Americans gave a record $617 billion to charity last year. Giving to religion barely kept pace with inflation.

Today, we'll unpack what the national research and our own data from $1B+ in church giving reveal - and where churches can respond.

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Table of Contents:
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0:00 - Intro
0:41 - The Unexpected Findings - Record Giving, Flat Church Giving
2:05 - 1. More Money. Fewer Givers.
5:58 - Inside Nucleus' Church Giving Data
8:13 - 2. Small Gifts Become Big Annual Support
17:46 - 3. Their Generosity Isn't All Coming to Church
22:01 - 4. Wanting to Give and Being Able to Give Are Different
26:22 - 5. Modelling Financial Stewardship Builds Trust
32:40 - Final Thoughts

IMPORTANT LINKS
- Church Giving Statistics 2026: https://www.nucleus.church/blog/church-giving-statistics
- Nucleus, The Church Website Builder: https://www.nucleus.church
- Nucleus Giving Fee Savings Counter: https://www.nucleus.church/giving

THE 167 NEWSLETTER
📫 62,646+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com

GET IN TOUCH
🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com
🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder: https://www.nucleus.church
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ALL CITATIONS
GIVING USA
- "Charitable Giving Rose to $617.20 Billion in 2025, Surpassing the $600 Billion Mark for the First Time" (Giving USA 2026, covers 2025 giving) — PRIMARY https://givingusa.org/giving-usa-charitable-giving-rose-to-617-20-billion-in-2025-surpassing-the-600-billion-mark-for-the-first-time/

FUNDRAISING EFFECTIVENESS PROJECT
- "Full-Year 2025 Findings" (via AFP Global) — PRIMARY https://afpglobal.org/news/fundraising-effectiveness-project-reports-strongest-revenue-growth-five-years-even-fewer
Note: Broad nonprofit dataset, not church-specific.

GIVELIFY
- "Giving in Faith: 2025-2026 Church Giving" — PRIMARY https://www.givelify.com/giving-in-faith/2025-2026-church-giving
Note: Describes Christian donors, not all Americans.

LAKE INSTITUTE ON FAITH & GIVING
- Insights (July 14, 2026) — SECONDARY https://lakeinstitute.org/resource-library/insights/july-14-2026/

ABOUT ME
Well hey there! I'm Brady Shearer, the creator and director of Pro Church Tools. I started this channel more than 10 years ago. Today our company is a team of 30+ creatives dedicated to helping your church navigate the biggest communication shift in 500 years.

Rural pastors name resistance to change and tight budgets among their biggest challenges. Yet 88% expect their church to be stronger in ten years.

Today, we'll unpack what rural pastors count as success - and why presence beats programs.

=============================
Table of Contents:
=============================
0:00 - Intro
0:39 - The Unexpected Findings - 88% Expect a Stronger Church
5:48 - 1. Their Scoreboard Is Bigger
12:16 - 2. Five People
16:44 - 3. Showing Up Counts
23:13 - 4. Your Town Remembers
24:48 - 5. Don't Romanticize the Struggle
26:36 - Simple Exercise - Define "Stronger in Ten Years"
28:45 - Final Thoughts - Hope Takes Work

ALL CITATIONS
LIFEWAY RESEARCH
- "Rural Churches Today: Pastor Report" (October 2025, n=1,000+) — PRIMARY https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2025-Rural-Churches-Today-Pastor-Report-Final.pdf
- "Rural Churches Today: Pastor Qualitative Report" (October 2025) — PRIMARY https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2025-Rural-Churches-Today-Pastor-Qualitative-Report-Final.pdf
- "Rural Church Pastors Face Obstacles With Optimism" (October 23, 2025) — PRIMARY https://research.lifeway.com/2025/10/23/rural-church-pastors-face-obstacles-with-optimism/

THE 167 NEWSLETTER
📫 62,646+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com

GET IN TOUCH
🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com
🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder: https://www.nucleus.church
📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com

JOIN THE COMMUNITY
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/
🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer
🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer

ABOUT ME
Well hey there! I'm Brady Shearer, the creator and director of Pro Church Tools. I started this channel more than 10 years ago. Today our company is a team of 30+ creatives dedicated to helping your church navigate the biggest communication shift in 500 years.

91% of pastors are married. Only 46% of the adults they're trying to reach are.

Today, we'll unpack how the American family has changed - and two simple exercises to spot the assumptions your church doesn't know it's making.

=============================
Table of Contents:
=============================
0:00 - Intro
0:49 - The Asymmetrical Report - 91% vs 46%
6:05 - 1. The "Normal Family" Is Now the Minority
7:49 - 2. Pastors Live in a Different Reality
12:27 - 3. We Want Their Labor More Than Their Lives
14:25 - 4. Adulthood No Longer Follows a Tidy Timeline
19:58 - Exercise 1 - Audit Ten Sermons
27:00 - Exercise 2 - Test Six Real People
29:33 - Final Thoughts

THE 167 NEWSLETTER
📫 62,646+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com

GET IN TOUCH
🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com
🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder: https://www.nucleus.church
📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com

JOIN THE COMMUNITY
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/
🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer
🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer

ALL CITATIONS
BARNA GROUP
- "2025 Family Trends" (2025) — PRIMARY https://www.barna.com/research/2025-family-trends/
- "Pastors and Today's Families" — PRIMARY https://www.barna.com/trends/pastors-and-todays-families/

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
- "Families and Living Arrangements" (2025) — PRIMARY https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025/families-and-living-arrangements.html
- "Milestones to Adulthood" (August 2025) — PRIMARY https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2025/08/milestones-to-adulthood.html

LIFEWAY RESEARCH
- "Pastors Minister to Single Adults, Some Provide Specific Ministries for Them" (August 2022) — PRIMARY https://research.lifeway.com/2022/08/16/pastors-minister-to-single-adults-some-provide-specific-ministries-for-them/

PEW RESEARCH CENTER
- Adults living without a spouse or partner (2023 data) — study not specified in script

ABOUT ME
Well hey there! I'm Brady Shearer, the creator and director of Pro Church Tools. I started this channel more than 10 years ago. Today our company is a team of 30+ creatives dedicated to helping your church navigate the biggest communication shift in 500 years.