Congregational Surveys

Tool #19: Congregational Surveys

A survey (distributed in church, mailed, or via telephone) can provide valuable information to your church
self-study process. However, you must weigh whether this is the best option for your situation.

The advantages of doing a survey include:

• It provides concrete statistical information.
• It can confirm (or in some cases, challenge) the perceptions of the self-study group.
• It can be adapted to address the most pressing questions in your church context.
• It allows you to compare the activities and views of different groups of members.
• It draws on a wider base of members than interviews alone.
• It helps members feel included in the self-study and ministry development process.
• It enables you to track changes in the congregation over time.

Disadvantages include:

• A survey takes an additional investment of time and energy, and may prolong the self-study.
• Copying and distributing the survey cost money (especially if the survey is mailed out).
• If the survey is not written properly, if you are not able to get a sufficient number of responses, or if you do not interpret the results correctly, you could end up with misleading information.
• Inputting and analyzing the responses requires computer equipment and know-how.
• Members may get annoyed at being asked to complete a survey.

Surveys to explore the congregational context for ministry might include these question areas:

• Beliefs related to evangelism and social ministry
• Satisfaction with the congregation's current ministries
• Personal involvement in ministry activities
• Motivation for ministry involvement
• Desires or priorities for ministry development
• Willingness to commit to particular ministries
• Assessment of factors that help or hinder holistic ministry (e.g. conflict, leadership, organization)
• Indicators of spiritual vitality (prayer, Bible reading, church attendance)
• Demographic information (gender, age, education, residence, length of time in the church)

• Church and Ministry Involvement Questionnaire. Heidi Unruh and Phil Olson, Becoming a Church That Makes a Difference CD-ROM Workbook. Evangelicals for Social Action, www. esa-online.org.
• Church Census. Diana Garland, Center for Family and Community Ministries, www.family?ministry.org.
• Congregational Self-Assessment. James Furr, Mike Bonem, and Jim Herrington, Leading Congregational Change Workbook (Jossey-Bass, 2000). Leadership Network, www.leadnet.org
• Parish Profile Inventory. In Studying Congregations: A New Handbook, edited by Nancy Ammerman, Jackson Carroll, Carl Dudley, & William McKinney (Abingdon, 1998).
• "How Is Our Church Doing in Making a Change in Someone's Welfare?" In Amy Sherman, The ABCs of Community Ministry (Hudson Institute, 2001). Center on Faith in Communities, www.centeronfic.org
• Natural Church Development Survey. Church Smart Resources, www.churchsmart.com (fee for service).
• Facing Reality: A Tool for Congregational Mission Assessment by Thomas Bandy (Abingdon Press, 2001). Easum, Bandy & Associates, www.easumbandy.com