Have American Catholics Given Up on Evangelizing?

Here’s a simple, biblical truth: We’re never as smart as we think we are, and we’re never as wise as we need to be. The best intentions can have unintended consequences.

I remembered this recently when a friend shared a chart posted on X by Ryan Burge. Burge is an interesting voice. He’s a talented political scientist, statistician, and former Baptist pastor. The data he highlights suggest that less than a third of American Catholic and mainline Protestant pastors have an authentic missionary approach to their ministry. This compares unfavorably to the rate among evangelical pastors. Far more of the latter place a high priority on the conversion of others.