Please see below for an executive summary of the Buzz Survey Results.
If you wish to read the entire report, please contact the office.
Ninety-six (96) individuals completed the First Parish CAT. Holy Cow! indicates our participation rate provides results that are reliable and representative.
Two factors account for and contribute to a vital congregation: high levels of member satisfaction and energy.
Satisfaction – a sense of peaceful contentment, joy, and absence of discord. Forty-five percent (45%) of those responding are satisfied with how things are right now.
Energy – spirit of the congregation that creates engagement in its mission. Thirty-seven percent (37%) of those responding feel a compelling sense of purpose or energy in church right now.
The correlation of our satisfaction and energy scores reflects that we are in a “Transitional climate.” This is as expected for a church during an interim time.
Transitional climate congregations have a number of strengths to lean into and challenges to address.
We are most satisfied when:
The whole spirit in our congregation makes people want to get as involved as possible. (Morale)
The worship services are exceptional in both quality and spiritual content. (Worship)
We are most energized when:
The whole spirit in our congregation makes people want to get as involved as possible. (Morale)
The same small group of people is not the only decision-makers in our church. (Governance)
Future Priorities/Aspirations - to achieve our vision for the future, respondents identified these as our most important priorities:
1. Make the changes necessary to attract families and young people.
2. Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to reach new people.
3. Provide more opportunities for Christian education and spiritual formation at every age and stage of life.
4. Create more opportunities for people to form meaningful relationships.
5. Expand outreach ministries to provide direct services to those living on the margins .
6. Renew and revitalize the community around the church by creating partnerships.
All age groups shared four (4) of the six (6) priorities. Those under age 35 focused on addressing the needs of the community and advocating for social justice issues.
Performance Areas
Holy Cow! assessed our strengths and challenges in eight areas and compared us to other congregations in the CAT database.
1. Conflict Management – the degree to which members believe that conflict, when present, is managed well. This is an area of strength for FPCC.
2. Governance – positive assessment of our formal leadership. Respondents look to this leadership in particular during this time of transition.
3. Worship/Music – a primary indicator of vitality; essential for outreach. Respondents indicated a rather strong worship experience and a very strong music program.
4. Morale – important for both satisfaction and energy; improving various aspects of the life of our congregation will improve the morale/spirit of our congregation.
5. Readiness for Ministry – critical to improving satisfaction. This requires feeling a call to serve, the desire to be involved, and to be recognized for that involvement.
6. Engagement in Education – Respondents indicate the need to improve this area.
7. Spiritual Vitality - the belief that faith is central to one’s life. This is an area of opportunity/growth for FPCC. This measure has direct correlation to financial giving. Feeling the presence of God in their lives leads people to greater generosity.
8. Hospitality -the degree to which we offer resources to folks who are new, different, or in need. Given our priority for growth – this becomes a strength we must build.
For the first five above, FPCC compares favorably with other congregations. Overall, our scores reflect a congregation with a number of vital strengths.
What else?
We are theologically progressive –– diversity is low.
Our priorities suggest that we seek renewal, growth, and change and that we appear very comfortable in making changes to achieve our goals.
We are “a Magi culture”: ultimately concerned with the rational integrity of faith, the just application of faith to life, and the journey of understanding and discovery.
It may be helpful for us to build our capacity for sharing our faith stories, deepening our spiritual practices and creating spaces for safe vulnerability.
Respondents self-reported numbers show our financial giving is 1.1% of income, compared to other congregations average of 2.2% giving relative to income.
In summary
We are a congregation with many gifts and assets. We have a desire to grow/change to secure our future. We are in a critical moment of transition. We have some work to do improving hospitality, spiritual vitality, Christian education, and financial contribution. These are interconnected, key aspects for our communal life as a 21st century church.
Comments