African-American women experience higher rates of obesity compared to other racial/ethnic groups. High levels of reported church attendance among African-Americans have led to the proliferation of faith-based health programs. Pastors can influence success for faith-based programs. The purpose of this study was to assess pastors' perceptions of the…

Surveyed 72 ministers in the Northern California Conference of the United Church of Christ. Results documented absence of church-sponsored bereavement support groups. Suggests that this absence results from ministers' disinclination, an attitude that appears to arise from bereavement training. Discusses future of church-sponsored bereavement…

A significant relationship was found between proportion of elderly within the congregation and the pastors' interest in developing specialized ministries to the elderly and in strucutral modifications of the church building. However, no significant differences were found between the proportion of elderly and the actual programs and services to the…

The judgmental policies of campus ministry held by campus ministers at state-supported universities were studied. The campus ministers were grouped according to the campus minister's ministry group, years of personal campus ministry experience, size of student body, campus minister's position at the school, and the campus minister's age by decade…

Surveyed 143 pastors from eight religious group categories to examine church alcohol and drug education programs and church attitudes and policies concerning alcohol and drug use. Effective programs of fundamentalist groups reflected negative attitudes toward alcohol and drugs, forbidding their use. Effective programs by liberal religions were…

In an attempt to assess the relationship between churches and community colleges in northern Illinois, a questionnaire examining the nature and extent of church-college interaction as well as provisions for teaching religion in the community colleges was sent to 36 administrators at 14 colleges. Twenty-seven individuals responded (a 75 percent…

Reported are the results of a survey of 222 United Methodist campus ministers across the country in both private and public colleges and universities. The report covers the personal backgrounds and careers of the ministers, their views of campus ministry goals and programs, how the campus ministries are financed and administered, and the quality…

As part of an evaluation of the Community College Program of the United Ministries in Higher Education (UMHE), this study surveyed 323 pastors in local churches to determine: (1) local congregations' interest or involvement in working with community colleges; (2) a baseline against which to measure further involvement of the church with the…

The paper reviews literature related to the active participation of individuals with disabilities in religious organizations. A summary is then presented of a study conducted in a mid-sized metropolitan city of clergy perceptions of services available to individuals with disabilities and their families. The study, involving 125 clergy, examined…