Survey to help
assess 'state of church' for United Methodists
|
Meera Buck |
Sept. 11, 2006
By United Methodist News Service
United Methodists are encouraged to participate in an online survey to help
collect information for the denomination's "State of the Church" project.
The project is sponsored by the Connectional Table, created by the 2004
United Methodist General Conference -- the denomination's top legislative
body -- to guide mission and ministries.
The survey can be found
here or by going to
www.umc.org. It may be placed on other
official denominational Web sites as well, and United Methodist
Communications is sending the link to its e-mail lists.
The Martec Group, a research firm based in Chicago, is collecting
information for the State of the Church project. The firm is interviewing
bishops, pastors, district superintendents, annual conference treasurers and
administrative service directors, connectional ministries directors and
designated lay leaders. The first draft of the project report should be
completed by the end of the year.
Meera Buck, a United Methodist, is the principal researcher for United
Methodist data for Martec. Data will be gathered from church members in the
United States, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Germany,
Switzerland, Russia and the Philippines.
|
Bishop John L. Hopkins |
The survey will be used as research for the state of the church report, says
United Methodist Bishop John L. Hopkins, chairperson of the Connectional
Table.
"It seems when agencies of our church do surveys, they tend to do it from
that agencies' perspective," he said. "The Connectional Table is trying to
do something above and beyond any particular perspective, and that is why we
went with an outside firm."
The online survey asks respondents how important certain core beliefs are to
their spiritual journey and to what extent the church offers opportunities
to study, pray about and practice those beliefs.
Respondents also are presented with five core values of the United Methodist
Church and asked how important the values are to their spiritual journey.
One of the core values, for example, is: "Faith in Jesus Christ is expressed
in work for justice and by providing for the needs of the poor, and all who
are 'pushed aside or left out.'"
Survey takers judge how important prayer, worship with others, financial
giving, Bible study and working for social justice is to their religious
life. They also are presented with a list of issues facing the world today
and asked how important it is for the church to focus on each issue.
Other questions focus on how the church operates as a connectional system,
its organizational structure and the effectiveness of pastors.
Respondents are asked to offer opinions about what the church needs to do to
attract young people as members; to voice agreement or disagreement with the
official denominational policy on homosexuality; to list their primary
reason for becoming a member of the United Methodist Church and express how
hopeful they are for future of the local church and denomination as a whole.
The survey complements a telephone survey that Martec was already doing.
News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.
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Connectional Table discusses vision for church
New Connectional Table plans state-of-church report
Church Creates Connectional Table to Lead General Agency Work
Resources
State of the Church Online Survey
The Martec Group
The United Methodist Publishing House
United Methodist Communications
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