That is, they are most likely to have seen worship attendance increases which were substantially higher than the increases in their community's population from 1990 to 1994. The scale above is based on a statistical measure of association between the pastor's ranking of the congregation's effectiveness and average worship attendance relative to population growth. Rural and non-rural pastors did differ in their assessment of 3 other methods. More rural pastors than non-rural pastors thought book discussions and audio or videotapes were highly beneficial to their lay leadership. More non-rural pastors than rural pastors thought print resources like workbooks and leader guides were highly beneficial to their lay leadership.
Clergy report that merging is the most difficult changes a congregations faces.
Merging with another congregation 2. Having a pastor leave 3. Calling a new pastor 4. Engaging in a building program 5. Proposing a building program Non-rural 1.