage, some women have been supported to continue their pregnancies."
But McAvoy also told Christian Daily International that the need for open dialogue extends well beyond clinic doorsteps. "There has always been a need to think beyond those specific locations and to foster compassionate, thoughtful, and honest conversations long before a woman faces a pregnancy crisis or begins considering abortion," she said.
With the majority of U.K. abortions now carried out through self-administered medication at home, McAvoy said that earlier, community-based support has become more critical than ever. "Those earlier conversations and sources of support matter more than ever for many women," she said.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Africa on track to hold nearly half the world's young people by 2100, new data shows]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/africa-on-track-to-hold-nearly-half-the-world-s-young-people-by-2100-new-data-shows</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/africa-on-track-to-hold-nearly-half-the-world-s-young-people-by-2100-new-data-shows</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Children in Sierra Leone, Africa]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Unsplash / Annie Spratt ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Children in Sierra Leone. Africa's under-25 population, currently 28% of the global total, is projected to reach 46% by 2100, Pew Research Center reported. ]]>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Africa vs Asia growth rate Pew]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Pew Research Center ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2026 09:10:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Africa's population has grown more than sixfold since 1950 and is projected to keep expanding through the end of the century — even as growth slows across most of the world — according to a Pew Research Center analysis published last week.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Africa's population has grown more than sixfold since 1950 and is projected to keep expanding through the end of the century — even as growth slows across most of the world — according to a Pew Research Center analysis published last week.
Drawing on United Nations population data, the report finds that the continent currently holds 19% of the global population but is home to 28% of all people under 25. That share is expected to rise sharply in the decades ahead.
Africa's population stood at roughly 230 million in 1950. It has since grown by approximately 1.3 billion people. Under the UN's middle-range projection, the continent's population will reach 3.8 billion by 2100 — though higher-fertility scenarios put that figure as high as 5.2 billion.
The continent's fertility rate of about 3.9 births per woman is currently the highest of any world region and the only one still above the global replacement level of around 2.1 births per woman, according to Pew. There is significant variation within the continent: Chad's rate stands at 5.8 births per woman, while Tunisia's is 1.8. Africa's rate is expected to decline to 2.8 by 2050 and to 2.0 by 2100 — down considerably from a peak of 6.7 births per woman recorded in 1972.
That falling fertility, combined with rising life expectancy, will reshape the continent's age profile over time. The median age in Africa is about 19 today. By 2100, Pew projects it will reach 35.

Despite that aging trend, Africa is on a trajectory to become the dominant home of the world's youth. By 2073, the continent is projected to surpass Asia — currently the largest home of young people — in its share of the global under-25 population. By the century's end, 46% of all people under 25 are expected to live in Africa, compared with 39% in Asia, the analysis found.
The demographic shift will also alter the map of the world's most populous nations. Nigeria, currently Africa's most populous country and the world's sixth-largest, is projected to become the fourth-most populous nation by 2100. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Tanzania are expected to rank fifth, seventh and ninth, respectively. Altogether, 12 of the world's 25 most populous countries are projected to be African by 2100, compared with six today.
Europe's representation on that list is expected to shrink considerably. Russia is projected to be the only European nation among the top 25 by 2100, dropping from ninth place today to 17th as its population declines. India and China are expected to remain the world's two most populous countries.
Within Africa itself, the proportion of residents under 25 — currently around 60% — is projected to fall to 35% by 2100. The share of adults ages 25 to 64 is expected to rise to 51%, while those 65 and older would grow from roughly 5% of the population today to 15%, according to Pew.
The analysis was published May 19 ahead of Africa Day on May 25, which marks the 1963 founding of the Organisation of African Unity. It is based on the UN's 2024 World Population Prospects, with figures from 2024 onward representing projections rather than recorded data.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[BMA backs down: Cass Review right that evidence for youth puberty blockers was weak]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/bma-backs-down-cass-review-right-that-evidence-for-youth-puberty-blockers-was-weak</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/bma-backs-down-cass-review-right-that-evidence-for-youth-puberty-blockers-was-weak</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Chris Eyte]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[A general view of the NHSs Tavistock Centre in London, England, on June 23, 2023]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Dan Kitwood/Getty Images ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ A general view of the NHS's Tavistock Centre in London, England, on June 23, 2023. The Tavistock's Gender Identity Development Service was the only NHS-funded service in the UK working on gender issues in young people. Following an independent review led by retired pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass and commissioned by NHS England, the clinic closed after its centralized service model was deemed unsustainable and lacking a safe, evidence-based foundation. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2026 02:43:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The British Medical Association has largely reversed its position on the Cass Review into puberty blockers for children — a landmark report the doctors' union had heavily criticized in 2024.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
The British Medical Association has largely reversed its position on the Cass Review into puberty blockers for children — a landmark report the doctors' union had heavily criticized in 2024.
