Renewing Our Calling Congregational Survey Report
Every few years, healthy congregations engage in a period of reflection and renewal so as to chart a course for the coming years. We embarked on such an endeavor, “Choosing Our Future,” five years ago. Since then, we have grown from a small, pastoral church to a mid-size “program” church in which lay leaders and small groups serve some of the pastoral and support functions that ministers serve in a smaller church.
This time around the self-reflection process is called “Renewing Our Calling,” or ROC. As with Choosing Our Future, the goal is to examine in a rigorous, inclusive, and celebratory way, where we are and where we would like to head. In addition to satisfying basic planning needs, a renewal process offers time to deepen personal connections and exercise participatory congregational polity to the fullest. The process invites newcomers to have a voice and feel invested so that they feel like crew members and not just passengers on a communal journey. At the same time, longer-term members are called on to provide vision and historic continuity and to renew their sense of belonging. The ROC process will also help us understand how we have handled the transition to a program-sized church and provide insight for how to fully carry out our congregational mission and covenant.
The first step, the ROC survey, revealed many wonderful affirmations that indicate growth, diverse activities, and strong leadership. There is a lot to celebrate. There are also many areas where we are challenged or where congregants feel we fall short of what is desired and where we should be. These challenges are real. At the cottage parties in March and ensuing planning sessions, we will discern these areas of need, communicate them to the congregation, and then engage a process to identify our new priorities and action steps.
This fall, First Parish lay staff members entered into a “Behavioral Covenant” with one another. Their written document is in the March Meeting House News. One element of the covenant is a commitment to honest, open dialogue with one another, especially when difficulties surface. This model is an apt reminder about the attitudes and behaviors that will serve us well as we engage in the upcoming cottage party gatherings and congregational meetings.
Seventy years ago Kurt Hahn, a progressive German Educator and founder of Outward Bound, insisted that one’s weakness is one’s greatest strength. He believed a weakness presents an opportunity to try new things, overcome fears, and test perseverance in a way that our natural talents cannot. Above all, weaknesses are a doorway to compassion. Let us clearly define our challenges and engage them as opportunities.
Many thanks to the ROC team for embracing responsibility for a process that is so important to our future. Team members have thought deeply about the process, engaged the broadest participation, and carried out each task with love and determination.
In Faith,
Larry Childs
Vice Chair and ROC Liaison, Standing Committee
Renewing Our Calling
Congregational Survey Report
The First Parish in
Unitarian Universalist
March 6, 2005
Table of Contents
Overview of Renewing Our Calling
Who Responded? – Survey Demographics
Highlights from Numerical Survey Results
Important Things We Believe In
Important Things We More or Less Agree On
Diverse Opinions in the Congregation
Highlights from Survey Comments
Detailed Findings from Survey Comments
Overall Relationship to First Parish
Overview of Renewing Our Calling
Renewing Our Calling (ROC) is a church-wide visioning process. ROC brings together friends and members of First Parish to share ideas about our shared ministry to one another and to the larger community.
First Parish members and friends recently completed the first stage of Renewing Our Calling—this survey! We collected feedback from 166 of you concerning many aspects of church life, including Sunday worship, religious education, and membership diversity. Please actively review the attached survey results to help prepare for the second step of this process…
Cottage Parties! We encourage everyone to gather with a few friends, get to know one another better, and discuss the future direction of our shared religious life. Seventeen parties will take place at the homes of members and friends from March 15 to 26. Please RSVP for a cottage party by signing up at the bulletin boards in the church lobby or by contacting Melissa Quirk at 617-491-5548 or melquirk@yahoo.com. We’ll have note-takers at every cottage party, so that everyone’s dreams can be shared with the entire congregation. Then we will continue the congregational dialogue in May with a town-hall meeting to review the visions and themes that emerge from the cottage parties.
As you read the rest of this report, please consider these questions, which we will discuss at the cottage parties:
- What do you yearn for in worship?
- What do you yearn for in congregational diversity and growth?
- What do you yearn for in spiritual development and religious education?
- What do you yearn for First Parish’s community presence to become?
