Survey Says
Using a survey is a good way to better understand your congregation or specific subgroups of your religious community. Surveys also have their limits. “How old are you?” is a good candidate for a survey question. “How do you feel about the younger generation?” is not so good. Explore more below!
By asking general demographic information, such as age, race, gender, and length of time attending, you can get a big-picture view. You can also use a survey to better understand things like preferences for worship times or habits of participation. Surveys are good for summarizing things that can easily be reported as a yes or no, as one of a few clear options, or as a simple fill-in-the-blank. Where your questions are more subjective or difficult to answer concisely, save them for an interview or focus group.
When deciding to do a survey, one of the first questions you should ask is “who should receive the questionnaire?” If you’re interested in youth and young adult perceptions of the worship service, you may not need to distribute a survey to the whole community. Match the research question with the people for whom it is most appropriate. If you’re interested in understanding all of the members’ views, it might be important to send the surveys out to everyone on the mailing (or e-mail) list. If you are most interested in the people who regularly participate, then distribution at routine events may work well.
Good survey questions are an art form, and there are a number of guides for learning the art. Some are produced by academic groups, and some by online survey companies. Take the time to look at these guides, and then go back to review once you’ve written some draft questions.
Download the full PDF resource to learn more about developing questions, administering the survey and analyzing the results.
If you're referring to Kobus (W.J.) Schoeman's Churches in the Mirror: Developing Contemporary Ecclesiologies, it is an academic book on ecclesiology (the study of the church), published by UJ Press in 2020. Schoeman is the editor and author of several chapters. The book focuses on understanding local congregations in the South African context through both theological reflection and empirical research.
Some of its main themes include:
- Developing contemporary understandings of the church (ecclesiologies).
- The church as a missional community, rather than only an institution.
- Using empirical research to understand what is happening in local congregations.
- Reflecting on congregational identity, health, leadership, and community engagement.
- Providing "mirrors" through which churches can evaluate their faithfulness and relevance in today's context.
The Church Life Survey (CLS) is a research project that studies the health, vitality, and life of congregations by listening to the experiences of church members and leaders. In the work of Kobus Schoeman, the South African Church Life Survey 2014 was used as an empirical tool to explore congregational life and health.
Malan Nel se “gemeentediagnose” (congregational diagnosis) is a practical-theological process used to help a congregation understand who it is, where it is, and where God is calling it to go. Nel sees congregational diagnosis not merely as measuring success or failure, but as a theological discernment process that examines a congregation’s faithfulness, identity, mission, and ministry in its context.
Nel developed this approach together with Kennon Callahan in Bediening in en van Missionale Gemeentes: Gemeentediagnose. Die Werkboek (2016). The process combines empirical observation, congregational reflection, and theological interpretation.
Main ideas in Malan Nel’s congregational diagnosis
- The congregation as a faith community
- A congregation is not primarily an organisation or institution; it is a community called by God.
- Diagnosis asks: Who are we as God’s people? What is our identity and calling?
- Theological criteria
Nel argues that congregational evaluation must consider:
- faithfulness to the gospel,
- missional identity,
- integrity of the congregation’s witness,
- relationship between the congregation and its context.
- Empirical analysis
The congregation is studied as a real community by looking at:
- membership and participation,
- ministries and structures,
- leadership,
- worship and discipleship,
- relationships,
- involvement in the wider community.
- Strength-focused development
The aim is not simply to find problems. The diagnosis identifies existing gifts, strengths, and possibilities that can be developed for mission. The approach is influenced by Callahan’s emphasis on discovering strengths that enable congregations to become healthier and more effective.
Typical questions used in a congregational diagnosis
- Identity
- Who are we?
- What does God call us to be?
- Context
- What is happening in our community?
- What needs and opportunities exist around us?
- Ministry
- How are we serving God and people?
- Which ministries reflect our calling?
- Mission
- Are we inward-focused or outward-focused?
- How do we participate in God’s mission (missio Dei)?
- Future direction
- Where is God leading this congregation?
In summary, for Nel, congregational diagnosis is a mirror for spiritual discernment: it helps a congregation see itself honestly so that it can be renewed and transformed into a more faithful, missional community.
