CONGREGATIONAL ASSESSMENT

Transcription

1 CONGREGATIONAL ASSESSMENT Thank you for participating in this survey. At LEAD, we believe that every individual and every faith community has the capacity to grow. Your honest answers will help your congregation identify both strengths and opportunities for growth. PART 1: ABOUT YOU Name First and Last (optional) (optional) Your Age (check the appropriate box) Are you Hispanic or Latino? Yes No Your Race (check all that apply) White Black, African American American Indian or Alaska Native Asian Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Some other race (please specify) Congregation Name and Denomination Congregation City & State 1

2 Your Primary Role (choose one) Staff Member of Council / Board / Session, etc. Committee/ ministry team leader Church member Visitor Other (please specify) Are you a church professional? Yes No How often do you attend worship? Every week 2-3 times per month Once a month On holidays and special PART 2: ABOUT YOUR CONGREGATION Read each statement and check the ONE BOX that you think best describes your congregation at this point in time. In each case, choose the one that you think comes closest to describing your congregation. 1. Our congregation's priority is to : (choose only one) do justice both locally and globally. serve our neighborhood. care for our members. uphold our traditions and maintain our property. 2. The most meaningful way our congregation serves the community is: (choose only one) by listening to local by gathering volunteers by opening our building by financially supporting needs to identify and to do service projects. for others in the established programs. solve problems. neighborhood to use. 2

3 3. Currently, when responding to an identified need in the neighborhood: (choose only one) we prefer to focus on our members and look to others to solve the problem. we are too busy with congregational responsibilities to take action. we see the problem but don't know how to respond. we meet with local leaders one on one, partnering together on the problem. 4. If our congregation disappeared tomorrow: (choose only one) I'm not sure anyone active members would future opportunities it would be a crisis for would notice. be impacted. would be lost. our neighborhood. 5. When our congregation puts a team together: (choose only one) we build a diverse team we invite the whole we turn to the people we we create a committee to that challenges each congregation to can trust and who we explore our options. other from a variety of participate. have worked with in the worldviews. past. 6. The purpose of our congregation: (choose only one) was established years is important but hard to is something we are is understood, guides ago. put into words. working to define. important decisions, and set priorities. 7. Our values: (choose only one) reflect our beliefs, are are being formed are unclear and are in line with our clear in our practices, through intentional disconnected. history and tradition. and help us look beyond reflection and discussion. ourselves. 3

4 8. Music and preaching in our congregation: (choose only one) frustrate me. are not why I come to inspire me. challenge me to grow worship. deeper in my faith. 9. My experience of God in the congregation: (choose only one) is less than I would hope. gets me through the invites me to explore encourages me to learn week. spirituality more deeply. more and deepen my daily faith practices. 10. When it comes to sharing my faith: (choose only one) I am comfortable sharing I recognize I have a faith I m uncomfortable I choose not to share it my story and God s story story but lack the talking about it with with others. with others. language and confidence others. to share it. 11. The culture of our congregation: (choose only one) encourages me to ask invites me to wonder doesn't challenge my aligns with my way of hard questions about about faith and life. way of thinking. thinking. social and theological issues. 12. People in our congregation: (choose only one) feel like nothing is going feel like they need feel open to exploring feel empowered to to change; things are just approval by committees, new opportunities but create new ministries the way they are. council and / or staff aren't quite sure how to aligned with the core before offering new make that happen. values of the church. experiences. 4

5 13. When we consider funding a new project: (choose only one) we question whether it is our first concern is the we look for ways to raise we challenge people in necessary and refer it to impact on the budget. funds to make it happen. their faith, inspiring council. generosity. 14. When it comes to finding leaders for ministry: (choose only one) we have a system for we encourage new we struggle to find new we rely on our training and supporting leadership. people. established leaders. people. 15. When it comes to conflict, our congregation: (choose only one) manages disagreement is learning to have hard chooses not to address has a tradition of internal in a healthy way; it is part conversations about the issue and tries to arguing and taking sides. of growth. difficult topics. avoid upsetting people. 16. Within our congregation: (choose only one) we encourage and offer we are interested in people in other only a few generations cross-generational helping the generations generations don't really are represented. opportunities. get to know each other. know or understand each other. 17. Faith formation in our congregation: (choose only one) provides a safe space for provides children and struggles to maintain the is a low priority. all ages to share faith youth with a variety of existing programs. questions and doubts learning opportunities. without judgment. 5

6 18. Parents with children and babies are: (choose only one) unlikely to be at church. not given any special welcome at church. important and included attention. in the worshiping community. 19. When it comes to welcoming visitors: (choose only one) we have a strategy for we greet them warmly we have ushers and we don't have a specific hospitality throughout and try to meet their greeters who see this as plan in place. our ministry. needs their role. 20. In response to the changes in our world, our congregation: (choose only one) values diversity, is learning to welcome is not sure how to is uncomfortable with embracing differences diversity and exploring engage in the wide diversity. across race, sexual relationships with people diversity of our changing orientation, different from ourselves. world. socioeconomic status, and more. Would you like to be added to the LEAD list to receive information and resources to help you grow as a leader? Yes No Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. Your responses will be combined with others from your congregation into a report that can serve as a first step toward helping your congregation grow. Blessings on your ministry. Together in Christ, Peggy Hahn Executive Director, LEAD LEAD@waytolead.org LEAD I-45 North Freeway, Suite #210 Houston, TX LEAD (5323) 6