Survey Methodology
The ROC survey was based on a standardized 39-statement survey provided by the UUA for congregational assessments. With the help of committee leaders across First Parish, we significantly revised and expanded the UUA survey for our own purposes. We distributed the survey during the month of January 2005 both on paper and online. We made the survey available to everyone and strongly encouraged Internet participation to improve accuracy and reduce administrative effort. For those without convenient Internet access, we handed out paper copies of the survey every Sunday in January and we mailed postcards to all friends and members inviting them to request a paper survey if needed. We also manned an online kiosk during coffee hour every Sunday in January.
The congregation responded enthusiastically to our efforts. The following results are based on 166 respondents who represented all adult age groups, members, friends, newcomers, and veterans. For more information on the demographics of survey respondents, see the following pie charts:
Who Responded? – Survey Demographics
All cross-sections of our adult congregation responded in significant numbers to the Renewing Our Calling survey (although the percentage of men is rather low).
Highlights from Numerical Survey Results
For most statements in the survey, we asked respondents to rank them in
- Opinion (ranked from 5=Agree to 1=Disagree) and
- Importance (ranked from 5=Critical to 1=Not important).
The vast majority of survey respondents provided both rankings for virtually every statement. The charts on the following pages show how many respondents chose “Agree,” “Somewhat Agree,” “Neither Agree Nor Disagree,” “Somewhat Disagree,” and “Disagree,” for the corresponding survey statements. The charts also show the average opinion and the average importance of each statement. Finally, the charts use shading and boldface to highlight the most popular responses:
| | ------Number of Respondents------ | |||
| You can tell at a glance which responses were more or less popular by shading and boldface. | 40+ | 20-39 | 10-19 | 0-9 |
Based on these replies, we have a good idea of the areas First Parish feels good about (or not) and what areas are most important to us. Important highlights include:
Important Things We Believe In:
· Sermons,
· Stewardship,
· Spiritual Development,
· Welcoming Congregation,
· Worship Space, and
· Religious Education.
Important Things We More or Less Agree On:
· Worship,
· Intergenerational Learning, and
· Welcoming Newcomers.
Diverse Opinions in the Congregation:
· Community Outreach,
· Racial, Cultural, and Socio-Economic Inclusiveness,
· Parking,
· Young Adults, and
· Community Concerns.
Doorways to Compassion:
· Racial and Cultural Inclusiveness
· Socio-Economic Inclusiveness
· Community Outreach, and
· Planning for the Future.
Important Things We Believe In
- Sermons,
- Stewardship, and
- Spiritual Development;
And
- Welcoming Congregation (BGLT),
- Worship Space, and
- Weligious Education.
We looked at the ten top-ranked statements by agreement and the ten top-ranked statements by importance. We found that five statements were top-ranked in both agreement and importance. This is good news. It means that much of what we hold most dear about First Parish we also feel very positively about. Following are the five statements from the survey that represent the most important things we feel best about:
| Statement | ---------Number of Respondents--------- | Average Opinion | Average Importance | |||||
| Agree (5) | Somewhat Agree (4) | Neither (3) | Somewhat Disagree (2) | Disagree (1) | ||||
| Sermons are a meaningful part of Sunday service. | 113 | 21 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 4.53 | 4.43 | |
| My pledge to the church is money well spent. | 112 | 22 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 4.57 | 4.42 | |
| There are opportunities within the congregation for me to develop my UU faith and its meaning. | 113 | 27 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 4.60 | 4.34 | |
| I am committed to contributing to the financial stability of the church. | 107 | 25 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 4.53 | 4.32 | |
| Fair compensation for our professional religious leaders and other staff is important to me. | 132 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4.83 | 4.31 | |
Here are the other top-ten most agreed-with statements from the survey:
| Statement | ---------Number of Respondents--------- | Average Opinion | Average Importance | |||||
| Agree (5) | Somewhat Agree (4) | Neither (3) | Somewhat Disagree (2) | Disagree (1) | ||||
| We are successfully including bisexual, gay, lesbian, and/or transgender persons in the congregation. | 114 | 38 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4.64 | 4.18 | |
| Our worship space is large enough to accommodate the congregation. | 130 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4.75 | 4.16 | |
| There are opportunities for children and families to participate in RE through intergenerational activities. | 106 | 25 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 4.56 | 4.15 | |
| We are meeting our goals to be a teaching congregation by supporting UU ministers in training. | 139 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 4.82 | 4.01 | |
| Our worship space is beautiful and well-maintained. | 96 | 48 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4.56 | 3.99 | |
Important Things We More or Less Agree On
- Worship,
- Intergenerational Learning, and
- Welcoming Newcomers.