The BMA published its findings after a two-year internal evaluation in a paper titled "Cass Review: Evidence, Interpretation, and Implementation." Report co-author Professor David Strain told The Times the review's author "has been vindicated in the way she approached the data." When asked to name a single one of Hilary Cass's 32 recommendations that the BMA currently opposed, Strain said, "I can't," adding, "she approached an area of significant uncertainty with that prime rule of medicine, of 'first, do no harm.'"
The BMA's shift is significant because its council had, in July 2024, blasted Cass's recommendations as "unsubstantiated," called for a public critique and demanded the lifting of the puberty blocker ban — a move that triggered intense backlash from the BMA's own grassroots medical members. The council subsequently adopted a position of neutrality and launched the internal evaluation group that produced the new paper.
Writing for the Christian Medical Fellowship, Trevor Stammers — a former general practitioner, clinical teacher and past CMF chair — said the BMA's paper amounts to a concession that the evidence base in favor of puberty suppression and gender-affirming hormones for young people is "limited and uncertain."
"Whenever ideology prevails over evidence, people must eventually face up to reality," Stammers wrote. "It's very sad that now the BMA's efforts to discredit Cass' findings have turned out to broadly vindicate them, they still seek to criticise the necessary actions subsequently taken."
That ongoing criticism centers on the BMA's refusal to back a total ban on the treatments. The review group stopped short of endorsing the UK government's absolute statutory ban on the medication, calling it a political "overreach" that threatens the clinical autonomy of prescribing doctors — even as it acknowledged the "known and plausible harms" of puberty blockers.
The Cass Review was an independent analysis of the Gender Identity Development Service run by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in London. It was led by retired pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass and commissioned by NHS England. Its findings ultimately led to the closure of the Tavistock clinic, whose centralized service model was deemed unsustainable and lacking a safe, evidence-based foundation.
The review found that clinical staff internationally reported that adolescents "seem to have more complex presentations" and present "with greater mental health and psychosocial needs, as well as additional diagnoses of ASD and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)." Data in the report showed that rates of depression, anxiety and eating disorders were significantly higher among those referred to the gender clinic than in the general population.
Baroness Cass also noted in the report that "it is widely accepted that exposure to sexuality is happening at a younger age," adding that the impact on young people's understanding of their sexuality or gender identity "is an area that warrants better exploration and understanding."
Stammers noted that the Cass Review had faced attacks from activists and some academics, including a non-peer-reviewed paper by McNamara et al. that claimed the review contained "serious methodological flaws." He cited the biblical proverb: "Do not testify against your neighbour without cause."
Official figures cited during the clinic's operational history show that 382 children aged up to 6 were referred to the service between 2010 and its clinical wind-down. About 70 were 3 or 4 years old.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Survey puts family at top of Jamaican values; clergy point to church influence]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/survey-puts-family-at-top-of-jamaican-values-clergy-point-to-church-influence</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/survey-puts-family-at-top-of-jamaican-values-clergy-point-to-church-influence</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Church volunteer ministers to children in Jamaicas Blue Mountains, reflecting the Christian communitys enduring role in shaping family and education values across the island.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ IMB ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Church volunteer ministers to children in Jamaica's Blue Mountains, reflecting the Christian community's enduring role in shaping family and education values across the island. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2026 02:03:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Family ranked as the most important value among Jamaicans in a new nationwide survey, and two prominent clergymen say the Christian church deserves much of the credit for that result — even though religion and spirituality came in fourth on the same list.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Family ranked as the most important value among Jamaicans in a new nationwide survey, and two prominent clergymen say the Christian church deserves much of the credit for that result — even though religion and spirituality came in fourth on the same list.
The findings come from Market Research Services Ltd.'s Heart of Jamaicans Survey, reported by the Jamaica Gleaner. The survey sampled 1,100 Jamaicans aged 18 and older between Nov. 17 and Dec. 10, 2024. Respondents ranked family, children's education, personal independence, religion and spirituality, and personal education as their five most important values. The survey carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
The Rev. Devon Dick, pastor of Boulevard Baptist Church in St. Andrew, told the Gleaner he was initially surprised that religion ranked fourth rather than higher. But he argued the placement of family at the top reflects church influence more than secular priorities.
