Books, Reading,
and Study Resources
The February 1998 Survey
The Presbyterian Panel consists of three nationally-representative samples of groups affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.): members, elders (lay leaders), and ordained ministers (for analysis, split into two groups based on current call: pastors, serving in a congregation, and specialized clergy, serving elsewhere). New samples are drawn every three years. These pages summarize major findings from the sixth survey completed by the 1997-1999 Panel.

Books and Bookstores

Books: Types and Numbers
In the last year, Presbyterians read, on average (median), the following numbers of books: members, 8; elders, 9; pastors, 21; and specialized clergy, 20. Only a few 9% of members, 5% of elders, 2% of pastors, and 1% of specialized clergy report reading no books in the prior year.

Around three in four panelists in every sample report that their prior year's reading included at least a few "best-selling novels" and works on "history, current events, biography."

Almost all pastors and specialized clergy have read at least a few books on faith-related topics in the last year a majority have read many or several.

Lay Presbyterians read a few more novels than pastors and other clergy, while pastors and specialized clergy read more books of poetry and of history and biography.

Bookstore Visits
Almost all members (91%), elders (94%), pastors (98%), and specialized clergy (97%) report one or more visits to a "general-purpose retail bookstore" in the year prior to the survey. A third of members (33%), four in ten elders (41%), and majorities of pastors (52%) and specialized clergy (54%) report visiting such bookstores once a month or more.

Around one in ten members report that they visit a religious bookstore (Cokesbury or other) once a month or more. However, 60% report that they never visit religious bookstores. About one-half of pastors visit a religious bookstore at least once a month; only one in ten never visit such stores.

Magazines and Periodicals
"Home" magazines, such as House Beautiful and Martha Stewart's Living, are read regularly or occasionally by almost one-half of members (46%) and elders (44%), by 20% of pastors, and by 25% of specialized clergy. Majorities of both pastors and specialized clergy never read such periodicals.

A third of members (34%) and elders (38%), but fewer pastors (20%) and specialized clergy (26%), regularly or occasionally read such business periodicals as Business Week and Forbes.

Religious Reading

Religious Books
Majorities of pastors report that in the last year they read many or several books in the areas of "Bible study" (73%), "spiritual growth" (61%), "devotions, prayers" (59%), and "theology" (51%). Among specialized clergy, the combined many and several percentages for these topics are 46%, 38%, 35%, and 41%, respectively.

Majorities of both members (74%) and elders (67%) respond none when asked about their previous year's book reading in the area of "theology, philosophy." Lay Presbyterians are more likely to read other types of religious books. In the last year, 30% of members have read many or several books on "Bible study" and also on "devotions, prayer."

Majorities of panelists in each sample respond none when asked about the number of "religious fiction" books they have read in the past year (e.g., members, 69%; pastors, 62%).

The Bible
The majority of pastors (56%) choose the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) always/almost always when they read the Bible. Another 12% always/almost always read the Revised Standard Version (RSV), and 18% always/almost always read the New International Version (NIV).

Members and elders are more divided than clergy over their preferred Bible translations. No more than a quarter of either sample list a particular translation as the one they read always/almost always. At the top is the NIV, read always/almost always by 22% of members and 25% of elders. Combined, about as many read the NRSV always/almost always (13% and 18%, respectively) or the RSV (15% and 10%).

Presbyterian Periodicals
About one-half of members (48%) and elders (57%) read their synod's newsletter at least occasionally. A majority of both pastors (56%) and specialized clergy (52%) report reading their synod's newsletter regularly.

HORIZONS, Presbyterians Today, and These Days are each read regularly by around one in ten members. The regular readership of HORIZONS and These Days is similarly low among elders, but more elders than members regularly read Presbyterians Today (21% vs. 9%).

More than a third of pastors (38%) and specialized clergy (38%) regularly read Monday Morning. Almost no members (1%) or elders (1%) regularly read Monday Morning.

Many pastors and specialized clergy read the independent periodical Presbyterian Outlook either regularly (57% and 35%, respectively) or occasionally (15%, 16%).

