Investments can come in a number of different forms. Most often, the word investment is used in financial terms. People or businesses put money into things that they hope will yield monetary returns. You can also invest your time or energy into people or activities in order to (hopefully) produce positive results. Some monetary investments don’t necessarily yield financial returns on investment, but do, in fact, produce other, nontangible types of positive results.
As a church leader, you invest heavily in your congregation—their spiritual lives, their relationships with one another, their emotional well-being, and more. You also invest in the overall health of your church. It is wise to occasionally check in with your congregation to see if your efforts are yielding the results you had hoped for. One way to do that is through a church survey.
A church survey is best if it is conducted in a way that participants can remain anonymous. That way, they are more likely to answer questions candidly. While some people in churches have no problem expressing their disapproval of the way things are being done to those in charge, many others don’t feel comfortable expressing their concerns. An anonymous church survey can give the latter group an opportunity to provide valuable feedback to church leaders. That feedback can help leaders determine what the church is doing well, and what areas can use improvement.
A church survey can also give you some insight into the make-up of your congregation. Because church leaders don’t always have the time or opportunities to get to know every person in their congregation personally, a church survey can be a valuable tool to help in this area. When the survey results are tabulated, you may discover some surprising things. Maybe you thought your church was made up mainly of families, but you actually have a lot of single people attending. Or you may find a surprising lack of young adults in your congregation. Results like these can help your church as it considers what types of ministries to offer moving forward.
In addition, a church survey can answer some questions you may have about your congregation’s level of spiritual maturity. A survey can’t tell you everything you probably want to know, but it can give you some insight into your congregation’s understanding of the basic tenants of Christianity, if you ask the right types of questions.
If you’ve never conducted a church survey before, there’s no time like the present! Crafting a survey on your own is certainly an option, but your church might be better served by purchasing a ready-made survey created by church diagnostic experts, like those at VitalChurch Ministry. Their Church Vitality Survey (CVS) is a relatively affordable option for churches of all sizes. The price they charge not only includes the survey, but also a follow-up report that gives a summary analysis of each question. In addition, church leaders can schedule a free one-hour call with the diagnostic team at VitalChurch Ministry.
The quality of the results you will receive from the CVS make the monetary investment well worth it for just about any church!