"In Jamaica, part of the reason why family is so important is because of the Church and the rites of the Church, starting from dedication of infants to baptising persons, to marriage, to death," Dick said. "All of these things happen within the Church."
He also linked the survey's strong showing for education to the church's historical role. Before and after emancipation, he said, it was the church — not the state — that pushed to educate the general population, and that legacy continues to shape what Jamaicans prioritize.
Bishop Alvin Bailey, president of the Jamaica Evangelical Alliance, echoed that view in comments to the Gleaner. Despite what he described as inadequacies in Jamaica's public education system, he noted that some of the country's best-performing schools are church-owned.
"Education is high, the Church is playing a significant role in that; family is high, the Church is playing a significant role in that," Bailey said. "The home and the Church are still one of the most positive institutions of socialisation in this country."
The survey revealed generational differences in how Jamaicans rank their values. Younger respondents between the ages of 18 and 24 were less likely to name religion, spirituality or children's education among their top concerns — a pattern the survey attributed in part to their stage of life, as most have not yet taken on parental responsibilities or made deep spiritual commitments.
Older Jamaicans, those 65 and above, showed less interest in personal education but placed greater weight on respect, kindness and spiritual life. The survey also found that men, particularly the youngest and oldest age groups, were less inclined toward religion and traditional social norms than women.
Among higher-income respondents, children's education and adherence to rules ranked lower, while kindness and respect were more frequently cited as priorities.
At the other end of the scale, the Gleaner reported that community status, access to local information and a day-by-day approach to life were the three things Jamaicans valued least.
Bailey said the overall results confirm that Jamaica's social values remain deeply connected to its Christian heritage.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Religion linked to better mental health by 10-to-1 margin, major research review finds]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/religion-linked-to-better-mental-health-by-10-to-1-margin-major-research-review-finds</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/religion-linked-to-better-mental-health-by-10-to-1-margin-major-research-review-finds</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Worshippers, congregants, church, catholic, service]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Unsplash / Kaylee Stoll ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Worshippers attend a church service in a generic file photo. A new report from the Wheatley Institute, drawing on thousands of medical and social science studies, found that religious participation is associated with improved mental health nearly 10 to one over negative outcomes. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2026 08:25:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A comprehensive analysis of thousands of medical and social science studies has found that religious involvement is associated with better mental health outcomes far more often than not — with positive findings outnumbering negative ones by nearly 10 to one, according to a new report released by the Wheatley Institute.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A comprehensive analysis of thousands of medical and social science studies has found that religious involvement is associated with better mental health outcomes far more often than not — with positive findings outnumbering negative ones by nearly 10 to one, according to a new report released by the Wheatley Institute.
The report, "The Religion and Mental Health Connection," published earlier this month, draws on studies catalogued in the Oxford University Press Handbook of Religion and Health (2024) and covers a broad range of mental health domains, including depression, anxiety, suicide, substance abuse, stress and emotional well-being. It is the first in a three-part series on religion and health; upcoming installments will examine physical and social health.
Of more than 1,000 high-quality studies reporting significant findings, 961 found positive associations between religious involvement and mental health, compared to 101 that found negative associations, the report states.
"Across the mental health domains we examined, the best available science indicates that religious beliefs, practices, and participation in faith communities are most often linked to improved mental health outcomes," said Loren D. Marks, the report's lead author.
Suicide, depression and anxiety
The findings carry particular weight given rising rates of mental illness and suicide in many parts of the world. Christian Daily International previously reported on calls by Christian counselors for churches to take a more active role in confronting the mental health crisis, with panelists at a National Religious Broadcasters forum earlier this year describing current suicide rates in the United States as a national emergency.
The Wheatley Institute report adds a substantial body of empirical data to that conversation. Of 76 high-quality studies on suicide, 89% found lower rates among more religious individuals, the report states. Researchers cited in the analysis have estimated that declining weekly religious attendance may account for roughly 40% of the rise in the U.S. suicide rate. One study tracking nearly 110,000 health professionals found that women who attended religious services weekly were 75% less likely to die by suicide over a 16-year period, with men 48% less likely over 26 years.
Depression and anxiety showed similar patterns. Of 247 high-quality studies on depression, 74% reported better outcomes among more religious individuals. A longitudinal study of nearly 49,000 nurses found that weekly attenders had a 25% lower probability of depression over 16 years. Of 85 studies on anxiety, 69% found lower levels among more religious participants.