Of the top ten most important statements from the survey, five were also top-ranked in agreement. Following are the other five most important statements. The first two also generated substantial agreement, while the last three generated mostly agreement but also some disagreement.
| Statement | ---------Number of Respondents--------- | Average Opinion | Average Importance | |||||
| Agree (5) | Somewhat Agree (4) | Neither (3) | Somewhat Disagree (2) | Disagree (1) | ||||
| Sunday worship is a meaningful part of my spiritual life. | 96 | 35 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4.33 | 4.38 | |
| There is openness here to new initiatives or new ways of doing things. | 75 | 45 | 22 | 7 | 4 | 4.18 | 4.24 | |
| We are successfully including people of all ages in the congregation. | 86 | 40 | 12 | 16 | 5 | 4.17 | 4.32 | |
| Our worship experiences reflect the voices and desires of the congregation and its larger community. | 63 | 53 | 14 | 18 | 5 | 3.99 | 4.33 | |
| We have people in the congregation who provide adequate welcome and followup to visitors and newcomers. | 66 | 51 | 23 | 16 | 5 | 3.98 | 4.26 | |
Diverse Opinions in the Congregation
- Community Outreach,
- Racial, Cultural, and Socio-Economic Inclusiveness,
- Parking,
- Young Adults, and
- Community Concerns.
Looking for an opportunity to have a lively conversation and hear opinions different than your own? Try bringing up one of these topics the next time you are in First Parish.
As UU’s, it’s no surprise that we are a community with a diverse range of opinions and beliefs. The following survey statements generated the widest diversity of agreement and disagreement:
| Statement | ---------Number of Respondents--------- | Average Opinion | Average Importance | |||||
| Agree (5) | Somewhat Agree (4) | Neither (3) | Somewhat Disagree (2) | Disagree (1) | ||||
| Our congregation has a clearly articulated vision of its role in the community. | 35 | 39 | 29 | 39 | 15 | 3.25 | 4.12 | |
| We are successfully including people of all races and cultures in the congregation. | 20 | 32 | 20 | 53 | 34 | 2.69 | 4.10 | |
| There is no type of person we wouldn't welcome in our congregation. | 71 | 35 | 9 | 31 | 15 | 3.72 | 3.98 | |
| We are successfully including people of all socio-economic classes in the congregation. | 20 | 30 | 26 | 51 | 32 | 2.72 | 3.97 | |
| We offer a variety of ways to participate in local community activities that further our vision. | 46 | 52 | 18 | 28 | 12 | 3.59 | 3.95 | |
| Information about FPC programming (sermons, RE, affinity groups, etc.) is widely disseminated in our community. | 48 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 18 | 3.39 | 3.84 | |
| Church parking is adequate and fully accessible. | 50 | 34 | 28 | 25 | 13 | 3.55 | 3.64 | |
| I know and actively support the young adults who develop YA programming in our congregation. | 36 | 34 | 38 | 24 | 20 | 3.28 | 3.45 | |
| Community Concerns are a meaningful part of Sunday service. | 62 | 44 | 13 | 18 | 17 | 3.75 | 3.40 | |
Doorways to Compassion
- Racial, Cultural, and Socio-Economic Inclusiveness,
- Community Outreach, and
- Planning for the Future.
