A quarter of the people sitting in your service this Sunday will sometimes wonder if God actually loves them, and that number is climbing.

New Lifeway Research data shows that 25% of Protestant churchgoers admit they sometimes doubt God's love and provision during difficult circumstances, up from 15% in 2012 and 18% in 2019. The pattern holds across multiple measures of faith. Roughly 24% now say they typically doubt God is involved when unexplainable things happen in their lives, more than double the 9% who said the same in 2012. And 23% sometimes doubt God can change the lives of non-Christians they know, up from 11% over the same period. Scott McConnell of Lifeway summarizes the dynamic this way: churchgoers are increasingly saying, "I trust God, except when I don't."

Here's what's worth sitting with: these are not the doubts of people leaving the church. These are the doubts of people who showed up Sunday. They're singing the songs, serving on teams, and bringing their kids to youth group, all while carrying questions they don't feel free to name. A church that grows healthier is one that builds room for those questions inside the life of the congregation, not outside of it. When people can bring their honest unbelief into worship, formation deepens, trust grows, and the people who would have drifted stay and grow. Three things to try this week:

Leading Change Without Losing Your People | Outreach Magazine

Pastor Charles Stone, drawing on neuroscience and four decades of ministry, offers a practical framework for navigating change without fracturing trust. His core insight: when leaders keep teams informed, name that change feels unsettling for everyone (including themselves), and use stories rather than just data to build buy-in, resistance softens. Honest leadership about your own uncertainty gives your congregation permission to bring their questions into the light rather than carry them in silence.

This week: Identify one critic of a recent change. Schedule a conversation, not to defend your decision but to understand theirs. 

Black Churches Mobilize After Supreme Court Voting Rights Ruling | Christianity Today

Following the Supreme Court's decision in Louisiana v. Callais, leaders across the AME, AME Zion, and COGIC denominations are calling congregations to organized civic engagement rooted in conscience rather than partisanship. Bishop Erika Crawford framed the moment as a call to "remember, resist, and respond." Pastoral work should be shaped by lament and perseverance, metabolizing hard news without falling into despair.

This week: Ask yourself how your preaching has equipped your people to respond to discouraging cultural moments. Is the dominant note hopelessness, outrage, or grounded hope?

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