Recent Research by Others

Recent Research by Others

The ATS research team and Research and Data Advisory Committee curate research by scholars in theological education and in other fields that relate to the interests of member schools. The links listed are proven centers and multi-year projects. To supplement this list, the "Featured Resources" include other reports and studies that may be of interest.

Research Organizations and Projects

• Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Churches — an expansive, mixed-methods research project investigating changes and outcomes of the pandemic for congregational life in the United States.
• Auburn Reports (Auburn Theological Seminary Center for the Study of Theological Education) — data and perspectives on leadership, teaching, students, debt, financing, and theology’s public role.
• Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR) — a collective of 100+ scholars, including the Program in Religion and Public Health.
• Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) — nonprofit research center at Georgetown University conducting studies on the Catholic Church.
• Faith Communities Today — ongoing surveys and reports on congregational life, published by the Cooperative Congregations Studies Partnership.
• Flourishing in Ministry — a long-term study of clergy wellbeing, with data on 15,000+ clergy and hundreds of in-depth interviews.
• Hartford Institute for Religion Research — decades of policy-relevant research bridging scholarship and faith practice.
• Lake Institute on Faith and Giving — research on philanthropy and nonprofit trends, challenging conventional wisdom.
• National Congregations Study — surveys on worship, programs, staffing, and other characteristics (1998, 2006, 2012).
• Studying Congregations — collaborative project hosted by the Center for Practical Theology at Boston University.
• US Religion Census — data on churches, members, and adherents by county from 1952–2010.

Religious Data and Polling Organizations

• Association of Religious Data Archives (ARDA) — datasets on communities, congregations, and groups. See six tools for theological schools.
• Barna — research and polling on faith and culture.
• Gallup — analytics and advice on global issues.
• Lifeway Research — assessments and studies on church practices, satisfaction, and church planting.
• National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) — federal education data for the U.S. and internationally.
• Pew Research Center — nonpartisan polling, demographic studies, and social science research.
• Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) — nonprofit public opinion research organization.

Find out more

• Institutional and student data
• Recent ATS research on special topics in theological education
• New research opportunities—datasets, research questions, and tools for accessing