Seeking to turn around its declining membership, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) recently ignited a movement to start 1,001 worshiping communities in the next ten years. While newer congregations may face challenges as they seek to become established, they also display many strengths that draw worshipers.
To learn more about new congregations, in 2011 we surveyed 88 newer PC(USA) churches—those organized between 1990 and 2009.[i] Using worshipers’ survey responses and a list of 10 congregational strengths, we compared strengths from these newer churches to strengths from a random sample of over 500 PC(USA) churches surveyed in 2008/2009. What are the strengths of newer PC(USA) congregations, and how do they compare to the strengths of PC(USA) congregations in general?
New Church Strengths. We found that the average strength scores are higher in new PC(USA) churches for the following aspects of congregational vitality:
Shared Strengths. New PC(USA) congregations show a level of strength that is similarto other PC(USA) congregations in four additional areas:
What are your congregation’s strengths? Compare your congregation to the national average, to the Presbyterian average, or to the average of growing or new Presbyterian churches by taking a snapshot of your worshipers. Your congregation can take part in the U.S. Congregational Life Survey to learn more about who worships there and what they value, to identify your congregation’s strengths, to deal with change whether your congregation is growing or declining, to get ready to call a new pastor, or to renew or update your strategic plan.
Call 800-728-7228, ext. 2040 to get information about using the U.S. Congregational Life Survey in your congregation, or see the section titled “Survey Your Congregation” on our website (www.USCongregations.org).
[i] A total of 426 newer PC(USA) churches were identified and asked to participate in this 2011 survey.
[ii] Higher scores indicate greater congregational strength in that area. Strength scores are calculated using the combined responses of all worshipers in each congregation. With the exception of “welcoming new people,” strength scores combine responses to several related questions. Questions with different response scales make up each overall strength score so it is inappropriate to compare scores from one strength to another.