Hope, meaning and coping
The evidence was strongest in the area of positive emotional well-being. Of 251 high-quality studies, 93% reported that religious involvement correlated with greater life satisfaction, happiness, hope, self-esteem and optimism. On coping with stress, 86% of 103 high-quality studies found links between religious practice and constructive responses to adversity.
The report identifies what it describes as a "threshold effect": the mental health benefits of religion appear most pronounced among those with sustained, high levels of engagement — typically weekly or more frequent religious participation — and hold across age groups, racial and ethnic backgrounds and faith traditions.
"It is not nominal affiliation but committed religious involvement that appears to matter most," the report states.
Policy implications
The authors offer several recommendations based on the research, including building referral connections between healthcare providers and faith communities, equipping congregations to support suicide and substance abuse prevention in underserved areas, and recognizing religious participation as a voluntary complement — not a replacement — to professional mental health treatment.
The report also calls for protecting religious freedom and pluralism so that the documented benefits remain accessible across different faith traditions.
While acknowledging that harmful or coercive expressions of religion exist, the Wheatley Institute report concludes that the overall pattern across the available evidence is clear: religious belief and practice are strongly associated with better mental and emotional well-being.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Survey finds most American parents open to the Bible but rarely read it with children]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/survey-finds-most-american-parents-open-to-the-bible-but-rarely-read-it-with-children</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/survey-finds-most-american-parents-open-to-the-bible-but-rarely-read-it-with-children</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Family discipleship begins at home, where couples and parents pass on faith by reading and living out Scripture together.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Unsplash / Shelby Murphy Figueroa ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Most American parents pray with their children regularly, but Bible reading together remains far less common, according to the American Bible Society's 2026 State of the Bible report. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2026 09:11:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Most American parents express openness to the Bible, yet fewer than one in seven reads Scripture with their children on a regular basis, according to a new report from the American Bible Society.]]></description>
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Most American parents express openness to the Bible, yet fewer than one in seven reads Scripture with their children on a regular basis, according to a new report from the American Bible Society.
The findings come from the second chapter of the organization's annual State of the Bible report, released May 14. The survey, fielded by NORC at the University of Chicago, drew on 2,649 online and phone interviews with American adults across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, conducted in January 2026.
Work-family balance topped the list of challenges facing parents, cited by 42% of respondents. Parenting fatigue and financial pressure each came in at 27%. The report found that Millennial parents were more likely than other generations to struggle with both work-family balance (49%) and exhaustion (35%), while Gen X parents were more likely to cite difficulty providing wise guidance to older children (29%).
The gap between mothers and fathers also appeared in the data. Mothers were more likely than fathers to report parenting fatigue, at 32% compared to 23%. Mothers more often named setting appropriate boundaries as a challenge (23% vs. 15%), while fathers more often cited discipline (22% vs. 16%).
Despite those pressures, the report found that parents scored higher than non-parents on measures of meaning, purpose, and life satisfaction — though they scored lower on financial and material stability.
More than one in four parents said they pray daily or often with their children. By contrast, only one in seven does the same with Bible reading, and more than half of caregivers rarely or never engage their children in either practice. The gap persists even among more committed believers: the American Bible Society report found that among Practicing Christians, 72% pray regularly with their children, but only 45% read the Bible with them at the same frequency.
"Most American parents are open to the Bible, but behavior hasn't kept pace with that openness," said Dr. John Farquhar Plake, the organization's chief innovation officer and editor of the State of the Bible series. "They're curious but not deeply engaged."
When parents do teach Scripture at home, children's story Bibles are the most widely used resource, cited by 48% of parents. Bible-based videos and Bible songs each came in at 26%, while Bible memorization tools were the least common approach, at 7%.
The report also found differences in religious identity between parents and non-parents among younger generations. Sixty-four percent of Millennial and Gen Z parents identify as Christians, compared to 47% of their non-parenting peers. Among non-parents in those same generations, 42% claim no religion — nearly double the 27% rate among young parents. The report noted no comparable gap between Gen X parents and non-parents on faith identity.
Parents also showed a notably lower rate of Bible disengagement than non-parents, at 46% versus 59%, though the American Bible Society said that greater openness had not translated into deeper engagement with Scripture.
