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Church Satisfaction Survey - A Great Starting Point
A church satisfaction survey can be a very helpful instrument to get a baseline understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of your church. This is a great place to start. Imagine a newly elected mayor during his first days in office. He or she could just start making policies, launching new programs, and spending money. The wisest approach, however, would be to make listening the first priority in order to get a baseline understanding of: What are the current issues facing our city? Where have we been and where are we headed? What should our priorities be? How is our city unique from others? What strengths do we have and how can we leverage them? What weaknesses do we need to keep our eye on and gradually improve? What opportunities are before us? What threats or barriers might keep us from reaching our full potential as a city? All of these same questions could be asked by church leadership regarding the church. The point is, in any leadership scenario, you'll be better equipped to lead when you've got current and accurate information in hand. "Listen first -- act second" is a good policy for leaders.
Church Satisfaction Survey - It's All About Listening
A church satisfaction survey (or any survey for that matter) is essentially a listening device used to collect feedback from the participants. The importance of listening cannot be overstated. Without listening (collecting information outside of ourselves) we don't learn anything new. When we stop listening we stop learning. When we stop learning we stop growing. Imagine if you were unable to learn anything new for the rest of your life and had to lead with only the skill set, understanding, and base knowledge you have at this moment. Sounds a bit frightening, doesn't it? And yet there are church leaders everyday that consciously or unconsciously live out this scenario by being unwilling to listen. You can take a different path! The fact that you're searching for information on a church satisfaction survey shows that you are aware of the values of listening to your flock. May listening, learning, and growing be a lifelong pattern for you!
Church Satisfaction Survey - Whose Satisfaction Are We Talking About?
Most church leaders think of a church satisfaction survey as collecting feedback from the congregation - but what about the church leadership? Wouldn't it be interesting to also collect their feedback and compare it (apples to apples) to what the congregation said? Both groups will have insightful feedback and, whenever possible, both groups should be invited to participate. Congregation members will give you their take on what it's like to be a part of the church body week-in and week-out. Sometimes a brilliant suggestion will come to light that would never have surfaced on the leadership side of the fence. Leaders will give voice to their experience in being involved in the leadership and administration of the church - this is a vastly different camera angle and will add a layer of depth to the feedback you receive.
Church Satisfaction Survey - A Helpful Resource
A highly effective church satisfaction survey which has been used by hundreds of churches across America is the Church Health Assessment Tool (CHAT) from Leadership Transformations, Inc. (LTi). The CHAT survey questions are based on the "Ten Traits of a Healthy Church" from the best selling book, Becoming a Healthy Church (Dr. Stephen A. Macchia, Baker Books, 1999/2006).
The Church Health Assessment Tool (CHAT) offers the following unique combination of benefits:
- Web-driven
- Anonymous participation
- Responses of leadership and congregation dynamically compared
- Convenient and cost effective
- No tabulation work required
- Easy-to-read report delivered to your email inbox
- Follow up coaching is optional
Learn more about the church satisfaction survey now!
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