In a few cases, the congregation disagreed with important statements. Following is a list of the statements with the biggest gap between importance and agreement. These challenging statements suggest opportunities for increased congregational engagement.
| Statement | ---------Number of Respondents--------- | Average Opinion | Average Importance | |||||
| Agree (5) | Somewhat Agree (4) | Neither (3) | Somewhat Disagree (2) | Disagree (1) | ||||
| We are successfully including people of all races and cultures in the congregation. | 20 | 32 | 20 | 53 | 34 | 2.69 | 4.10 | |
| We are successfully including people of all socio-economic classes in the congregation. | 20 | 30 | 26 | 51 | 32 | 2.72 | 3.97 | |
| Our congregation has a clearly articulated vision of its role in the community. | 35 | 39 | 29 | 39 | 15 | 3.25 | 4.12 | |
| There is a clear sense of direction for the future within the congregation. | 24 | 65 | 31 | 22 | 11 | 3.45 | 4.10 | |
| There are clear expectations of members in this congregation. | 18 | 48 | 39 | 41 | 15 | 3.08 | 3.61 | |
| Information about FPC programming (sermons, RE, affinity groups, etc.) is widely disseminated in our community. | 48 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 18 | 3.39 | 3.84 | |
| I am clear about and can describe the mission and priorities of our congregation. | 31 | 59 | 18 | 34 | 11 | 3.42 | 3.85 | |
| Our congregation offers opportunities for us to engage in interfaith activities and projects in our community. | 27 | 40 | 38 | 39 | 13 | 3.18 | 3.58 | |
Our Biggest Challenges
- Racial and Cultural Inclusiveness
- Socio-Economic Inclusiveness
The first two statements in the above chart merit special attention as the only two in the entire survey that generated more disagreement than agreement.
Highlights from Survey Comments
Each survey respondent had the opportunity to share a closing comment, and 84 did so. Comments ranged from two words to several paragraphs and covered every aspect of church life. In all we received over ten pages of comments. We include excerpts from many of these in the following pages. First, an overview:
· In General - Respondents value their relationship with First Parish and welcome feedback opportunities. They look forward to the interactive discussion that Cottage Parties will offer.
· Worship & music - For Sunday worship service, respondents value exploring a breadth of religious traditions and variety in worship elements. Sermons are important and some felt they ought to lean more towards inspiration and healing than factual content. Many felt strongly that hymns and the music program could be more inspirational and varied.
· Congregational diversity - The congregation would benefit by increasing the diversity of its membership in the areas of ethnicity, race, and socio-economics.
· Visitors & newcomers - As guests and new members are introduced to First Parish and become involved, they need to be better welcomed and supported. This responsibility should be broadly shared – for instance perhaps everyone could consider welcoming their role and not assume the task is handled by Deacons, Hospitality and Membership Committee.
· Tolerance for conservative views - While liberal views are widely supported at First Parish, our explicitly liberal theology should not close out airing of conservative or opposing perspectives. Some felt these other perspective could be given much more of a voice – but more importantly we should create a culture in which tolerance and encouragement for conservative expression is better supported.
· Older Members/Younger members - There appears to be more support and program opportunities for younger members vs. older members. Resources dedicated to religious education and the blossoming of affinity group attracting younger people were cited as examples.
· Ministry – Our ministers are very strong, but seen as inaccessible by some parishioners. The relationship between ministers and lay-leaders deserves attention.
· Organization & Management - There is plenty of room for members, friends and new comers to explore ways to engage, contribute to and be nurtured at First Parish. In general, lay-leaders and ministers are effective, committees well structured, and groups quite active. Organizational and leadership development are appropriate ongoing priorities and continuous improvement processes are in motion.
Detailed Findings from Survey Comments
Detailed findings from survey comments were grouped into the following five categories:
· Overall relationship to First Parish
· Sunday Service: sermons, music, other elements
· Congregation: diversity, members
· Programming: social justice, age, religious education
· Organization: mission, finance, facility, ministers, lay leadership, committees
Overall Relationship to First Parish
In general, respondents value their relationship with First Parish and welcomed the opportunity to provide feedback.
Relationship
“… we think that there are many great things about the church, the leaders and clergy are thoughtful and kind and opportunities for participation are ample.”
