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Fewer Protestant churchgoers now engaged with fostering or adoption than five years ago, poll shows

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A new study by Lifeway Research shows that fewer US Protestant churchgoers are actively participating in adoption and foster care than they were five years ago. At the same time, the study found that church leaders are increasingly encouraging their congregations to adopt or foster children.

In 2017, a Lifeway Research study found that 25% of US Protestant churchgoers said they knew of a church member who provided foster care, while 17% said they knew someone who had adopted domestically and 15% said a church member they knew had adopted internationally in the past year.

The new study shows that just 16% of US Protestants now know of a church member who provides foster care, 13% know of a member who adopted domestically, and 11% know of a churchgoer who adopted internationally within the last year.

The new study found that while 44% of US Protestant churchgoers said their congregation and church leaders are proactively involved with adoption and foster care, 45% said they have not seen other churchgoers or leaders provide any foster care or support for adoption.

“Caring for the fatherless is repeatedly prioritized throughout Scripture,” Scott McConnell, executive director Lifeway Research, said in a statement. “But the Bible does not pretend caring for another like your own child is convenient or easy.”

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