Survey Your Congregation

For over 35 years, countless churches have turned to Hartford Institute’s church inventories as their trusted ally in pastoral searches and strategic planning. Our three core congregational surveys and reporting forms are not just user-friendly—they’re crafted from the latest social science research, providing profound insights into congregational dynamics.

Imagine a tool that adapts to your church’s unique needs! Our online version offers customization options, making it not only cost-effective but also incredibly efficient. Its quick turnaround times fit seamlessly into your planning process.

We believe these surveys are among the best assessment instruments available to congregations today, and we invite you to explore the possibilities. Dive into our index below for more information about our church inventories and discover how they can transform your congregation’s journey.

Which inventory is right for you?

Here’s a closer look at our tailored options, all of which can be customized to your specifications:

The Pastoral Search Inventory

This comprehensive tool dives deep into what your congregation seeks in ministerial leadership. Perfect for churches embarking on the journey of finding a new minister, this inventory will help clarify expectations and aspirations.

The Church Planning Inventory

This instrument is your go-to for a thorough exploration of your church’s programs. It encompasses everything from youth and adult education to giving and outreach, making it ideal for congregations committed to serious planning and exploring innovation.

The Parish Profile Inventory

Need a snapshot without the deep dive? This streamlined survey offers a concise overview of your congregation’s dynamics. It’s perfect when you need quick insights or have time constraints.

All three inventories include sections on church tasks, organizational processes, congregational identity, facilities, members’ backgrounds, and faith practice characteristics. You can choose either the convenience of an online survey or the familiarity of a printable format.

While we don’t offer a mixed survey option, you can easily manage both online and paper formats, entering the paper data on your own for a flat rate of $300. This flexibility allows you to harness the power of data collection in a way that works best for your congregation.

Can I see a sample of the Inventories?

Yes! Create your own survey from our questions, or customize it by adding some of your own. View the online survey with all our questions.

How does the process work?

Ready to dive into the assessment process? Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you navigate it smoothly:

Choose your inventory

Once you’ve identified the inventory that fits your congregation’s needs, contact the Hartford Institute office. Our inventories are available as web-based surveys, complete with printable PDFs for those who prefer a physical format. Just a heads-up: your church must input any completed paper surveys into the online system.

Set up your survey

Let us know which inventory you’d like to use, and we’ll promptly create your survey on SurveyMonkey. Within a few days, you’ll receive a web link and a draft survey in PDF. This is your chance to make any edits—additions, deletions, or corrections—before sending it back to us. After your adjustments are finalized and approved, we’ll provide you with the final URL for the online version and a PDF for print distribution.

Distribute the survey

You can easily share the survey link with your congregation or post it privately on your website or group’s social media. For those who prefer paper, simply hand out the PDFs. We recommend keeping the survey open for at least four to six weeks, along with regular reminders to boost participation. Once the survey period ends, let us know, and we’ll close it and generate your report, which you’ll receive within two business days.

Understand the results

Your package will include a basic report of findings, instructions for interpreting the results, and the raw data file in Excel format. This allows anyone with Excel skills to dig deeper into the data. While we don’t provide an interpretive report, you’re welcome to involve a local consultant if desired. We generally don’t provide cross-tabulations or correlations for churches because interpreting this data requires a solid grasp of statistics and significance testing—skills many committees might not have. This can lead to misunderstandings, as committees often view any observed difference as meaningful when, in reality, it may be the result of chance, biased samples, or unequal group sizes.

In our experience, when we analyze comparisons among various demographics—like age groups, genders, or levels of involvement—we often find that the statistically significant differences are fewer than one might expect. This fascinating insight highlights the complexity of data interpretation and the importance of context. This is why we encourage congregations to engage with the data thoughtfully and consider consulting with someone well-versed in statistics to dig deeper into the findings.

If you are interested in consulting with Hartford Institute faculty for a more detailed analysis, contact us for rates and availability.

How can I boost survey participation?

To maximize participation, promote the survey link through your church newsletter, bulletin, social media groups, and announcements in worship services. Consider mailing a letter to all members, including those who may not attend regularly. Emphasize the importance of their input and provide clear instructions on completing the survey online or requesting a paper copy.

Don’t underestimate the power of reminders! Utilize announcements, newsletters, and even personal outreach through phone calls or emails. Some congregations host “survey days” with computers, smartphones, or tablets available during coffee hour, making it easy for members to participate on the spot.

Who should be surveyed?

We recommend surveying all church members aged 15 and older, not just regular attendees. Including less involved members can uncover valuable insights that might otherwise go unnoticed. Since the fee remains flat regardless of responses, it’s best to survey the entire membership rather than relying on a sample.

How much will it cost?

The online service costs $300 in total, regardless of the number of responses you receive. However, if you receive fewer than 50 responses, the cost is reduced to $200. We bill the church after the survey is completed and you have your results.

How do I order inventories?

To order any of our inventories or for additional information, call (860) 509-9542 or email Sheryl Wiggins at swiggins@hartfordinternational.edu.

Can I see a sample of the final report?

Yes, here is a sample online report.

Is there comparison data?

Yes! Every so often, we take the latest information from the congregations using the inventories and anonymously enter it into a database from which we run a comparison report. This report is based on our older print-only format, so not all the questions will match identically with the current online version.

View our latest comparison data report. This dataset of findings is from those churches that used our inventories between March 2004 and March 2014, totaling 46,947 respondents from 323 churches. A third of these churches are United Church of Christ, 29% are Presbyterian Church (USA) (PCUSA), and 12% are Episcopal. Mainline churches make up 9%, including Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), American Baptist, and United Methodist. The remaining roughly 15% are from conservative and Evangelical churches, including Southern Baptist, Nondenominational, and Church of God. Their average size is in the range of 100-200 active attendees. These churches are from thirty-five states, with no single state accounting for more than 10% of the sample. The average response rate for these churches was roughly 30%-35% of the total membership.

Many of the questions in our inventories are similar to those in large national studies. For additional comparative information, check out the findings of two such studies: Faith Communities Today and National Congregations Study.

This website also contains numerous resources for interpreting the report and researching your local area’s census data and community makeup; our Congregational Research section provides specific information.