The 'National Survey of Religious Leaders (NSRL) 2025' report reveals that 91% of all Christian clergy are confident that God truly exists and have no doubts about it.
The survey, which sampled 1,600 clergy from February 2019 to June 2020 representing the full religious spectrum, provides key insights into Christian clergy’s beliefs across various subjects.
Black Protestant pastors show the highest certainty, with 98% affirming God's existence, followed by evangelical (97%) and Catholic (96%) pastors. In contrast, only 68% of mainline pastors fully believe in God's existence, with another 28% expressing belief alongside some doubts.
The survey also found that 91% of pastors believe in Jesus’ bodily resurrection, with evangelical (99%), Black Protestant (97%), and Catholic (92%) pastors vastly more certain than mainline clergy (65%).
The recent State of Theology study supports these findings, showing that 90% of evangelicals and 89% of Black Protestants believe the biblical accounts of Jesus' resurrection are completely true, compared to 79% of Catholics and 74% of mainline Protestants.
Regarding belief in heaven, almost all evangelical (99%), Catholic (99%), and Black Protestant (97%) pastors affirm its certainty, while only 64% of mainline pastors do. Similarly, on belief in hell, Black Protestants (97%), evangelicals (92%), and Catholics (74%) are significantly more certain than mainline pastors (40%).
Most Black Protestant (92%) and evangelical (87%) pastors believe that Adam and Eve were real historical figures, compared to 25% of mainline Protestants and 17% of Catholics.
Virtually all Christian pastors (99%), including 95% of mainline leaders, believe the Bible is the actual or inspired word of God. However, 72% of mainline Protestants are more likely than Catholics (58%) and far more than Black Protestants (12%) and evangelicals (11%) to say that while the Bible is inspired and still speaks today, it is not completely historically accurate and some parts reflect the culture of the time and do not apply today.
Mainline clergy are less certain about their faith, with about 35% stating they never have doubts, compared to 73% of Catholics, 76% of evangelicals, and 89% of Black Protestants.
Around a third of mainline leaders (35%) believe it’s important to persuade people of other religions to accept their own, versus 59% of all Christian pastors and 82% of evangelicals. Half of mainline pastors (50%) disagree that all world religions are equally true and good, compared to 77% of pastors overall and 98% of evangelicals.
Mainline Protestant pastors are also less likely to pray daily before or after meals (64%) than evangelical (95%), Catholic (96%), or Black Protestant (92%) pastors. They are also less likely to pray daily alone, not including meals, with only 77% doing so, compared to 95% of evangelicals, 96% of Catholics, and 92% of Black Protestants.
Mainline pastors are far more likely than others to agree that religious leadership should be open to women (95% versus 59%) and to individuals regardless of their sexual orientation (71% versus 24%).
