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The Foster Letter —

Religious Market Update

The FOSTER Letter is a bi-weekly e-mail religious market intelligence report targeted to Christian market channel and ministry leaders.  Each issue reports on news, trends, events and research that will directly or indirectly impact your audiences and businesses in a convenient summary format  Better informed leaders make better choices!

Researched, Edited & Published by Gary D. Foster

Excerpts from the

July 10, 2010 edition of

The FOSTER Letter—Religious Market Update

July 10, 2010

 Graying Addicts The number of people age 50 or over admitted to treatment for drug abuse nearly doubled between ’92 and ’08, finds a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration study. Although alcohol is still the leading cause of admissions in this age group, alcohol abuse admissions decreased from 84.6% in ’92 to 59.9% in ’08. There have been sharp increases in those needing treatment for heroin, cocaine and marijuana. 75% of older Americans admitted for treatment started using drugs before age 25. These findings show the changing scope of substance abuse problems in America and the need for seniors’ programs to help address the issue. (CBSNews.com 6/10) 

Best Givers Learned Early Brian Kluth, author of the latest State of the Plate study in partnership with Christianity Today, Inc., concludes, “For many people of faith who are faithful givers, giving was learned early on and continues to be practiced as a priority in good times and in hard times. Among survey responders that actively give 10% or more of their income to the Lord’s work, this practice was learned earlier in life rather than in their later years of life.” When asked what % of income they donate, 22% said they give less than 10% of their incomes, 18% give 10%, 42% give 11-15%, 10% give 16-20%, and 8% give over 20%. For those that give 10% or more, 27% started in their childhood/teen years, 33% in their 20s, 20% in their 30s, and only 20% after the age of 40. (www.STATEofthePLATE.info) 

Hispanic Business Boom There are approximately 2 million Hispanic-owned businesses in the U.S. that generate almost $300 billion in annual gross receipts. By the end of this year, there will be 3.2 million Hispanic firms generating $465 billion, according to the SBA and HispanicTelligence. That number is expected to balloon to 4.3 million by 2012. In fact, as of ’07, 1 of every 10 small businesses in the U.S. is Hispanic-owned, and more than 50% have 25 or more employees. (Hispanic Trends) 

Church Attendance Increase Gallup research reports more Americans are attending religious services weekly or almost weekly. Results of their study showed 43.1% of Americans regularly attending, up slightly from ’09 (42.8%) and ’08 (42.1%). Gallup aligns the increase with Americans’ increasing economic confidence, suggesting that more people attend church during good financial times rather than bad, as historically assumed. (Gallup 6/25/10) 

Religious Book Sales were up 19.3% in April with sales totaling $46.6 million. Year-to-date sales were up by 1.3% through April. Book sales tracked by the Association of American Publishers for the month increased by 24.8% in April to $629.8 million and up by 11.8% for the year through April. (ECPA Rush to Press 6/21/10) 

Think Outside the Box The tyranny of the urgent results in costly mistakes, squandered resources and lost opportunities. I can bring you a fresh set of eyes that will help uncover the less obvious solutions. Contact me at 419-238-4082, Gary@garydfoster.com or www.garydfoster.com.  

Changing Motherhood Demographics When serving women and families in their churches, pastors and church leaders are advised to consider the nation’s changing motherhood demographic. A new Pew Research Center survey shows first-time moms in ’08 were generally older than those in ’90, and a larger proportion are unmarried, college-educated, and Hispanic. In ’90 there were more births to teens than to women older than 35, 13% and 9% respectively vs. 10% and 14% in ’08. Also in ’08, 41% of U.S. births were to unmarried women—up from 28% in ’90. The share of all births to Hispanic women rose to 24%, a 10-point jump from ’90. The overall number of births in the U.S. has remained relatively stable over the last two decades. (The New Demography of American Motherhood Pew Social Trends 6/10) 

Anxiety Buffer A Univ. of Toronto study found that those who were religious or claimed belief in God showed low levels of distress-related neural activity when they learned of their test errors, compared with nonbelievers. By contrast, atheists demonstrated a heightened neural response and reacted more defensively when they learned of their errors. The authors say many “varieties of belief,” not just religion, can produce a similar calming dynamic as long as it provides “meaning and structure” to one’s life. “If thinking about religion leads people to react to their errors with less distress and defensiveness ... in the long run, this effect may translate to religious people living their lives with greater equanimity than nonreligious people, being better able to cope with the pressures of living in a sometimes-hostile world.” (Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life 6/23/10) 

Longview Most young people expect to get married and believe they will stay married. A ’08 survey by the Univ. of Michigan of 2,300 high school seniors across the U.S. found 80% say they will marry and believe they’ll stay married to the same person for life; 4% say they won’t marry. (USA Today 6/22/10) 

