The opinions of pastors are trusted highly by Christians, a study finds.

New research by Barna group revealed that a strong majority of the American public (88%), including 92% of practicing Christians, trusts the opinion of a pastor when it comes to the issue of global poverty, ranking them over the opinions of reporters, academics and politicians. The majority also trusts the opinion of those who have worked or lived in poverty.

This presents an opportunity for pastors to use their platform for good for those in poverty. Previous research showed that pastors had less credibility with the public, showing that only one in five U.S. adults saw Christian clergy as very influential in their community (19%). Poverty, however, did not fall into that category. Pastors have the opportunity to lead movements for positive change.

Here, we can see how pastors currently perceive their influence on others on this topic. Find out more information on Barna’s research.