SOURCES & NEXT STEPS

Endnotes & Sources

The numbered notes below resolve the source markers used throughout the issue. Repeated research sources are cross-referenced rather than duplicated in full.

View all research sources and endnotes +

1. Lifeway Research, The Greatest Needs of Pastors (2022), national research among U.S. Protestant pastors on ministry needs, including leadership and volunteer development, connecting with people outside the church, and member commitment.
2. Urban Institute, Measure4Change Performance Measurement Playbook, “Building Blocks for Effective Performance Measurement,” on distinguishing organizational activities/outputs from intended outcomes.
3. OpenStax, Principles of Economics 3e, on opportunity cost: the value of the next-best alternative forgone when limited resources are committed to one use.
4. Lifeway Research, Churches Aim to Welcome Guests by Different Methods (2025), national research among U.S. Protestant pastors on visitor-welcome practices.
5. Samuel Stroope, “Social Networks and Religion: The Role of Congregational Social Embeddedness in Religious Belief and Practice,” Sociology of Religion 73, no. 3 (2012): 273–298.
6. Lifeway Research, The Way Forward: Charting 5 Priorities for the Church (2025), drawing on Lifeway research concerning participation in church small groups.
7. Lifeway Research, The Greatest Needs of Pastors (2022); see note 1. In the study, 76% of U.S. Protestant pastors identified connecting with people not involved with a church as a ministry need.
8. Pew Research Center, 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study: Religious Attendance and Congregational Involvement (2025).
9. Miller McPherson, Lynn Smith-Lovin, and James M. Cook, “Birds of a Feather: Homophily in Social Networks,” Annual Review of Sociology 27 (2001): 415–444.
10. William Samuelson and Richard Zeckhauser, “Status Quo Bias in Decision Making,” Journal of Risk and Uncertainty 1 (1988): 7–59.
11. Hal R. Arkes and Catherine Blumer, “The Psychology of Sunk Cost,” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 35 (1985): 124–140.
12. ECFA, “Is Your Vision Stuck on One Strategy?” a governance article highlighting the danger of tying enduring mission or vision too tightly to a single strategy.
13. Lifeway Research, The Greatest Needs of Pastors (2022); see note 1. In the study, 77% identified developing leaders and volunteers as a ministry need, and 75% identified people’s apathy or lack of commitment as a challenging dynamic.
14. Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci, “Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being,” American Psychologist 55, no. 1 (2000): 68–78.
15. Barna Group, “Fostering Relationships: A Key to Meaningful Church Engagement” (2025), drawing in part on a survey of 4,063 U.S. Protestant churchgoing adults conducted March 18–27, 2024.
16. Hartford Institute for Religion Research, Fast Facts on American Religion, drawing on the 2025 Faith Communities Today national survey; the median U.S. congregation has approximately 70 regular worship participants.
17. John Joseph and Metin Sengul, “Organization Design: Current Insights and Future Research Directions,” Journal of Management (2025), a review of coordination, control, authority, oversight, and related organization-design questions.
18. Linda Wallin, Anders Pousette, and Lotta Dellve, “Span of Control and the Significance for Public Sector Managers’ Job Demands: A Multilevel Study,” Economic and Industrial Democracy 35, no. 3 (2014): 455–481.

Biblical passages used in this issue1 Corinthians 4:2 · Romans 12:5 · Matthew 9:36 · Acts 6:1–7 · Ephesians 4:11–12 · Exodus 18:13–26

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