Other Religious Periodicals
Few lay Presbyterians read either of two major non-denominational magazines, Christianity Today and Christian Century. 94% of both members and elders report that they never read Christian Century, and 81% of members and 77% of elders report that they never read Christianity Today.

A quarter of pastors (25%) and a fifth of specialized clergy (20%) regularly read Christian Century. One in six pastors (16%) and fewer specialized clergy (5%) regularly read Christianity Today.

More pastors regularly read Interpretation (14%) and Theology Today (11%) than Christian Ministry (6%).

Awareness of PPC and its Resources

Presbyterian Publishing Corporation
More than a third of members and a majority of elders have some degree of familiarity with the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (PPC), including 15% and 23%, respectively, who are either very familiar or generally familiar.

Most pastors (84%) and specialized clergy (69%) report that they are either very familiar or generally familiar with PPC.

A third of members (32%) and one-half of elders (49%), but 94% of pastors and 89% of specialized clergy, are aware that the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation is an "official entity of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)." Similar percentages are aware that Westminster John Knox Press is an "official entity." Somewhat fewer 15% of members, 17% of elders, 52% of pastors, and 45% of specialized clergy are aware that another imprint, Geneva Press, is also an "official entity of the PCUSA."

Cokesbury
A third of pastors (34%) report that they live within an hour's drive of a Cokesbury Bookstore. Another third (31%) live 1-2 hours distant.

Most members (73%) and elders (66%) don't know how far they live from the nearest Cokesbury Bookstore. Only 13% of pastors and 21% of specialized clergy don't know.

Among members who know how far they live from a Cokesbury store, 53% of those who live within an hour's drive have visited the store at least once in the last year, but only 25% of those who live three or more hours away have visited the store in the past year.

Most ministers (80% of pastors, 59% of specialized clergy), but few lay Presbyterians (5% of members, 8% of elders), regularly "review Cokesbury catalogs."

The Presbyterian Hymnal
Majorities in every sample, ranging from 60% of members to 72% of pastors, rate The Presbyterian Hymnal as either excellent or good.

Only a few panelists 7% of pastors, 5% of members and elders, 2% of specialized clergy rate it as poor.

A majority of the congregations represented by panelists always use The Presbyterian Hymnal in worship, including 59% of those represented by members and 51% of those represented by pastors. Another 7% (pastors) to 11% (members and specialized clergy) often use The Presbyterian Hymnal in worship. A third of pastors (32%) report that their congregations never use this hymnal in worship.

Study and Resource Interests

Church Study Groups
Majorities of pastors (83%) and elders (58%), one half of specialized clergy (50%), and 43% of members report participation in a "church-related study group" in the prior year.

Most church study group participants report that their groups use one or more books "as part of the study process," ranging from 68% of participating specialized clergy to 79% of participating members. In a majority of these groups, the book or books include the Bible and/or a Bible study guide.

Computers & Resources
More than one-third of members (35%), a fourth of elders (27%), 8% of pastors, and 12% of specialized clergy never use a computer.

Among panelists with computers, about one-half in every sample have an "IBM-compatible PC with a Pentium chip." About three in four have a "CD-ROM drive."

17% of members, 19% of elders, 41% of pastors, and 32% of specialized clergy are either interested or very interested in having "a CD-ROM containing the Interpretation Bible commentaries as a searchable infobase." On average, pastors and specialized clergy would be willing to pay $200-$299 for this resource.

Interest Areas for Further Reading
When asked about their interest in reading more on "various church and ministry-related" topics, the most interest (a response of very interested) in each sample is expressed for "Biblical study" (members, 31%; pastors, 64%) and "spiritual growth and development" (members, 31%; pastors, 55%).

32% of pastors are very interested and 37% are somewhat interested in further reading on "sermon construction and preparation."

Few panelists believe that there are "areas of interest or concern to the church in general that are not adequately covered by publications currently available."

Survey Information

* Of the 1,252 returned surveys, 861 were from pastors and 391 were from specialized clergy.

This survey was initially mailed in February 1998, and returns were accepted until May 1998. Results are subject to sampling and other errors. Small differences should be interpreted cautiously. As a general rule, differences of less than 6% between samples are not statistically meaningful.