“I've only been attending First Parish for a short time, but it has quickly become an important part of my life. When I can't attend a Sunday service, I sincerely miss it …”
“We no longer live in
Feedback
“I think it's great that you are offering this survey. I appreciate the efforts this committee and this congregation take to include the whole community in visioning for the future.”
Sunday Service
Respondents cited sermons and music as two key elements that affect their Sunday service experience. Other elements include religious traditions, offering, and variety in the worship service.
Sermons
Respondents value sermons which inspire and heal rather than sermons which are too intellectual or focus on facility improvements.
“I appreciated the post-election sermon. I was so happy that Thomas met the immediate spiritual needs of a community hurt by the election outcome. I only wish last Sunday he had forgone the back-patting for the elevator and addressed the suffering of 150,000 in
“I long for more spiritual content in our weekly services, and less politics and self-congratulation. I especially love silent prayer with the singing bowls… The best service I can recall was a Mother’s Day service many years ago by Thomas that changed my life.”
“…My least favorite type of sermon is a kind of history lesson; my favorite appeals to emotion and inspiration and involves good music.”
“Sometimes the services seem like extended lectures instead of spiritual gatherings…”
Music
Many respondents want hymns to be more uplifting and varied; some want greater participation.
“… learn new hymns and make familiar ones sing from the heart. Sacred music in sacred space need be neither solemn nor formal, especially not in such a liberal faith and place.”
“I would enjoy hymns that sound less funereal, more uplifting.”
“… A lot of the hymns get sung again and again.”
“More participatory music - rounds, teaching hymns, call & response, etc!”
There were mixed responses to the choir.
“I think the choir does a good job with what they have …”
“… have the choir sing from the balconies more often as this makes the music about the words and their relationship to worship rather than … a performance.”
“…Emphasizing low expectations for the choir can be off-putting for more experienced musicians and those seeking a joyful challenge in their musical growth…”
Other Elements
Comments on other elements of Sunday service included religious traditions, the offering, and variety. There is a desire for breadth and balance with various religious traditions.
“I'm wondering if it would be possible to offer a completely secular service in addition to the quasi-Christian services we offer?”
“It would be good to have interfaith services periodically with other churches in
“ Given what is going on in the world now, I also wish our practices did more to inform us about Islamic traditions and values.”
“… worship and observation of holidays is skewed toward Christian traditions… my family ends up going to a synagogue for what we feel is missing.”
There can be sensitivity to how the offering is introduced.
“… I feel pressured by the prelude to morning offerings. It should suffice to say 'the morning offering will now be given and received”.”
Respondents appreciate a variety of elements in worship service.
“ I think we treat our kids exceptionally well as a congregation and as a denomination; I am often moved by services involving kids, such as the Coming of Age service.”
“I enjoy variation in Sunday worship-prayer theme, music theme & intergenerational interactive stories…”
“We don't need a sermon every Sunday - sometimes testimonials or other activities are just as powerful.”
Congregation
Respondents commented on diversity in the congregation and membership, both new and exiting.
Diversity
Respondents would like to have greater diversity in the congregation. Several commented that outreach could be offered to attract greater racial and socio-economic diversity, similar to outreach which welcomed members of all sexual orientation.
“I would like to see more effort made to invite and include people of different ethnic, racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. UU members tend to be highly educated and receptive to intellectual challenge, but the church will grow more if it also focuses on the spiritual needs of all persons without regard to their intellectual curiosity.”
“I wish our church were more welcoming to other races and nations, because even though that is our mission, it is not really reflected in the make-up of the congregation.”
“(FP) has done great in being a 'welcoming' congregation for GLBTs, how about the same model for other dimensions of diversity.”
“… We did it on the GBLT issue, why not on these other fronts?”
Membership
Membership varies, both with new members continuing to become acquainted with the church and other members exiting. Both situations merit attention; new members with being welcomed and integrated into church activities and work, and exiting members with some form of attention.
New Members
“I feel very welcome and included at First Parish. The welcoming committee is a successful and important part of the church.”