For churchgoing families, the data offered a more encouraging picture. Nearly three-quarters of parents who attend church said they feel supported by their congregation, and 63% said their children enjoy going. The enjoyment, however, declined with age: according to their parents, 72% of children ages 2 to 5 like attending church, compared to 66% of those ages 6 to 12 and 61% of teenagers.
Plake called on church leaders to take the data seriously. "Church leaders and fellow Christians need to intentionally invest in parents during this demanding season of life," he said. "Parents are carrying a heavy load, and all of us in the Church can help them carry it."
The State of the Bible series publishes a new chapter monthly through November 2026. Upcoming installments will cover topics including artificial intelligence, calling and purpose, and the supernatural. The full second chapter is available at StateoftheBible.org.
The survey was designed by American Bible Society and conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago using their AmeriSpeak panel.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Journalists' global body calls for spyware crackdown after landmark surveillance study]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/journalists-global-body-calls-for-spyware-crackdown-after-landmark-surveillance-study</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/journalists-global-body-calls-for-spyware-crackdown-after-landmark-surveillance-study</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Security cameras in London, U.K.]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Unsplash / Levi Meir Clancy ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2026 07:20:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Hundreds of journalists from around the world have backed a call for the International Federation of Journalists to lead a coordinated campaign against the unlawful use of surveillance technology targeting reporters and their sources, following the publication of a major new study documenting what the IFJ describes as a worldwide infrastructure of digital control.]]></description>
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Hundreds of journalists from around the world have backed a call for the International Federation of Journalists to lead a coordinated campaign against the unlawful use of surveillance technology targeting reporters and their sources, following the publication of a major new study documenting what the IFJ describes as a worldwide infrastructure of digital control.
The resolution was passed unanimously by delegates at the IFJ's Centenary Congress in Paris, held May 4–7, after delegates heard from Samar Al Halal, the author of "Global Surveillance of Journalists: A Technical Mapping of Tools, Tactics and Threats." The report, commissioned by the IFJ and published April 28 as part of the EU-funded Brave Media project, examines how digital surveillance of journalists has grown into a systemic global problem.
As Christian Daily International reported earlier this month, the study found that monitoring technologies once confined to intelligence agencies are now widely available to governments and security services, including commercial spyware programs capable of silently accessing a device's messages, calls, photos, location data and microphone without the user's knowledge.
Al Halal, a computer and communications engineer who specializes in digital security and rights, told the Paris congress that the threat to journalism goes beyond technology. "When journalists are monitored self-censorship becomes normal," she said. "Even the perception of being monitored is enough to change behaviour."
In a separate interview published by the IFJ alongside the report, Al Halal described surveillance as having shifted from occasional targeted attacks to continuous, systematic monitoring. Journalists are no longer watched primarily because of a specific investigation, she said, but because they exist within data-rich systems — phones, SIM cards, platforms and networks — that generate enough information to track them constantly, often without sophisticated spyware at all.
She warned that in conflict zones the consequences can be lethal. Surveillance data can, she said, "contribute to increased physical risks for those seeking to hold power to account."
The study describes a recurring pattern across its case studies: the convergence of commercial spyware, state intelligence agencies and weak or nonexistent oversight. Al Halal argued this is not a problem limited to authoritarian governments. Democratic states, she said, use the same tools and legal justifications, with responsibility spread so thinly across governments, private vendors and regulators that no single actor is held accountable.
Delegates at the congress also heard from Seamus Dooley of the National Union of Journalists in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and Samira de Castro of the Brazilian journalists' union FENAJ, both of whom described how legal action and public campaigns had helped expose surveillance abuses in their countries.
The congress called on the IFJ to pursue stronger regulation of the spyware industry, greater transparency in spyware exports and government procurement, enhanced accountability for telecommunications providers, stronger protections for encryption and anonymity, greater investment in regional digital forensics capacity, and the integration of security training into journalism education.
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said the stories heard from delegates worldwide painted a consistent picture. "From delegates across the world we have heard similar stories of abusive, unlawful and unregulated spying on journalists and their sources which threatens media freedom and leads to greater self-censorship and in too many cases physical threats and attacks," he said.
Bellanger said the IFJ would make the issue a priority, committing to expose unlawful surveillance, help journalists understand and respond to digital threats, and press for stronger laws and regulation at both the global and national levels.
Al Halal, in her IFJ interview, said the scale of the problem means individual self-protection can only go so far. Meaningful change, she argued, requires political and legal action — regulating spyware vendors, enforcing export controls, demanding transparency from platforms and telecoms companies, and holding governments accountable. "We cannot ask individuals to defend themselves against an industrial-scale system," she said.
