wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Take a snapshot of your worshipers

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Note #7218 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

Take a snapshot of your worshipers
GA02008
June 15, 2002

Take a snapshot of your worshipers

Survey can help congregations find out exactly who's in the pews

by Mary Julia Pace

COLUMBUS, OH - What does your congregation look like?

You won't need a camera to get a clear image of who's sitting in your church's pews at worship - just an ink pen and about 15 minutes to fill in the circles.

The U.S. Congregational Life Survey, available through the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s Research Services office, collects demographic information about worshipers and their involvement in church and community.

They questionnaire is the same one used last spring to glean data on 300,000 worshipers in 2,000 U.S. congregations, including about 50,000 PC(USA) worshipers in 523 congregations. 
Presbyterians can use the survey to see how they compare with Presbyterian and national averages.
The researchers encourage congregations to collect the data during a normal Sunday worship service. The idea is to include regular worshipers, those who come less often, and visitors.

"Churches are telling us that the surveys have been beneficial," said Cynthia Woolever, the project director. "They say it's valuable to have this sort of data to look at and work from."
Each participating church gets a detailed report of the findings, a video explaining how to interpret the results and a copy of a book about the results of the national survey, "A Field Guide to U.S. Congregations."

 	The cost depends on the number of people involved. There is a $1 fee for each questionnaire, as well as a processing fee that ranges from $100 to $400, depending on the size of the congregation. The forms are available in English, Spanish and Korean. 

For more information, contact Research Services by visiting www.uscongreagtions.org, calling 1-888-728-7228, ext. 2040, or sending an email to uscongregations@ctr.pcusa.org
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