As I understand it, Lifeway is an agency of the Southern Baptist denomination in the US.

On the service this survey looks reasonable. 1,300 ministry leaders from Europe, North America and elsewhere were polled. I don’t have the full survey so I don’t know if this is cross-denominational, and where/who the people surveyed from elsewhere are.

Analysis of approximately 3,700 issues revealed 20 of the most frequently submitted challenges. The original survey participants then ranked from among those 20 the 10 most critical to them.

There is also no definition of ministry leaders, whether they be pastors, professors, Sunday School teachers.

The 10 top issues facing the church again look reasonable on the face.
I am assuming (perhaps incorrectly) the church means denomination, bricks and mortar, mortages as opposed to the universal body of believers.

10. Abortion
The church’s lack of an effective response to 30+ years of legalized abortion.

9. Homosexuality
The rising social pressure to accept same-sex behavior and relationships.

8. Relevance
The seeming inability of the church to answer questions one has living in the “real world.”

7. Marriage
The negative effects on families that result from divorce, adultery, etc.

6. Apathy
The seeming lack of personal interest, support, and enthusiasm from the pews for the work of the church.

5. Doctrine/Worldview
The growing pressure to compromise principles to make truths more palatable to an audience. The widening influence of explicitly anti-Christian culture and negative influences on the church.

4. Evangelism
The decline among Christians in personal sharing of the Gospel.

3. Leadership
The need for clear, biblical vision and direction by church leaders.

2. Discipleship
The need for involvement of every believer in being continually transformed into the image of Christ.

1. Prayer
The need for more ongoing, passionate prayer in both personal and church life.

I found this link at The Internet Monk and he pointed out The Gospel was missing.
His post is entitled On Faith Crumbling’s Edge, Restoring the Uprooted Assurance of the ordinary Christian. It’s a theological piece and the comment section is a place where theologans and seminary students go to fight and argue for their favorite professors and ideas.

There is more bothering me than the social/political issues in this list, and I’m not putting my finger on what is bothering me.