Findings in more detail -- Part 1

Our last post, pre-holiday, outlined a short "Executive Summary" of the Findings from the Church Assessment Tool. The longer version contains 20 such Findings in a 5-page report. This report - titled BridgeDesign Findings - is available in the church office, but to save you a trip and time we will reproduce the list here by posting a few Findings several times a week.

And we're not done yet! In addition to the Findings, key points from the 39-page report Vital Signs will be discussed at the forum on Sunday, January 22 from 2 to 4 pm in Wright Hall. The full report is available in the office for those interested in reading it.

So, without further ado -- From Holy Cow! Consulting: BridgeDesign for Sylvania UCC, FINDINGS

Finding #1

Sylvania UCC is a vital church with unusually high levels of energy and satisfaction. The overall morale score for Sylvania UCC is higher than 90% of the churches in our database. This places the church in the transformational zone and suggests long-term strategies focused on growth, replication, extension, and external impact. Like other transformational churches it runs the risk of idealizing its recent past and failing to capitalize upon its opportunities.

Finding #2

Members at Sylvania UCC tend to feel best about the church overall when they believe that

• Persons who serve as leaders in the church are representative of the membership.
• The worship services at the church are exceptional in both quality and spiritual content.
• Being part of the church community has given new meaning to their lives.
• The church provides high quality education that is appropriate to every age and stage of life.
• The church prepares for ministry by helping them discern their gifts.

Conversely, they tend to feel less positively about the church overall when they believe that leaders do not represent them, when they have concerns about the worship experience, when they feel that being part of the church is failing to give meaning to their lives, when the educational ministry is not sufficiently comprehensive, and when the church is failing to help members discern their gifts as preparation for ministry.

Finding #3

Members of Sylvania UCC bear witness to significantly higher levels of involvement beyond worship than most mainline churches and they find that activity very meaningful. High levels of involvement beyond worship in meaningful activities can have a buffering effect during times of stress and is an asset to the church in its succession process.

That's it for now, we'll take this in small bits -- watch for Findings #4 - 6 in Wednesday's post.

We welcome your questions and comments in the box below or in person!

-- Bonnie