The U.S. Congregational Life Survey

• What is the U.S. Congregational Life Survey?
• List of participating denominations and faith groups
• What makes the U.S. Congregational Life Survey unique?
• U.S. Congregational Life Survey - project timeline

What is the U.S. Congregational Life Survey

Worshipers are what makes a congregation. And the attitudes, opinions, and perceptions of worshipers are essential to understanding congregations and religious life in the United States. Without focusing on worshipers we cannot identify a congregation's strengths or hope to find avenues for effective congregational change.

As part of the U.S. Congregational Life Survey, about 300,000 worshipers in over 2,000 congregations in the United States completed a survey during worship services in April 2001. Worshipers in Australia, England, and New Zealand completed similar surveys. Together, the international effort included about 2 million worshipers and 17,000 congregations across three continents. In the fall of 2008 and the spring of 2009, a second wave of the U.S. Congregational Life Survey was conducted, allowing us to identify how worshipers and congregations have changed since the start of the decade.

The purposes of the U.S. Congregational Life Survey are:

• to provide congregations with resources that will help them better understand themselves, identify their strengths, and stimulate their efforts to create a positive future for themselves.
• to develop resources that help congregations assess their ministries and relate more effectively with their communities
• to provide a national and international congregational data base that will enable congregations to look at their ministries in relationship to denominational, national, and international benchmarks
• to provide denominational leaders, congregational consultants, and congregational planners with information and resources to assist congregations
• to assess change over time

Participating congregations receive a profile of their worshipers, a check-up on several dimensions of congregational vitality (attracting new members, involvement in the community, and faith development, for example), and tools for identifying their strengths and planning for positive change. National benchmarks provide a basis for comparison and help congregations embrace their strengths. Learn more →

Today, any congregation can take the survey to learn more about their worshipers and identify their strengths. [Learn how]

List of participating denominations and faith groups

Over 5,000 congregations have participated in the U.S. Congregational Life Survey. The following denominations and faith groups were represented:

• African Methodist Episcopal Church
• African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
• American Baptist Churches USA
• Assemblies of God
• Bible Way Church, Worldwide
• Buddhist Communities
• Christian Reformed Church in North America
• Christian and Missionary Alliances, The
• Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
• Church of God
• Church of the Nazarene
• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, The
• Church of God (Anderson, Indiana)
• Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)
• Church of God in Christ
• Churches of Christ
• Conservation Baptist Association of America
• Conservative Judaism
• Episcopal Church, The
• Episcopal/Anglican
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
• Foursquare Gospel, International Church of
• Free Methodist Church of North America
• Free Lutheran Congregations, The Association of
• Free Will Baptist
• General Association of Regular Baptist Church

• General Council of Baptist (unspecified)
• Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America
• Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod
• Lutheran (unspecified)
• Mennonite (unspecified)
• Mennonite Church
• Missionary
• National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.
• Non-denominational congregations
• Pentecostal (unspecified)
• Presbyterian (unspecified)
• Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
• Presbyterian Church in America, The
• Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
• Reform Judaism
• Roman Catholic Church
• Seventh-day Adventist Church
• Southern Baptist Convention
• Unitarian Universalistic Association
• United Methodist Church, The
• United Baptist
• United Church of Christ
• Unity of the Brethren
• United Pentecostal Church, International
• Wesleyan Church, The

What makes the U.S. Congregational Life Survey unique?

How is this picture different from what you've seen before?

We asked the opinions of leaders and worshipers

Most previous studies have relied on the views and opinions of clergy or a single lay leader in participating congregations and parishes. The U. S. Congregational Life Survey records the voices of people who regularly invest in congregational life through their participation in worship. Together with information from clergy, their views are the definitive source of information about congregations and parishes. While clergy can relate much about what goes on in congregations, the perspectives of clergy or other key leaders and those of worshipers aren't always the same. We focused on the views from the pews in conducting this study.

The scale of the survey makes it unique

Over 500,000 worshipers in more than 5,000 congregations have participated. A typical opinion survey — one by Gallup or another polling firm — would include only about 1,000 people chosen to be representative of the U.S. population. Such surveys are also limited to a short list of questions on a particular topic. Worshipers in this study completed a 4-page survey with 56 questions, so we have more detailed information about the opinions and religious practices of thousands of worshipers.

All worshipers in participating congregations took part

In most research studies, worshipers are sampled across congregations so the results most often include just one person from each congregation. With all worshipers taking part, the results summarize what a congregation's worshipers as a group have to say about their experiences there. This strategy is equivalent to a "census" of worshipers during a typical week across America.

A large representative national sample of congregations and parishes participated in the study

Previous studies of congregational life have been based on small samples or in-depth case studies. Because congregations involved in these previous studies may not be typical, results are not representative of all congregations. A broad range of denominations and faith groups took part in the project, including non-denominational mega-churches and independent groups and congregations, and non-Christian faith communities. The U.S. Congregational Life Survey polled worshipers from every state across the country.

Two waves of data allow us to study how worshipers and congregations are changing

The original 2001 U.S. Congregational Life Survey was replicated in the fall of 2008 and the spring of 2009. Comparing responses of worshipers allows a unique opportunity to identify the stability and changes of religious life in this country.

Four nations conducted parallel studies of worshipers

Similar surveys were conducted in England, Australia, and New Zealand in 2001 involving 1.2 million worshipers from more than 100 denominations and about 12,000 congregations. A comparison of U.S. congregations with non-U.S. congregations highlights what is universal about faith communities as well as what is specific to a cultural context.

Congregational health and vitality are envisioned as more than numerical growth

Rather than relying on one measure of vitality, we investigated four fundamental areas of congregational life — spirituality and faith development; involvement in and connections to the congregation; community involvement; and future directions. Many researchers have examined congregations from the church-growth perspective. We used a multi-faceted approach that acknowledges that numerical growth is just one possible indicator of a vital congregation.

A snapshot of many congregations is used to scientifically describe what is "typical."

Too often, researchers, congregational consultants, and the media focus on large congregations or mega-churches, rapidly growing congregations, congregations with one-of-a-kind ministries, congregations in conflict, or congregations and parishes that are unique in some other way. This causes difficulties for leaders and attendees who attempt to apply the lessons in small or mid-size congregations, in declining or stable communities, or in other settings.