Breaking The Curse Of Knowledge We all tend to forget that the knowledge we possess is not common to everybody. We automatically assume everyone knows the same things we do. When we fall prey to the Curse of Knowledge, we phrase ideas as they exist in our own mind instead of expressing them in a way that appeals to the minds of others. The ‘Curse’ leads us to abstraction and separates us from our audience. I can help you communicate in a way that will connect with and appeal to your audience. Contact 419-238-4082, Gary@garydfoster.com or www.garydfoster.com. (Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip & Dan Heath, Random House, ’07) 

Wycliffe Bible Translators reports Protestant Bible translators will have at least some of the Bible written in every one of the world’s spoken languages by 2025. Leader of Wycliffe’s Last Languages Campaign Paul Edwards said, “We’re in the greatest period of acceleration” in 2,000 years, crediting portable computers and satellites for the increase. So far, Wycliffe and its sister organization SIL International have participated in more than 700 Scripture translations. (The Denver Post 6/22/10) 

Second Marriages are more than 90% more likely to break up than first marriages, finds a new Australian National Univ. study. Cohabiting, having children before marrying, and an imbalance between partners in the desire for kids are all correlated with marital breakup. “The overwhelming bulk of research on cohabitation and marital instability finds that cohabitation before marriage is linked to a greater probability that the marriage will fail,” said the researchers. The study found 20% of couples who had children before marriage, either from a previous relationship or the same relationship, were separated vs. just 9% of couples without children born before marriage. A family history of divorce was also found to be a significant influence in the success o or failure of marriage. 16% of men and women whose parents were separated or divorced suffered marital separation vs. 10% for those whose parents did not separate. (LifeSite News 6/23/10) 

Who Influences Generosity? When asked who influenced their Biblical understanding about how to manage their personal finances and giving, 54% credited the late Larry Burkett, 46% their church pastor, 44% Dave Ramsey, 41% their parents, 35% Brian Kluth, 26% Randy Alcorn, and 25% Ron Blue. (www.STATEofthePLATE.info) 

Need to Control Costs by “right-sizing” your company or ministry? I can help steer you through this delicate process. Unless very carefully done, it can become a disastrous staff de-motivator. I can strategically assess your situation and craft a healthy implementation strategy. Contact me at 419-238-4082, Gary@garydfoster.com or www.garydfoster.com. 

Parenting Style affects teens when it comes to heavy drinking (5 or more drinks in a row) per a new Brigham Young Univ. study. The teens least prone to heavy drinking had parents who scored high on both accountability and warmth. “Indulgent” parents (low on accountability and high on warmth) nearly tripled the risk of their teen participating in heavy drinking. “Strict” parents (high on accountability and low on warmth) more than doubled their teen’s risk of heavy drinking. Religious teens were significantly less likely to drink at all. “While parents didn’t have much of an effect on whether their teens tried alcohol, they can have a significant impact on the more dangerous type of drinking,” said BYU's Stephen Bahr. (LifeSite News 6/23/10) 

Chaplains @ Work More and more companies are offering chaplain services to their employees, reports The Wall Street Journal.  Executives say contracting chaplains reduces employee turnover and is more attractive to their staff than using an employee-assistance program or a therapist to discuss their personal issues; some even handle workplace disruptions that managers can’t. Like military chaplains, workplace chaplains hold weekly office hours on-site to pray with, comfort and advise employees in confidence. They are on-call 24/7 to provide pastoral care wherever employees need it (in hospitals, homes, restaurants); some perform weddings and funerals. Chaplains do not push any particular beliefs but spend their time encouraging, comforting, calming and offering people emotional support. This reflects a growing openness about spirituality in the workplace and an increasing desire among workers to express their faith at work. A recent Society for Human Resource Management study reports about 15% of employers set aside space for prayer or religious practices, and 9% allow religious groups to meet on-site. (The Wall Street Journal 6/23/10)

Drink or Abstain In response to a survey question by the National Association of Evangelicals asking, “Do you socially drink alcohol?” 40% of respondents said, “Yes.” Many respondents said they abstain as the result of a requirement by a denomination or church in an effort to “raise the standard for leadership” in their respective positions. Others said they wanted to be a good example to their children, while some reported alcoholism in their family and the effect it has on society as their reason for abstaining. Of those who partake, many added they do so “in moderation” and “never to excess.” (National Association of Evangelicals Spring 2010) 

CBA (formerly Christian Booksellers Assoc.) wrapped up its 60^th annual trade show (ICRS) 6/30/10 and reported total of 4,747, a slight increase over ’09. Professional attendance was 1,675 (up 4.5% over ’09; and international attendance (390) was up 4%. “Considering that national average retail trade show attendance is down 16%, we’re extremely pleased with the turnout at ICRS 2010,” said CBA Exec. Director Curtis Riskey. (CBA Industry Brief 6/30/10) 

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