Church of the Good Shepherd Rector Search
Summary of Survey Results

During Lent, over 160 members of our church family completed a survey or participated in a roundtable discussion.  They shared their views about the church today and their dreams for the church in the future.  This summarizes key trends seen in these responses.

The Church Today  

When asked why they belonged to Church of the Good Shepherd, parishioners’ top reasons were:

1. Loving, inclusive community
2. Inspiring worship
3. Compassionate clergy
4. Passionate spiritual growth
5. Opportunity to use your gifts in ministry

Words commonly used to describe the church included “caring,” “spirit-filled,” “warm,” “outreach,” “mission oriented,” “open,” and “growing.”  Some responses pointed to a need to continue to look for ways to maintain close ties within our community and to ensure that our facilities are adequate to allow us to achieve our mission.   These included “segmentation,” “cramped,” and “bursting at seams.”

While our members felt overwhelmingly positive about belonging to Good Shepherd, some did express feeling distant or not completely connected to the community. 

The Church in Five Years

Parishioners identified the following as the top focus areas for Good Shepherd during the next five years:

1. Responsive community outreach
2. Inspiring worship
3. Passionate spiritual growth
4. Loving, inclusive community
5. Inclusive youth programs

Top priorities for enabling continued growth while meeting the needs of all members were:

1. Expanded facilities and parking
2. Expanded adult Christian education
3. Expanded community engagement
4. Expanded small group ministry
5. Development of the diversity imperative

Hopes for accomplishments on behalf of our mission during the next five years included expanded facilities, greater outreach to the surrounding community, increased diversity within our congregation, expanded opportunities for adult education, and various opportunities to enhance our sense of connection to one another.       

Demographics of Respondents

Age

      
12-17        8

18-29        4

30-39        24

40-49        34

50-59        38

60-70        35

> 70          24   

Gender

Male         55

Female     96

Length of Time at Good Shepherd

<1 year      5

1-3 yrs.      23

4-6 yrs.      25

7-10 yrs.    21

11-15 yrs.  14

16-20 yrs.  24

> 20 yrs.    16

Note: Because not all respondents answered all questions, numbers will not add up to 160.