“… one of the biggest things that caused me to want to keep coming at first was the sense that there was no pressure to pull me in, in order to grow the church.”
“… (we) continue to struggle to feel comfortable in groups of people who all know each other and don't seem to reach out beyond a nominal hello and how are you.”
“I believe in the mission of FP but have not felt welcomed enough to come. I guess welcome would mean that someone recognizes me when I come for a while or that they spend some time talking to me to find out who I am, where I might fit, etc….”
Exiting Members
“The church community does not seem to do anything to reach out to members who stop participating.”
“People leave, but there is no exit poll as to why.”
Programming
Social Justice
“…important to strike a good balance between the act of striving for social justice/human rights, etc. within the church community, and understanding and cherishing the deep spiritual roots from whence they come…”
“I find that the church's social justice projects, and occasionally sermons/speakers, reflect a viewpoint that is far more leftist than my own...”
“I have often felt that any viewpoints that are not in line with liberal political values should be kept to oneself… needs to be more openness in discussing any and all viewpoints.”
Age Related
“…I currently feel there are more programs for young adults than any other group in the congregation.”
“I feel that other groups such as younger singles and families are regarded as more important than older members of the church.”
Religious Education
“I would like RE to be less varied and more consistent … we are often confused as to whether it's an intergenerational service or Justice Sunday field trip, or holiday, etc…. RE curriculum is wonderful….”
“We spend far too many resources on religious education for children, and too little on education for adults. For a RE program (children) of our size, we are not justified in having a Minister of Religious Education….”
“..Spiritual Development (booklets) and other church activities are well-done and useful….”
Covenant Groups
“I wish our church was still supporting Covenant Groups … wish church leadership would announce why support for a program is being discontinued instead of quietly letting it die.”
Organization
Respondents commented on various organizational issues; mission-goals-values, finance, facility, ministerial relation to congregation, lay leadership, and committees.
“…I think I know our priorities, but not sure what our mission is.”
“…Finding out the goals of the church was not that easy or referenced regularly...”
“Most people… know incredibly little about Unitarianism… In an era when the religious right is co-opting all the values and their meanings... it is important to know and define what our values are...”
Finance
“We need a better sense of our upcoming financial obligations, especially the mortgage.”
“…money contributed for accessibility should not be re-directed to the annual fund.”
“There are big concerns about financial stability and budgetary tradeoffs … not getting discussed as openly as they should for the long-term health of this church.”
Facility
“…parlor is overcrowded, noisy, and chaotic…”
“…spaces could be cleaner ... sad to see flaking paint and broken railings in the sanctuary … discontinuation of the use of the upper balconies as storage areas.”
“… security at
Ministers in Relation to Congregation
“Something I really like is the way that the ministerial staff thanks people for being there … very inclusive, regardless of how much you give or how often you are there…”
“… when a person wants to speak with the head minister of a church there should be a procedure open and known by all…. The Ministers should make more of an effort to provide pastoral support to everyone … Our Ministers are very strong, they just need to interact more effectively with members of the congregation.”
“We should clarify very openly the relationship between ministers and congregation. Many parishioners see the ministers as unassailable leaders, the ministers have huge sway at just about every committee meeting. This makes growth of true lay-leadership challenging…”
Lay Leadership
“Leadership Team has been awesome in helping build up our committee structure; it would be very helpful to build further on their work.” .
“First Parish offers many opportunities to take leadership roles … plenty of room for exploring. I hope that individuals who believe they are not getting enough out of the church will think of JFK's famous line and 'Ask not what your church can do for you - ask what you can do for your church.'”
“Change is driven by people who have no past history with the church… I value tradition and continuity which our church currently lacks because most leadership comes from new members, not older ones.”
Committees
“We need a better organizational scheme for what each committee's responsibilities are, and what responsibilities are currently not being performed or not being performed transparently -- ministerial and staff assessments and salary recommendations…”
“I think it's a challenge being a UU because of all the committee involvement ... What is the service commitment expectation? If I'm not doing committee work I feel guilty, but if I am, I can feel overburdened.”
- posted by Bruce Hoppe @ 11:18 AM
