Most View God as ‘Father,’ Poll Finds

Members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) are far more likely to refer to God as “Father” than “Mother,” a church poll has found.

Despite an increasing presence of inclusive language about God in Presbyterian congregations, the poll found that 89% of pastors and 94% of elders and members say they are “extremely likely” or “somewhat likely” to imagine God as “Father.”

The results came from a recent Presbyterian Panel poll conducted by the denomination’s Research Services Office.

The poll found that smaller percentages of respondents in the various categories were “extremely likely” or “somewhat likely” to say they imagined God as “Mother”: 38% of pastors, 16% of elders and 13% of members.

About half of elders and members, but only 1 in 9 clergy, agreed that “God is best understood in masculine terms.”

A majority of each group agreed that “our language about God should be varied and diverse, reflecting the wide range of terms to describe God that are found in the Bible and the Reformed tradition.”

Asked to choose from a list of 12 common images of God, those surveyed gave the highest ranking, 90%, to “Creator,” followed in order by “Redeemer,” “Father,” “Healer,” “Master,” “King,” “Friend,” “Judge,” “Liberator,” “Lover,” “Mother” and “Spouse.”