The IFJ represents more than 600,000 media professionals across 148 countries.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[More Americans say religion is gaining influence, but most want churches out of politics, survey finds]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiandaily.com/news/more-americans-say-religion-is-gaining-influence-but-most-want-churches-out-of-politics-survey-finds</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiandaily.com/news/more-americans-say-religion-is-gaining-influence-but-most-want-churches-out-of-politics-survey-finds</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[CDI Staff]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[pulpit]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Mitchell Leach | Unsplash ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Sat, 16 May 2026 08:53:00 -0400</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A growing share of Americans believe religion is becoming more influential in public life, but most still oppose churches endorsing political candidates or taking sides in day-to-day political debates, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center.]]></description>
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A growing share of Americans believe religion is becoming more influential in public life, but most still oppose churches endorsing political candidates or taking sides in day-to-day political debates, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center.
The survey, conducted April 6–12 among 3,592 U.S. adults, found that 37% now say religion is gaining influence in American life — the highest proportion recorded in Pew surveys going back to 2002. That figure has climbed 19 percentage points in just two years.
Despite the uptick in perceived influence, 79% of respondents said churches and other houses of worship should not endorse candidates during elections. Two-thirds said religious institutions should stay out of day-to-day social and political matters. Those figures have changed little in recent years.
Overall, 55% of respondents expressed what Pew described as a positive view of religion's role in American life — meaning they either welcomed religion's growing influence or regretted its decline. Twenty-two percent held a negative view.
Sharp partisan divide
The survey revealed deep disagreement between Republicans and Democrats on the value of religion's role in public life. Three-quarters of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents expressed a positive view of religion's influence, compared with 38% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. Democrats were nearly as likely to hold a negative view of religion's role (37%) as a positive one.
Republicans were also considerably more likely to support government engagement with Christianity. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 27% said the federal government should declare Christianity the nation's official religion — up 6 percentage points from roughly two years ago. By contrast, only 8% of Democrats said the same.
Among all U.S. adults, 17% now favor declaring Christianity the official state religion, up from 13% in 2024. Forty-three percent said the government should not make Christianity official but should promote Christian moral values, while 38% said the government should do neither.
Bible, church-state separation
The Pew survey found no meaningful change in the share of Americans who want the Bible to guide U.S. law. About half (51%) said the Bible should have at least some influence on legislation, consistent with results going back to 2020. Among White evangelical Protestants, 85% held that view, and 62% said the Bible should take precedence over the will of the people when the two conflict.
The share of Americans who want the government to stop enforcing the separation of church and state has actually declined, falling from 19% in 2021 to 13% in 2026. The share supporting enforcement has remained essentially flat at 54%.
On one question that sometimes appears in discussions of Christian nationalism, just 5% of respondents said they believe God favors the United States over all other countries — unchanged since 2021, and a view rejected by majorities in both parties.
Christian nationalism more familiar, more polarizing
Familiarity with the term "Christian nationalism" has grown considerably. According to the Pew report, 59% of U.S. adults said they have heard or read at least a little about it, up 14 percentage points from two years ago. As awareness has spread, so have both favorable and unfavorable opinions.
Ten percent of respondents said they view Christian nationalism favorably, up from 5% in 2022. Unfavorable views rose more sharply, from 24% in 2022 to 31% in 2026. Forty percent said they have never heard of the term, and a further 19% said they lacked a clear opinion.
White evangelical Protestants were the most likely religious group to view Christian nationalism favorably (20%) and to support positions associated with it, such as declaring Christianity the national religion or giving the Bible precedence over popular will. Majorities of Catholics, White nonevangelical Protestants and Black Protestants said they hold a positive view of religion's role in society, though those groups were far less likely than White evangelicals to support formal ties between government and Christianity.
Competing frustrations
The survey also asked about perceived overreach from opposite directions. Fifty-two percent of respondents said conservative Christians have gone too far in pushing religious values into government and public schools. Forty-eight percent said secular liberals have gone too far in working to exclude religious values from those spaces. Roughly one in five (18%) agreed with both statements simultaneously.
Despite the disagreements on policy, there was one area of broad consensus across party lines: majorities of both Republicans and Democrats said churches and houses of worship should not endorse political candidates.
The survey was conducted as part of Pew Research Center's long-running series on religion, politics and society.]]></content:encoded>
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