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.

Over 500,000 worshipers in over 5,000 congregations have completed the U.S. Congregational Life Survey since the first wave was conducted in 2001. A second wave took place in the fall of 2008 and spring of 2009.

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

Today all congregations are invited to take the U.S. Congregational Life Survey to learn more about their worshipers and to identify congregational strengths.